Germans Gain Sense Of Humor, Put Corvette V8 In Opel GT

General Motors last attempts to enter the small, rear-wheel drive sports car segment spawned both the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky, but unbeknown to many in North America is that the program also manifested itself overseas in the way of the Opel GT. Just like its American cousins, the Opel GT was produced between 2006 and 2009 and used GM’s short-lived Kappa platform. The car may not have sold as well as its Pontiac or Saturn-badged platform mates, but that hasn’t stopped it from garnering a small aftermarket following.

German racing and clothing company Mädchen & Motoren, in partnership with Erben Engineering, proved there is still a little love left for the Opel GT by putting together this aggressive, V8-powered track-prepped build.

Modifications began with removing all unnecessary interior fitments including the carpets, center console, speaker system and more. The dash, in typical racecar fashion, is now covered in a suede-looking material while the seats and steering wheel have been replaced by units from Sparco Racing. This strict diet regime helped strip about 400 pounds from the car, with it tipping the scales at 2,535 lbs, down from the factory weight of 2,940 lbs.

Under the hood is where the real fun starts to happen. Madchen and Motoren lifted the 2.0-liter turbocharged engine from the car, which for the Opel GT was the only engine option, and replaced it with a 6.2-liter LS3 engine making 523 horsepower. Along with the engine, the transmission was replaced with a beefier TR6060 gearbox from the Corvette.

Other changes include a modified front and rear track, which has been widened by 80mm at both ends, lightweight fiberglass fenders and a fiberglass hardtop. There are also brakes lifted from a Porsche GT3 RS, KW sports suspension and ATS 18-inch wheels shod in 295/30 rubber.