REMSHALDEN, Germany — Irmscher tunes everything from Saabs to Cadillacs, but to celebrate its 40th anniversary the firm decided to do something special: put a really big engine into a really little car. The Opel GT seemed the perfect choice, and so the GTi40 was born.
To the untrained North American eye, the Opel GT may look like a Saturn Sky, and to be fair, they share about 99 percent of their DNA. But only Opel's version is getting the Irmscher treatment.
The "i" in the GTi40 is a tradition for the company; among its other vehicles are the i120, i130 and i200. The "40" in this case signifies the company's 40 years of existence. Five years ago, an i35 was crafted from an Opel Vectra to celebrate the company's 35th.
The GT has been tweaked from a fun Sunday driver to an absolute beast. A few outside modifications subtly distinguish the car from its production counterpart, but what really sets it apart is the 473-horsepower 6.0-liter V8 engine that nearly doubles the power of the two-seater convertible. Hey, you only turn 40 once.
What this means to you: You could drop a 470-hp V8 in your Saturn and call it an iSky, but you'd probably be better off with the Irmscher Opel. — Paul Tassi, Correspondent
To the untrained North American eye, the Opel GT may look like a Saturn Sky, and to be fair, they share about 99 percent of their DNA. But only Opel's version is getting the Irmscher treatment.
The "i" in the GTi40 is a tradition for the company; among its other vehicles are the i120, i130 and i200. The "40" in this case signifies the company's 40 years of existence. Five years ago, an i35 was crafted from an Opel Vectra to celebrate the company's 35th.
The GT has been tweaked from a fun Sunday driver to an absolute beast. A few outside modifications subtly distinguish the car from its production counterpart, but what really sets it apart is the 473-horsepower 6.0-liter V8 engine that nearly doubles the power of the two-seater convertible. Hey, you only turn 40 once.
What this means to you: You could drop a 470-hp V8 in your Saturn and call it an iSky, but you'd probably be better off with the Irmscher Opel. — Paul Tassi, Correspondent
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