Opel Speedster

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About this Collectable

The Opel Speedster is without a doubt the most exiting Opel ever made. A purebred lightweight sports car, built by Lotus. This example comes from the first owner and has covered only 11.000 km.

To start at the beginning: the Opel Speedster originated from a deal between GM and Lotus. Lotus was short of money for the development of the new Elise around the turn of the century, while GM wanted an image builder for Opel. Therefore, the following deal was made: GM would contribute financially to the development of the Elise S2 and Lotus would build a sports car for Opel.

The fact that the Opel Speedster was built by Lotus does not mean that it's simply an Elise with an Opel logo. Only around 10% of the parts are interchangeable. The Speedster also has its own engine: a naturally aspirated 2.2 liter EcoTec engine, which produces 147 hp.

147 hp might not sound that impressive, but that's more than the Elise, which initially only produced 122 hp. However, the most important thing is the power-to-weight ratio. The Opel Speedster weighs only 870 kg. Even though they didn't build the Speedster for themselves, Lotus applied their famous lightweight philosophy to this car.

This low weight is possible because the Speedster is built on the same aluminum chassis as the Elise S2. For the body panels fiberglass is used. Thanks to these lightweight materials, the Speedster is rather quick. Accelerating from 0-100 km/h takes just 5,9 seconds.

Does that make it the fastest sports car? No. Is it one of the most enjoyable driver's cars? Definitely. With a low weight and a fantastic chassis, it is an absolute joy to drive. Thanks to the lack of things like power steering and traction control, this car offers a pure driving experience. However, you don't have to do without safety systems altogether, since the Speedster does have ABS.

With its aggressive angular lines, the Opel Speedster also has the looks. In fact, it is a very impressive car to behold. The design is completely different from the Lotus Elise and you will not find the stacked exhausts on any other car.

This example looks particularly agressive, because it is finished in black on black, with red upholstery. It's Dutch car, that comes from the first owner. It has covered less than 11.000 km.

Our opinion

There are two ex-Lotus Elise drivers in our ranks, so yes, we are quite fond of this concept. The driving can hardly be compared to anything else. 

Back then, of course, you went for the Lotus because that was the real thing. But now we are 20 (!) years further and we have to admit that the Speedster is a very characteristic model. Especially in this black colour with the contrasting seats, it is a pretty cool little car., And in terms of build quality, the Speedster seemed just a bit tighter. A little less hardcore, with ABS so not only suitable for mountain passes but also for the drive getting there. 

The best Opel ever? If we don't list the Lotus Omega as 'Opel', it just might be true.  

Equipment

This Opel is equipped from factory with:

• 41T Black roof
• 80X Black trim
• AJ3 Airbag driver
• AV5 FRT high back bucket seat
• B18 Silver metallic ornament/jewel package
• B34 Floor mats with logo
• BS1 Sound isolation
• JL9 Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)
• N35 Sport steering wheel, leather, 3 spoke
• QJ7 Wheel RR 7 1/2 Jx17, aluminum
• QN3 Wheel FRT 5.5 Jx17, aluminum
• T96 Halogen fog lights
• TNT Battery - 38 Ah
• W1A Radio Installation Kit
• W6D Upholstery, Sport, variant 1
• XXIW Fabric, black
• XZAE Nav System/Movano Corr.

Modifications

The car is equipped with the following modifications:

• Opel logo & wheels black
• Janspeed exhaust (original exhaust present)
• Sport air filter (original air filter present)
• Diffuser
• Carbon foil on parts of the interior
• Panasonic navigation system

See photos for the invoice from Van der Kooi.

Remarks

There are of course some signs of use, documented on the photos:

• Light stone chips on the front bumper
• Small damage on the rear right fender extension

Service history

The most important points from the recent service history are:

• March 14, 2022 - 10.838 km - Orange Motors Opel: MOT + battery replaced, brake system bled, brake fluid changed
• June 22, 2013 - 9.836 km - Orange Motors Opel: battery replaced

The car was suspended from 2019 to March 2022 and the car has only been driven about 1,000 km in the past 10 years. That is why little maintenance needed to be carried out during this period.

Included with sale

• Two keys
• Radio navigation with remote control
• 6 CD changer
• Original exhaust
• Original air filter

About the seller

The owner describes the car as "a go-kart for the public roads". According to him, you can experience speed without driving extremely fast. For that reason, it's a shame that this car has almost not been driven in recent years. The owner also has a lack of space. Therefore, he has now decided that it is time to let someone else enjoy this car.

Summary

Seller - Tom
Seller type - Business 
Location - The Netherlands
VIN - W0L0EAR972N002299
Year/date of production - September 11, 2001
First registration - November 2, 2001
Mileage - 10.900 km
Verifiable - Yes, NAP verified
Warranty - No
Body type - Convertible
Engine - 2,2 liter four-cylinder
Lay-out - Rear-wheel drive
Transmission - 5-speed manual
Exterior colour - Black (2QU)
Interior colour - Red
Upholstery - Leather
Smoker's car - No
Owners - 1 (2 businesses form the same owner)
In possession since - November 2, 2001
Tires - Bridgestone Potenza, 2015 (front: 9 mm, rear: 8 mm)

The description of this Collectable has been created with the utmost care, based on information from and validated by the seller. The Collectables performs a (pre) selection based on the information provided and consults public sources for any irregularities. However, bidders themselves must ascertain the correctness of the description and can, if desired, have a personal investigation carried out. All Collectables on our platform can be subjected to any possible inspection, investigation or valuation by buyers in advance, of course in consultation with the seller. Please refer to our Terms and Conditions for more details.