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.
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.
This Opel is equipped from factory with:
The car is equipped with the following modifications:
See photos for the invoice from Van der Kooi.
There are of course some signs of use, documented on the photos:
The most important points from the recent service history are:
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.
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.
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)
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