First of all, they're not really exotic cars. They just look like one. (They look a lot like a Ferrari 400i) It's underpinnings are pure Opel. Opel just doesn't have the status of, say, BMW or Mercedes. While Erich Bitter, the car's creator, was a champion race driver, Bitters have no racing history. Add to that a brief marriage to Isuzu (Bitters were, for awhile, to be sold through Isuzu dealers in the US) and you understand why these cars are overlooked by many people looking for a classy, limited edition European coupe.
The Bitter is not a bad car, by any means. It's big and heavy, with an overall length of 193 inches, a width of 71 inches, a height of 53 inches and weighing 3,439 lbs. But it was able to reach 60 mph in 9.6 seconds, and had a top speed of 130 mph.
The body may look like a Ferrari, but the interior is straight out of the 1980s Maserati school of design. It's a little more Germanic than a Maserati interior, but a lot more luxurious and plush than anything coming out of Germany at the time.Opel parts, when compared to other German brands, are inexpensive, although most parts will have to come from Europe.
This Bitter has been in storage for 10 years and appears to be in very nice shape. The seller says the gas is stale and the the fuel system will have to be cleaned, but it starts and runs on starting fluid. The "Buy It Now" price is $8995.00, which is around what you'd expect to pay for a nice running Bitter, but the seller is willing to entertain offers.
Located in Palm City, FL, click here to see the eBay listing.
5 comments:
A local Buick dealer here in Long Island was an authorized Bitter dealer for a few years in the 80's. I remember stopping by and really liking the car...I saw one or two on the road but that was years ago.
I've always loved this car. Never driven, but there's a pure, boxiness (and agreed, near 400i copy) in the design that totally floats my boat. Lust.
Never could get over the rear of the SC, the rest of the car looked great (400i side profile, Mk2 Supra front), but the back was just a little too weird in the styling department. The SD in comparison was a much better looking model, also had V8 power, but they are twice the price (although, still a bargain).
The good news is that Bitter is back (well so they say again), basing there next generation car on the excellent Holden (Pontiac G8) platform.
I always liked Bitters. Thanks for the post.
Bitter SC, now there's a term I haven't heard in a loooooong time. I remember thinking they were pretty hot while looking through DuPont Registry in study hall back in the day. You always come up with the coolest stuff.
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