Classic: Opel shows its legendary touring cars

The OGP, as it is known for short, is an annual highlight in the historic racing calendar. For three days, 13 different race fields with vehicles from all eras offer an action-packed, colorful cross-section of the history of racing. Most of the races also feature Swiss participants, who race for points towards championships or simply for victory and honor. Also worth seeing are always the exhibitions on the sidelines and the show drives of various historic racing cars. Opel, for example, shows what the brand with the lightning bolt has been capable of in the last few decades. The focus is on the Opel Calibra V6 in which Manuel Reuter won the 1996 International Touring Car Championship under the then Class 1 regulations. The ITC was more or less a supplement to the DTM with a few foreign races, even overseas. After that, it no longer existed due to exploding costs.

Acoustic and optical delicacies at the start
In that final season of the DTM, Reuter prevailed in the ITC standings against strong competition from Alfa Romeo and Mercedes. The sound of the high-revving naturally aspirated V6 engine still thrills today. At the Nürburgring, the all-wheel-drive touring car will be entrusted to ex-DTM driver and Opel brand ambassador Joachim Winkelhock for quick demonstration laps, and it certainly won't be cruising around under revved. Other visual and acoustic treats from Opel include the Irmscher Manta A driven by rally legends Walter Röhrl and Rauno Altonen in the 1975 Spa 24 Hours, an Opel GT based on Group 4 regulations and a 300-hp Steinmetz Commodore from 1971. The Rekord C, dubbed the "Black Widow" and famous for its uncompromising heavy metal sound, is unique and not on display for the first time.

www.avd.de/ogpracing
www.opel.ch
Photos: Archive