Welcome to the Opel Motorsport Club The Opel Motorsport Club is celebrating its 36th year of dedication to the preservation and appreciation of all German Opels, with special emphasis on models imported into the United States. We are headquartered on the west coast and have chapters across the country, in Europe, as well as members in Canada and Mexico. Membership benefits include subscription to this, listings for parts and service suppliers, the Blitz index and tech tip index (1985-date), free classified ads (3 per year), club items, a member roster, owner support and activities, including meetings and our annual picnic and car show. Officers President: Paul Kaman VP/Secretary: Matt Newman Activities: Gil Wesson Treasurer: Dick Counsil Blitz Editor: Mike Meier Web Master: Richard Kavadas To Join OMC: Write to Contents OMC TREASURER Official Club Business...... 1 c/o Dick Counsil 3824 Franklin Street 2016 Calender ...... 2 La Crescenta, CA 91214-1607 From the Archives...... 3 Bench Racing...... 4 Membership Dues: Murphy...... 5 Regular: $45 ($47 via PayPal) annually. Nineteen...... 5 Online: $20 ($21 via PayPal) annually. Conrero Opel GT Tribute...... 7 Name of Car...... 8 Check or money order (US funds only, made Jet Black Silk...... 9 payable to Opel Motorsport Club) Tinyvette ...... 10 PayPal to [email protected] Zooms Just Fine...... 11 Include your name and address information. Orange Monster...... 12 Luxus ...... 13 Meetings: Bill Ward ...... 14 The OMC meetings are as announced, at The OMC Library ...... 15 varying locations. Please consult the OMC Blitz calendar or the OMC website to find out The OMC Mall...... 16 who is hosting the next meeting or event. The Business Page ...... 17
The Blitz The Blitz is the official publication of the Opel Motorsport Club (OMC). It is published This Issue four times a year. Circulation is limited to Here are a few numbers to summarize this issue: club members and prospective club members. Pages: ? The Blitz is copyrighted © by the OMC. Words: ? Articles, photographs, drawings, technical tips, and other materials appearing in The Illustrations: ? Blitz may not be reproduced without the Print Cost: $ expressed, written permission of the OMC. Discounted Print Cost: $ Views expressed are not necessarily those of the officers or members of the OMC.
Cover Photo: People who attended the 35th anniversary meeting of OMC were able to take home a number of commemorative items, including the shirt pictured on the cover, along with coffee mugs, decals, and hats. Opel Motorsport Club The Blitz
Official Club Business
About This Issue Ever since to became editor of The Blitz I’ve wanted to do an issue about the Opel people own and driver, or race, or I guess, live in. Finally, this is that issue. In late 2016 I put out a call on the OpelGT.com forum for a photo of and a few words about everyone’s cars, and that I’d give them a whole page in The Blitz just for them. In the January issue of The Blitz I asked our members to do the car. I even used our Facebook page to asked people to participate in this. At that point I started to worry that I might get more submissions than OMC can afford to put in a single issue.
And so here we are at the end of 2016 and it has happened. We have photos submitted by XX people from all over North America and also from...
2017 Ballot This issue includes the 2017 membership ballot. ...
2017 Activities
2016 Treasurer’s Report
2016 Membership Report
October - December 2016 Page 1 The Blitz Opel Motorsport Club
September 2016 Calender 2 - 4 The Maine Event (Loring Timing Assoc.), Loring AFB, Limestone, Maine 10 - 13 World of Speed, Bonneville Salt Flats Here is your 2016 calendar of Opel events along with 23 - 25 International Route 66 Mother Road Festival, motorsports events that inspire us plus a few that Springfield, Illinois members of OMC will be participating in. October January 1 - 2 Button Turrible (24HOL, Tinyvette), 3 - 16 Dakar Rally, Argentina – Bolivia Buttonwillow Raceway, Buttonwillow, 10 OMC ballots and survey are due California
February November 13 - 14 Sears Pointless (24HOL, Tinyvette), Somona 1 - 4 SEMA, Las Vegas, Nevada Raceway, Sonoma, California 16 - 20 Baja 1000, Ensenada, Baja Mexico
March December TBA Texas Mile, Chase Field Industrial Complex, 3 - 4 Arse-Freeze-Apalooza (24HOL, Tinyvette, Beeville, Texas Phoenix Racing), Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma, CA May 1 -8 Europatreffen in Nuremberg TBA NorCal Opeler’s Gold Country Fun Run/OMC meeting 20 - 22 Carlisle Import & Kit Car Nationals, Carlisle, Pennsylvania 21 - 22 Vodden the Hell Are We Doing (24HOL, Tinyvette, Phoenix Racing), Thunderhill Raceway Park, Willows, California 28 Isle of Man (runs through June 11) 28 Opels in My Yard, Colfax, Indiana 29 Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis International Raceway, Indianapolis, Indiana
June 11 International Opel Festival and Picnic, Perris, CA. 15 - 19 24 Hours of Le Mans, Le Mans, France 18 - 26 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, Pikes Peak, near Colorado Springs, Colorado
July 13 -17 The Maine Event (Loring Timing Assoc.), Loring AFB, Limestone, Maine 30 The Tacoma Meet, Tacoma, Washington 30 - 31 Arse-Sweat Apalooza (24HOL, Tinyvette, Phoenix Racing), Thunderhill Raceway Park, Willows, California
August 15 - 21 Monterey Car Week, Monterey, CA 13 - 19 Speed Week, Bonneville Salt Flats
Page 2 October - December 2016 Opel Motorsport Club The Blitz
From the Archives
My Story of Inspiration By Dennis Gardiner, September-October 2008
October - December 2016 Page 3 The Blitz Opel Motorsport Club
Bench Racing
Another Tall Tale By Whomever
Tell it!
Page 4 October - December 2016 Opel Motorsport Club The Blitz Murphy
Matt Schinelli’s 197x Opel GT This is the car that was the Yellow Baron. About...
October - December 2016 Page 5 The Blitz Opel Motorsport Club Nineteen
Kyler Norman’s 197x Opel GT About...
Page 6 October - December 2016 Opel Motorsport Club The Blitz Conrero Opel GT Tribute
Gil Wesson’s Conrero Opel GT Tribute About...
October - December 2016 Page 7 The Blitz Opel Motorsport Club Name of Car
Don Michaelson’s 197x Opel Sport Wagon Don’s wagon...
Page 8 October - December 2016 Opel Motorsport Club The Blitz Jet Black Silk
Irfan’s 197x Opel Manta Irfan’s Manta...
October - December 2016 Page 9 The Blitz Opel Motorsport Club Tinyvette
Mike Meier’s 1969 Opel GT run at Bonneville twice, been in shows at Monterey Car Alan Brattesani and Mike purchased this ran-when- Week, and has made the 1,500 round trip to the Tacoma parked field-find for $200, and nine weeks later had meet. Yes, it is street-legal. revived it and were racing in the 24 Hours of LeMons. That was back in 2010. Since then the car has competed in 17 races and logged over 12,000 race miles. It has also
Page 10 October - December 2016 Opel Motorsport Club The Blitz Zooms Just Fine
Roy Moulton’s 1969 GT Roy’s car is unique in that is has a 1.1L motor. More...
October - December 2016 Page 11 The Blitz Opel Motorsport Club Orange Monster
Troy Moore’s 1968 Rallye Kadett Troy’s Kadett was featured in ...
Page 12 October - December 2016 Opel Motorsport Club The Blitz Luxus
Jeffery Widder’s 1973 Opel Manta Luxus This is a 42,000 original mile survivor car, with original paint, vinyl top, and most of the interior. The photo was taken at Ambler’s Texaco Gas Station on Historic Route 66 in Dwight, Illinois.
October - December 2016 Page 13 The Blitz Opel Motorsport Club Bill Ward
Bill Ward Racing’s Bonneville GT Bill Ward campaigned this car at Bonneville for xx year, bringing home xx land speed records. With driver John “Rocket Man” Paxon at the wheel the car completed a 265 mph pass.
Page 14 October - December 2016 Opel Motorsport Club The Blitz
The OMC Library “Opel - so wird er schneller: leistungssteigerung am Opel Ascona, Manta, Kadett, GT : (1968 - 1972)”, Gert Hack: Motorbuch Verlag, 127 pages, 1972. OMC does not have an official library, but we are keeping a list of books and other items that deal with “Opel Wheels to the World”, Karl Ludvigsen: Automobile classic Opels as well as Opel (the company) itself. Quarterly & Princeton Publishing, 112 pages, 1979.
“Nur Filegen ist Schöner”, S.W. Lukas, K.J. Hause: Verlag Video Jungjohann, 1985. “Opel GT, Driving the Dream”, El Dorado Productions, Mike Siegel, 2008. “Das Grosse Opel GT Buch”, Wolf Dieter; Walter Günther: Heel Verlag GmbH, 144 pages, 1990. Books “Opel GT - Gold Portfolio, 1968-1973", R.M. “Opel GT Projekt 1484", Etienne Henrion, Stefan Müller: Clark:Brooklands Books, 172 pages, 1996. Podszun GmbH, 191 pages, 1997.
“Opel GT, Ultimate Portfolio, 1968-1973", R.M. Clark: “Opel Ascona - Mit jedem Kilometer wächst die Freundschaft”, Brooklands Books, Ltd., 200 pages, 2007. Peter Kurze, Rainer Manthey: Delius Klasing, 112 pages, 2011.
“Opel Manta, 1970-1975", R.M. Clark: Brooklands Books, “Jahrbuch 2012 - Opel” Ltd., 92 pages, 1997. Eckhart Bartels, Rainer Manthey: Podszun GmbH, 2011.
“Opel GT Motorsport, 1968-1975", Maurice Van Sevecotte, Detlef Kurzrock, Stefan Müller: Petrolpics GbR, 2008.
“Opel Kadett GT/E”, Antonio Biasioli: Editrice Elzeviro, 144 pages, 2010.
October - December 2016 Page 15 The Blitz Opel Motorsport Club
to Original GT stock exhaust. Also comes with 2½” bolt- The OMC Mall on collector. Bruce Baxter, Missoula, MT 59802, 406- 728-9327, [email protected]. Will ship for the right price. Classifieds For Sale; for an Opel GT – Revolution aluminum OMC Swag wheels (4). 13x6, 3 inch backspace. For off-road use These items used to be available through OMC. Is there only. $200.00. Sport lowering front spring with poly any interest in them today? bushings. $125.00. Lowering front spring based on a Corvette composite spring. For off-road use only. Window Sticker, OMC Logo, 6" x 3" ...... $X $50.00. Shirts (specify sizes) Priced as indicated, I will split shipping costs with the T-shirts ...... $X purchaser. I will sell all items for $300.00 if all items are purchased together. Hats, OMC logo...... $X
Contact Gary Murph at [email protected] Coffee Mugs...... $X
For Sale – 3 Opel GT's plus many parts. Driven Reprints of The Blitz ...... $2 summer's only and garage kept in Ohio for over 30 years. Details at http://www.opel-gts.info/ – Davis Scofield CD-ROM (past issues of The Blitz) . . $Coming Soon! Header – Long, 4-tube stainless steel header for 1900 Opel GT or Kadett. All good, solid pipe. This header fits the GT frame perfectly. One dimple in the No. 1 pipe to go over the motor mount. Currently welded to the reducer
Page 16 October - December 2016 Opel Motorsport Club The Blitz Opel Centerfold Submissions The Business Page Could your slinky, sultry, shiny, sexy Opel, boldly if not provocatively posed, under seductive lighting, possibly be centerfold-worthy? Is your Opel one of those few that Advertising in The Blitz “everybody wants”, one that sets a standard for beauty and grace, one that gives all other Opels hope while Classifieds: Up to 50 words, plus name & phone, and a making all other marques bitter and jealous? Well, we single photo. want to see it. Everybody wants to see it! Send in your best photo of the car, one that is suitable viewing by 1 Month $6.00 3 Months $15.00 children and full page landscape printing, along with a 6 Months $23.00 12 Months $39.00 smaller photo of you with the car, along with the car’s (3 free ads per year for members) back story, the personal version, not your build diary. And don’t forget to provide your car’s vital details, Business Ads: (Subject to change) including “Best Features”, “Turn-ons”, and “Turn-offs”.
Half Page $35 for 1 month Copyright Policy on Submissions Full Page (Temporarily Unavailable) Your submission does not become property of OMC. We Insert $120 for 1 month want to encourage people to tell the world about their Business Card $60 for 1 year Opels and the fun they are having with them, so if you Back Cover (Temporarily Unavailable) later manage to convince Road&Track or Grassroots Motorsports or others to publish your story, we don’t Send ad copy and payment (payable to Opel Motorsport want to get in the way. We do, however, need for you to Club) to Blitz Editor. grant us permission, in perpetuity, the use your submission in OMC projects and publications, such as Article Submissions The Blitz, posters, banners, reprints, books, post cards, We are always interested in receiving articles, photos, videos, on the web site, Facebook page, calendars, etc. club events and news. Submissions can hand or And obviously, you must hold the copyright to your typewritten, or preferably a common electronic document article or photos, i.e. be the creator and have not such as ASCII Text, WordPerfect, Open Office, or transferred the copyright to anyone else. Also, in this Microsoft Word, Publisher, or Works. same spirit of openness, if another publisher wants to reprint your submission (article, artwork, or photo) we Illustrations: Drawings and photos are also welcome. will contact you to make the proper arrangements. Please submit these electronically using a common file format and with sufficient resolution to look good Contacts at OMC printed, minimum 180 dpi, ideally 300 dpi. Membership Info: [email protected] Deadline: We can usually accept submissions up to about two weeks before our mailing deadline. Advertising, letters, and submissions:
Photo Opel Submissions Opel BLITZ Editor For Photo Opel submissions we are looking for great 515 K Street photos, not snapshots, of Opels and Opel-related subjects. Davis, CA 95616 USA If you have such a photo, and you either took the photo or own the rights to it, by all means send it in. If selected it [email protected] will appear in an upcoming issue of The Blitz. Please note that your photo will be printed at roughly 6"x4" and we will we need 180 dpi minimum and ideally 300 dpi images.
October - December 2016 Page 17 The Blitz Opel Motorsport Club
Back Cover Replace with Full-bleed PDF File
Page 18 October - December 2016