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Eric Bitter started his car-building business in 1971, specifically for the CD. His base was a one-acre site in his hometown of Schwelm, Germany. Lacking the capital or time to set up his own production facilities, he searched for a company to build the CD. He chose Baur of Stuttgart, as they produced prototypes and limited production runs for several well-known German companies. They possessed the necessary experience, had the capacity to build the car, and their build quality was impressive.
Bitter was heavily influenced in his design of the CD by the stunning Opel Styling CD (Coupe Diplomat), the 1969 Frua interpretation shown at the Frankfurt auto show in 1970. These cars offered exotic designs and a reliable American V8 engine. He sought the willing help of Dave HoIls, Opel's head of styling, in turning the great potential of the Frua CD into a car for the 1970s.
A euphoric Erich Bitter took 176 orders for his stylish new car at the 1973 Frankfurt auto show; unfortunately, due to the oil embargo, the majority of the orders were canceled. Production never reached the projected 200 cars per year target, but by the beginning of 1975, Bitter had built 100 CDs. With the effects of the oil crisis receding, CD sales continued, and by 1976 the total production had reached 254 cars. Three years later, production ceased. Baur had built a total of 395 CDs. The displayed example is number 135 of the 395 built.
For such a low-production car, the Bitter CD has a lot of legendary automotive names associated with it. Chuck Jordan, Dave Holls, Pietro Frua, and even Bob Lutz each had a hand in its development.
Done originally as an internal design study, the Opel CD was an unexpected hit. When consideration for production was happening, Lutz brought in Frua to clean up the design. Ultimately, the project was canned, but new Opel design chief Holls encouraged Erich Bitter to put the CD into production. After tweaking it a bit more, the first car was built in 1974.
Powered by a Chevrolet 327 engine, a total of 395 CDs were built by the time production of the model ended in 1978.
Bitter was heavily influenced in his design of the CD by the stunning Opel Styling CD (Coupe Diplomat), the 1969 Frua interpretation shown at the Frankfurt auto show in 1970. These cars offered exotic designs and a reliable American V8 engine. He sought the willing help of Dave HoIls, Opel's head of styling, in turning the great potential of the Frua CD into a car for the 1970s.
A euphoric Erich Bitter took 176 orders for his stylish new car at the 1973 Frankfurt auto show; unfortunately, due to the oil embargo, the majority of the orders were canceled. Production never reached the projected 200 cars per year target, but by the beginning of 1975, Bitter had built 100 CDs. With the effects of the oil crisis receding, CD sales continued, and by 1976 the total production had reached 254 cars. Three years later, production ceased. Baur had built a total of 395 CDs. The displayed example is number 135 of the 395 built.
For such a low-production car, the Bitter CD has a lot of legendary automotive names associated with it. Chuck Jordan, Dave Holls, Pietro Frua, and even Bob Lutz each had a hand in its development.
Done originally as an internal design study, the Opel CD was an unexpected hit. When consideration for production was happening, Lutz brought in Frua to clean up the design. Ultimately, the project was canned, but new Opel design chief Holls encouraged Erich Bitter to put the CD into production. After tweaking it a bit more, the first car was built in 1974.
Powered by a Chevrolet 327 engine, a total of 395 CDs were built by the time production of the model ended in 1978.
No auction information available for this vehicle at this time.
Recent Sales of the Bitter CD
(Data based on Model Year 1975 sales)
Bitter CDs That Failed To Sell At Auction
1975 Bitter CD's that have appeared at auction but did not sell.
| Vehicle | Chassis | Event | High Bid | Est. Low | Est. High |
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1975 Bitter CD
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