1975 Bitter CD Coupe

It was 1862 when Adam Opel started making sewing machines in a cowshed, of all places. But he was pretty good at it and, by 1888, had to move from the cowshed to bigger facilities. Then, in 1886, he started building high-wheel bicycles, and by 1895, he was the leader in both markets. The first Opel car was produced when his sons partnered with Friedrich Lutzmann, a locksmith and aspiring automobile designer. They signed a licensing agreement to market the 'Opel Darracq', which debuted at the 1902 Hamburg Motor Show. By 1914 Opel was the largest car manufacturer in Germany. It's not often a classic car owner can say they actually played a role in developing their own car, but that's the case here.

Mr. Ruzzin was a General Motors designer when Bill Mitchell dispatched him to Opel Design. His assignment; help design a low-riding, high-performance coupe off of the Opel Diplomat. One of Mr. Ruzzin's sketches was chosen, and a scale model was built. Soon, Mr. Ruzzin had to return to the States, and the design study was finished by others. Erich Bitter was a well-known racer and he turned the design exercise into a road-worthy car. The result was elegant; a Baur body on a Diplomat platform and independent rear suspension, and vented disc brakes. Today, power comes from a Corvette 350 CID engine. Only 395 were made, six of which reside in the United States.

The current owner of this car, Mr. Ruzzin, proudly enjoys owning a car he helped design four decades ago.