Classic: Bitter SC
Posted on 16-05-2015 to 18:00 by larssb – 33 Comments”
That Chinese yet. Shamelessly copying them one after the other European nichemodel and present who then stoically as Hang Dick 15i or Fak Joe Hi on their own, quite cozy motorshows, as a world first. But have we in Europe ever looked back? Look closely at the Bitter SC.
So good you don’t have to look, by the way. Erich Bitter was in terms of styling, helped by Giovanni Michelotti, at least violently inspired by Pininfarina’s design of the Ferrari 400. You can see the silhouettes almost seamlessly on top of each other. That was less the case with its predecessor, the Bitter CD. When that design was, although very well to the Maserati Ghibli look, but also with an eye to the De Tomaso Mangusta, and there was even a hint of Maserati Khamsin in to recognize. So not practically matched, as his successor. But has the SC itself immediately disqualified? Well, no. A car is much more than his looks, according to a not-so-ancient Chinese wisdom.
Shot to the brain of driver/car-importer/businessman Erich Bitter took this SC in 1980, so the CD on. This time it was the new Opel Senator of the base, SC stood for Senator Coupe. Because it was there that Bitter in no way to be secretive about; the basis of his creation was still the largest Opel of that period. That choice was a conscious: as a former importer of the Italian Intermeccanica he went almost bankrupt at the lousy quality of the delivered copies, because he bravely tried of disappointment rolling and keep customers happy. But that turned out to be mopping with the tap open.
That was really much better, he thought, and started from 1973 with the building of the CD: its intended combination of exclusivity and reliability on the basis of the Opel Diplomat. With the follow-up of the Diplomat by the Senator in 1978, Bitter two years later, also with the are based, new model: this SC. Again, an über-Opel so, with their full approval and even sincere appreciation. A bit of Lexus or Infiniti avant la lettre. The used Opel technology continued virtually unchanged, but the exclusive gold mainly design and decoration with high quality materials. And to a large extent, because if you have a leather interior ordered was everything with beef or even buffalo skin. Just a bit too stiff for this hassle but otherwise were probably also the different buttons and tellerwijzers it covered. Leave that to the Italians.
Because there were a lot of parts from the SC manufactured, often by hand. The full body and large parts of the interior were built and clothed by specialists in and around Turin. Then everything went back on a transport and attached in Schwelm the whole thing expertly on the custom Senator chassis and its powertrain. That powertrain consisted of opel’s well-known 3.0 E six-cylinder in standaardtrim, with 180 HP, a top of 215 km/h and with a choice of manual Getrag vijfbak or GM’s bulletproof three-stage automatic transmission. Without any extra cost. That could also be because the SC took at the time, almost as much as a Ferrari 308: a sloppy 130.000 guilders. Kein Katzenurin.
That was quite a lot of money for just 180 HP and such competition. There could be Bitter also not around, and introduced in 1984, the 3.9-litre version with 210 HP, still a L6. Initially, this was offered as an option, but almost no customer ordered the 3.0 liter, so that the stronger variant more or less became standard. As well as a vending machine. That combination made the Bitter up a quick Autobahncruiser, much more a GT than a supercar. With as big pluses are solid and reliable technology. That distinguished him from many of his competitors. Especially of that Italian dandy with that potent and wonderful, but oh so shaky technique. The strong and confident CD is doing his thing: start and (optionally hard) walk, time and time again. The hypochondrische 400 had constantly carried on hands and talked to be otherwise-ie freakish, annoying, and’. As kick is still a the account of the dealer where you decide what feverish. Or went to prance as that thing on your hood.
That today is no different, but with the Bitter you at a reasonable rate, simply go to the Opel dealer away. And you are not that exorbitantly priced hours of the doortikkende designklok to watch as the Ferrari-techies much too slow for lunch in the marble canteen. For the rate of a extensive 400 turn with still some little things here and there you can buy a CD for the parts. That is a entire company because there were only about 460 SC coupes built. The convertible version, from 1981, is even rarer: only 20 pieces left Schwelm. That, however, there are still 10 times more than the four-wheel drive SC with the same Ferguson Formula system as the Jensen FF, there were reportedly ever 2 of built. Even more exclusive than the Ferrari and that was for a decent German. Toll, neh?
You should in any case like the Opel because that trademark is actually everywhere, in the car found in buttons, levers, and dashboard. Even the steering wheel and the wheels as their top model, only now with a Bitter logo on it. Add that to the “borrowed” styling, and it is clear that copy and borrow us Europeans are also not entirely strange, but in this case, the quality not to suffer. On the contrary even. And that we need to with the new Foci, Lee Luk 130S yet but just wait.
Gallery: Bitter SC Classic
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