Sure, this post has a weird title, but it’s because today’s feature is a particularly weird car. I remember the Bitter SC from an exotic car book my dad had in the 80s. Basically, it’s an Opel Senator with a custom body (which looks remarkably like a period Ferrari 400) and spruced-up interior. This particular example also has a stroked version of the Opel inline six.
Bitter technically sold cars in the US – at Buick dealerships, no less – for a very short time; so some are actual US market cars and some are grey market. These presented a strange proposition: Ferrari looks with a very luxurious interior and performance nowhere near Ferrari level. Still, the modified Opel I6 in this version put out over 200HP at the time, which means this might have been reasonably competitive with a basic 6-Series at the time.
Today, as in the 80s, these are unique oddballs with nice styling. So, if you want to be the only one at your local Cars and Coffee, a Bitter SC might be for you. That being said, today’s feature car might need a lot of work. There’s rust at the bottom of the windshield and at least one side window; so, at a minimum, the glass is coming out for metal work and paint. The car also hasn’t been started in two years and didn’t idle well last time it ran.
Given its Opel roots, basic mechanical parts shouldn’t be hard to find in the scheme of things (though you might have to search outside the us), but most cosmetic parts and much of the interior are Bitter-specific and we must assume they’re not available. Good news is the interior appears to be in good overall shape on this car.
So, with bidding at about $1,000, is this worth it to you?
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Spring, TX, USA (Houston area)
$1,001 with one bid, reserve not met and nine days to go
Here’s the almost-unmistakable profile. Is it a Bitter or a Ferrari?
The front end has a mean look.
Almost menacing…
The seller didn’t – or couldn’t – even push the car out to get rear pics, so we get shots through a chain link fence.
Here’s a badge few will ever see.
We don’t know the Opel Senator interior well enough to know what’s unique here. Do you? Regardless, it’s a nice overall look.
Dash has sun damage. That could be an issue.
We presume ivory gauges were unique to the Bitter.
Seats remind us of a Maserati Biturbo’s.
As always, the back seat is in great shape visually. We wonder how brittle it might be.
Let’s have a look under the well-insulated hood.
Here’s the modified Opel inline six. Supposedly, this put out about 200HP when new.
Have YOU ever seen the ID tag from a Bitter?
Ad text:
YOU ARE VIEWING A VERY RARE 1985 BITTER 3.9SC COUPE – THERE WERE A TOTAL OF ONLY 461 CARS EVER BUILT!!!
I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE 3 YEARS AGO IN HOPES OF RESTORING IT HOWEVER HAVE NOT HAD ANY TIME TO GIVE IT. WHEN I PURCHASED IT, IT WOULD START AND DRIVE BUT IT DOES NOT IDLE SMOOTH SINCE IT HAS NOT BEEN DRIVEN IN 10+ YEARS. I DID DRIVE IT AROUND THE BLOCK A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO AND THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTED WELL. IN THE LAST 2 YEARS, IT HAS NOT EVEN BEEN STARTED.
THE BODY IS IN DECENT SHAPE, THE ONLY RUST I NOTICED IS ON THE LOWER EDGE OF THE WINDSHIELD ON BOTH SIDES AND ON BOTH QUARTER GLASS WINDOW EDGES (SEE PICS). THE INTERIOR HAS LOTS OF WEAR – PLEASE CAREFULLY LOOK AT ALL THE PICTURES FOR DETAILS.
THIS VEHICLE IS BEING SOLD AS-IS WHERE-IS. YOU ARE WELCOME TO COME BY AND HAVE A LOOK AND I CAN HOOK UP A BATTERY BOOSTER AND ATTEMPT START IT UP FOR YOU.