'Poor man's Corvette': Cabarrus woman to showcase unique, storied 1971 Opel GT at Pennzoil AutoFair (2024)

By Adam Thompson/

CONCORD – For as long as she’s known, Laurie Schwartz has been infatuated with Corvettes, especially those with some muscle and power.

Schwartz, who resides in Cabarrus County, only had $500 to spend when she was searching for a car when she was 17 years old, so at the time, a Corvette was out of the question.

She then spotted this 1971 Opel GT.

The car wasn’t in great shape, but she knew it was special and unique.

The car was colored red, repainted in house paint, the radio didn’t work, the speedometer and tachometer weren’t working, the gas gauge was unreliable, and the body of the car appeared to be abused.

“It basically was a problem child,” Schwartz said. “You can imagine it didn’t look real pretty, but I loved it. I drove it everywhere. The engine was strong. The headlights and windshield wipers worked. The critical things worked on it.”

The 1971 Opel GT is considered to be a very rare car and is known by many as the “poor man’s Corvette.”

Schwartz drove her Opel GT for three and a half years, until 1982, when she didn’t have much money for all those costly repairs.

Still, it was her very first car and a car that she holds close to her heart.

After years of talking about wishing she still had her original Opel GT, Schwartz’s husband surprised her. In 2005, he purchased a red 1971 Opel GT, which was sitting down the road in Fort Mill, South Carolina, off eBay.

“He rekindled my love for Opel GTs and I essentially got my first car back,” Schwartz said.

Schwartz’s 1971 Opel GT will be placed in the Showcase Pavilion with other very rare, one-of-a-kind and custom automobiles at this week’s Pennzoil AutoFair at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Schwartz said the 1971 Opel GT looks a lot like a miniature version of the Corvette Stingray, which was initially her dream car.

The Pennzoil AutoFair, which will run from Thursday, Oct. 17 to Saturday, Oct. 19 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., will have more than 50 car clubs represented, including the National Opel Club.

Steve McQueen’s 1968 Bullitt, the model from the movie “Cars” will be on display and there will be more than 50 vendors.

Schwartz’s prize possession was in good shape when it was purchased, but not in perfect condition.

The car was colored burgundy with gold stripes and had some minor enhancements made.

The seats were redone to look like the original, the Opel logos were embroidered on the back of the seats and a spoiler was placed on the car to give it a sporty look.

“One of the big ideas that I saw at the AutoFair that I am probably going to end up doing in the next couple of years is lambo doors, the doors that flip up,” Schwartz said. “I get all kinds of ideas (at auto shows) on things to do with current cars, future cars, there are project cars.”

The president of the Opel Club asked Schwartz to showcase hers at the Pennzoil AutoFair.

“Mine is one of those unique ones, and there are a handful of them, and they want to showcase eight or nine of the different Opels,” Schwartz said. “There are many different varieties of the Opels and they are trying to get a unique one in each category, and I was asked.”

Schwartz has been extremely interested in muscle cars since she was younger, watching her mechanical engineer father tinker and rebuild cars, asking him questions and wondering why things work the way they do.

Now, she can’t get enough, especially when she attends auto shows.

“It’s like being a kid in a candy store,” she said. “There are all different types of cars – muscle cars, unique cars in various shapes and sizes and customizations. Some of them are pristine. Some of them are a work in progress and there are plenty for sale. If you are looking for project cars, it’s a great place to get your next project. If you are not looking for a project car, it’s a great place to buy a car that you didn’t plan on, which we have done.”

Schwartz even purchased her ultimate dream car, the Corvette Stringray, at an auto show.

“I just grew to primarily love the muscle cars, so I don’t know how the Opel GT fit in because it is far from being a muscle car, other than the fact that it looks like a Corvette,” Schwartz said.

Tickets for the Pennzoil AutoFair are $13 each day for adults and children under 13 years old are admitted for free. A three-day adult ticket will be $32.