Bitter SC on Motorweek

Trick Blaupunkt stereo!

$50,000 MSRP!

The "SC" stands for Senator Coupe?

More photos here.

Over 100 years of Chicago Auto Show pictures!

This is the mother lode, ladies and germs.  Pictures from every single Chicago Auto Show.  The following is just a small sampling from the 1985 show.  It was someone's job to sift through boxes of old photographs, scan them, and caption them. 

2011 retrospective

Car-wise, this has been an exceptional year for yours truly.  Here is a synopsis, and it was a pleasure to share all the experiences with you.

April
I visit the only yellow Vector W8 in the world.

I see a Bitter SC for the first time.

I accidentally end up at Thunderhill.

May
I almost end up buying a Merkur.

June
At the Canada GP, I see Vettel mess up, my favorite driver Heidfeld, and Jacques Villeneuve in line in front of me at the airport.

July
I visit the Shelby Museum.

I ride in a NASCAR at the infamous Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

September
I spot the coolest car on the street, an Isuzu Trooper conversion.

I get a peek at an extraordinary Maserati warehouse.

October
I drive the Loneliest Road In America.

November
I pick up my dream car.

Inside the Bitter SC

From 1979 to 1989, 461 Bitter SC coupes were made.  This is one of them.

This is another dream car from my childhood.  In the mid-1980s, I had a Consumer Reports-type magazine and it listed every new car available in America (with accompanying photos).  On the left column of a left page, there was a black and white photo of a Bitter SC.  What was that thing?!

Erich Bitter took a German Opel Senator and added Italian designed and produced body work.  The interior was also inspired by Italia.

This 1985 model MSRP'ed for $52,000.  A Porsche 911 cost $32,000 then and a Ferrari 308 was $54,000.

I never got to see a Bitter in real life, until yesterday.

Jack Hunt is a car guy who happens to run a classic car dealership and mechanical and body repair shop.  The San Rafael business has been around for three generations, since 1927 (it used to be a Chrysler dealership).  Jack's inventory can best be described as eclectic, and right up my alley.  At what other lot can you find a 1985 Bitter SC, a rally-prepped 1983 Toyota Corolla, and a 1953 Facel Comete?

Jack welcomed me and let me spend an hour looking over every inch of the Bitter.  He couldn't have been more patient with my dumb questions.  Here is a real answer to one of my questions: That's the door lock.

This California coupe belongs to a Bay Area collector who is culling the herd, so to speak.  Here is the tidy engine bay.  That's the 3.9 liter unit.

This is a very straightforward layout.  As I sit in the cockpit, my only complaint is the lack of headroom.  It's a big car and the roofline did not look low from the outside.

The steel doors are heavy.  The seats look soft, but are actually quite firm.  That thing in the middle of the door-- it's the door lock.

This is a shot from the back seat.  Same story with the headroom situation here.  As for legroom, short in-town trips are do-able.  I doubt many people have ever sat in the back seat of this 26 year old car.

The car has been gently used and was probably garaged its whole life.  It's certainly not in concours condition, but it may be the perfect daily driver for the right person.

Those white specks are from my camera (and are not on the seat).  I was taking pictures of a nuclear power plant during a mini-sandstorm.  Long story.

Door jamb stickers.

Those rims are ridiculously awesome.  The other nice touch?  The keys have the Opel insignia on them.

Here are a couple more exterior shots:

Thanks again, Jack!

Ooh...

Check back here Saturday

Bitter SC.

Der Checker: German Used Car Buying Show

I should have taken German in high school. Alex is a musician and car freak. His show Der Checker is in its 7th season on the DMAX network. He rides in a Checker cab and checks out used cars. I can't understand 98% of what he is saying but his body language and the shots of the cars do most of the talking. Just search under "Der Checker" on Youtube for videos or go here.

Here he is reviewing a Bitter SC. It looks sharp with a snowy background:

Bitter Bitte!

As a child with undiagnosed OCD, I obsessed over my ability to identify every passenger car on the road. In that vein, I bought a Consumer Reports type guide which had a picture and description of every 1984 model year vehicle sold in America. One particular model was etched in my mind forever. It was the Bitter SC coupe.

Good Enough for A German Museum

Step Aside, 959...

Growing up, I thought: "Bitter? What a strange name." It turns out that it was named after a German ex-racer who decided to convert run-of-the-mill Opels into luxury sports cars. The SC was the most "successful" endeavor for Bitter. Between 1979 and 1989, a whopping 461 coupes, 22 convertibles, and 5 sedans were built. It borrowed the Open Senator's chassis and Opel/GM's 3 liter inline 6, capable of 177 horses. Bored out versions, at 3.9 liters of displacement which put out 207 hp, were also available. Many ended up State-side. Brand new, they cost $43,000 to $55,000. Exclusivity and eccentricity have their price, I guess.

Derivative Styling: Bitter SC or Ferrari 400/400i/412?

Guess Again: Bitter or Ferrari?

CKY