Opel Enigma Concept

GM’s main European arm of Opel isn’t doing so hot at the minute. Declining sales due to the poor economic situation, as well as fierce competition from other manufacturers mean its kinda the weak link in the GM chain at the moment. However that isn’t going to stop designer David Cardoso from imagining what a Camaro-based Opel-branded GT coupe model would look like. Cardoso sees the Enigma as being essentially an Insignia Coupe, although it could equally be a new version of the now-extinct Calibra coupe.

That said, I think the Enigma is more of a miss than a hit. It bears hardly any resemblance to the rest of Opel’s lineup, and literally the only thing identifying it as an Opel is the badge. There are a few nice touches, the taillights are quite tidy, as are the headlights. But on the whole it looks a bit soggy, and quite what’s going on with the rear 3/4 light windows is anyone’s guess. Cardoso says the car uses inspiration from the Insignia, Astra GTC and the Opel Flextreme GT/E concept. But I don’t see it.

As the Opel Enigma was designed to utilize the Chevrolet Camaro’s platform it would naturally retain the RWD layout. But whether it would (if hell froze over and GM decided to put it into production) keep the Camaro’s not-exactly-European-friendly V8 engine option would be debatable.