2005 OPEL Tigra Twin Top 1.8L 16V 5MT FWD (125 HP)

Vehicle Overview

Based on the successful model Corsa, the Tigra Twintop was the first, small class coupe-cabriolet for the German car-maker. Its angular look and two-seat only, made it an excellent boulevard-cruiser.

Opel was not very concerned to built convertibles in the past. It tried the market with a city-coupe named Tigra, in 1994 and it stopped the production in 2001 due to poor sales. But the car-maker didn’t stop. It tried again in 2004 with a new generation. That time was a coupe-cabriolet vehicle.

The design was inspired by its bigger brother, the Astra, even though it was based on the same platform with the Corsa. The chromed line on the grille the angular lines and clear edges made the car look different on the small-segment category. For the retractable hard-top, Opel employed the same company which made the Peugeot 206 CC, the French coachbuilder Heuliez. In the back, the big taillights were inspired by those found in the Astra.

The 206 installed a bench in the back, which was small even for a toddler. The Tigra Twintop didn’t even try to install one. The dashboard design was similar to the Corsa C (the third generation) and so was the center stack and the door panels.

Under the hood, Opel installed a choice of three engines: two gasoline and one turbodiesel. The latter was developed by the Italian car-maker Fiat. All versions were mated to a standard 5-speed manual. An automated, single-clutch, 5-speed gearbox was available as an option.