Opel Tigra

The Opel Tigra name has been applied to two quite different cars engineered and produced by the German automaker Opel, both based on different iterations of the Corsa supermini, the first built in Spain, the second in France. The first Tigra was a small 2+2 coupé, produced from 1994 to 2000. The later hard-topped convertible roadster model was introduced in 2004. The Opel Tigra was sold in the UK as the Vauxhall Tigra, in Australia as the Holden Tigra, and was sold in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico as the Chevrolet Tigra.

Tigra Mk I (1994-2000)

The first Tigra was based on the coupe concept car of the same name that was shown at the 1993 Frankfurt Motor Show, alongside an open-top Tigra Roadster concept and the Scamp off-roader/pick-up. The Tigra built on the platform of the second generation Opel Corsa B. The production vehicle was introduced in early 1994, and was built at GM's Zaragoza plant in Spain.

The Tigra shared no body panels with the Corsa on which it was based, and the interior layout was different too, with a 2+2 seating arrangement. Due to the coupe styling and compact dimensions of the car, rear seat space was limited.^[2]

The Tigra was available with two petrol engines options, both from the Ecotec family, a more affordable 1.4 L with 90 PS (66 kW), and a larger sportier version, powered by the 1.6 L engine with 106 PS (78 kW), sourced from the Corsa GSi and later Corsa Sports. Both were DOHC 16 valve engines with electronic fuel injection. The smaller engine was available with an optional 4-speed automatic gearbox. The 1.6L model was available with front fog lights as standard, a feature unavailable on the 1.4L version.

The suspension was essentially unchanged from the Corsa donor model, although the setup had been tweaked by Lotus. However, the car carried extra weight, with 150 kg (331 lb) over the equivalent engined Corsa models. Acceleration on the 1.6 L model was 10.5 seconds, one second slower than the Corsa GSi. However, a higher top speed of 203 km/h (126 mph) compensated for its acceleration troubles. This speed increase was obtained thanks to the higher gear ratios, a lower drag coefficient of 0.31, and standard 15" wheels on the more powerful model.

The car was imported by Chevrolet and sold as the Chevrolet Tigra in Brazil and Mexico, and as the Vauxhall Tigra in the United Kingdom. The Brazilian Chevrolet Tigra was imported only for a few months, between late 1998 to early 1999, due to a sudden depreciation of the real, which forced General Motors do Brasil to end importation. Only the 1.6 L model was imported, detuned to 99 PS (73 kW; 98 hp) for tax purposes. The 15" wheels were also exchanged for more affordable 14" wheels.

Tigra Twin Top (2004–2009)

After an absence of four years, Opel resurrected the Tigra nameplate in October 2004 for a new sports car based on the Opel Corsa C. The Tigra Twin Top, as it was called in Opel markets, was a 2-seater coupé convertible with a retractable hardtop in the fashion of the Peugeot 206 CC. The Tigra was produced by French coachbuilder Heuliez.

Like its predecessor, the Tigra Twin Top was available with two petrol-powered engines. The base model used the 1.4 L engine with 90 PS (66 kW), now from the Family 0, different from the previous generation's 1.4, while the top of the range uses the Ecotec 1.8 L from the Corsa GSi, with 125 PS (92 kW). An economic version, used Fiat's Multijet 1.3 Diesel engine, was introduced in 2005.

The second generation was marketed in Australasia as the XC-series Holden Tigra, only with the 1.8 L engine.

Safety

References

External links

• The European TwinTop communities startpage