The Opel Tigra name has been used for two different cars, both based on the Corsa. The first, from 1994 to 2000, was a small 2+2 coupé built in Spain; the second, from 2004 to 2009, was the Tigra TwinTop, a two-seat convertible with a folding steel roof built in France.
Opel Tigra at a glance
| Maker | Opel, a General Motors brand |
|---|---|
| Tigra A | 1994–2000 |
| Tigra TwinTop B | 2004–2009 |
| Tigra A basis | Opel Corsa B |
| Tigra A built at | Zaragoza, Spain |
| Tigra A engines | 1.4 of 90 PS, 1.6 of 106 PS |
| Tigra A top speed | 203 km/h with the 1.6 |
| Tigra A sold | 256,392 |
| TwinTop basis | Opel Corsa C, built by Heuliez |
| TwinTop engines | 1.4 of 90 PS, 1.8 of 125 PS, 1.3 diesel |
| TwinTop built | 90,874 |
Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the Opel Tigra.
History of the Opel Tigra
Tigra A
The first Tigra was based on a coupé concept shown at the 1993 Frankfurt Motor Show, alongside an open Tigra Roadster concept and the Scamp off-roader. It used the platform of the second-generation Corsa, went into production in September 1994 at Opel’s Zaragoza plant in Spain, and shared no body panels with the Corsa, though it kept that car’s dashboard and most of its engines. The 2+2 layout left little room in the back. The design carried a lightning theme, visible where the roof and waistline meet the reverse-rake B-pillar and in a lightning-shaped reflection in the metal ahead of the rear wheelarch.
Two Ecotec petrol engines were offered, both 16-valve double-overhead-cam units with fuel injection: a 1.4 of 90 PS and the 1.6 of 106 PS from the Corsa GSi. The 1.4 could be ordered with a four-speed automatic from February 1995, and the 1.6 came with front fog lights as standard. Suspension came essentially unchanged from the Corsa, though tuned by Lotus, but the Tigra carried 150 kg more than the equivalent Corsa, so the 1.6 reached 100 km/h in 10.5 seconds, a second slower than the Corsa GSi; taller gearing, a drag coefficient of 0.31 and standard 15-inch wheels gave it a 203 km/h top speed. Pontiac considered importing it to the United States but decided the car was too small, and the Chevrolet Tigra sold in Brazil only from late 1998 to early 1999, detuned to 100 PS, before the real’s depreciation ended imports. Production ended in July 2000 after 256,392 cars, 59,462 of them sold in Germany.
Tigra TwinTop
Opel revived the name in June 2004 for a two-seat coupé-cabriolet based on the third-generation Corsa, with a retractable steel roof in the manner of the Peugeot 206 CC. It was launched at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2004 and built by the French coachbuilder Heuliez, with sales from October 2004. The base engine was a 1.4 of 90 PS from the Family 0 range and the top version the 1.8 Ecotec of 125 PS; in 2005 came an economical version using Fiat’s 1.3 Multijet diesel. Australia took it as the Holden Tigra with the 1.8 only. Production ended in May 2009 after 90,874 cars.
Design and features
- Two cars, one name: a 1990s coupé and a 2000s folding-roof two-seater, both on Corsa platforms.
- Distinctive styling: the Tigra A shared no body panels with the Corsa and carried a lightning motif.
- 203 km/h: the 1.6 coupé was quick for a small car, helped by low drag and tall gearing.
- Heuliez roof: the TwinTop’s steel roof was built in France by a specialist coachbuilder.
Opel Tigra versions
- Tigra A 1.4 (1994): the base engine of 90 PS, with an optional automatic.
- Tigra A 1.6: 106 PS from the Corsa GSi, 203 km/h.
- Chevrolet Tigra: the Brazilian import of 1998–99, detuned to 100 PS.
- Tigra TwinTop 1.4 and 1.8: 90 and 125 PS with the folding roof.
- Tigra TwinTop 1.3 CDTI: the diesel version from 2005.
Both Tigras were based on the Corsa. More cars are in the Opel collection.
Sources
- Opel Tigra, English Wikipedia: both generations, engines, production figures
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