Introduced in 1994 and phased out in 2009, the Corsa-based Tigra is one of Opel’s greatest hits in recent memory. Though it was never a bestseller, the Tigra served its creator well as a cutesy car intended for customers in the market for snazzy looks at a fair price point.
The truth, however, is that the Tigra doesn’t have a place anymore in the Opel and Vauxhall lineups. With General Motors having sold the two brands to the French peeps over at Groupe PSA, the Tigra has hardly any chances of being brought back to life. This is all the more apparent if we concentrate on what Opel is focused on today.
More to the point, the German automaker jumped on the crossover and SUV bandwagon as Europe’s love for these vehicle segments grows ever stronger. The subcompact and FWD-only Crossland X is a case in point, with the Grandland X to follow in due time. After that, Opel will introduce a flagship SUV rumored to borrow Insignia underpinnings and expected to boast seating for up to seven souls.
Given the circumstances presented above, our only hope of Opel reviving the Tigra lies with the pixel artists. Designer Kleber Silva is the man behind the featured rendering, and obviously enough, the Adam is arguably the best basis for an all-new Tigra. With its cheeky front fascia, sculpted profile, two-tone alloy wheels, and contrasting A-pillars, the speculative rendering of the 2018 Tigra is a home run.
If the manufacturer were to make an all-new TwinTop by using the backbone from the Adam city car, then the most powerful iteration would get a 1.4 Turbo ecoFLEX four-banger with 150 PS (110 kW) on tap and a six-speed manual transmission. Quite a neat engine-tranny combo for a vehicle of this class and with this looks, I’d say.
On the other hand, my personal opinion is that the TwinTop isn’t the coolest Tigra out there. The first-generation model ticks all the right boxed in my case, chiefly because it has that “poor man’s Camaro Gen 4" about it.
More to the point, the German automaker jumped on the crossover and SUV bandwagon as Europe’s love for these vehicle segments grows ever stronger. The subcompact and FWD-only Crossland X is a case in point, with the Grandland X to follow in due time. After that, Opel will introduce a flagship SUV rumored to borrow Insignia underpinnings and expected to boast seating for up to seven souls.
Given the circumstances presented above, our only hope of Opel reviving the Tigra lies with the pixel artists. Designer Kleber Silva is the man behind the featured rendering, and obviously enough, the Adam is arguably the best basis for an all-new Tigra. With its cheeky front fascia, sculpted profile, two-tone alloy wheels, and contrasting A-pillars, the speculative rendering of the 2018 Tigra is a home run.
If the manufacturer were to make an all-new TwinTop by using the backbone from the Adam city car, then the most powerful iteration would get a 1.4 Turbo ecoFLEX four-banger with 150 PS (110 kW) on tap and a six-speed manual transmission. Quite a neat engine-tranny combo for a vehicle of this class and with this looks, I’d say.
On the other hand, my personal opinion is that the TwinTop isn’t the coolest Tigra out there. The first-generation model ticks all the right boxed in my case, chiefly because it has that “poor man’s Camaro Gen 4" about it.