After Opel had presented in 1982 a study of a Corsa Spider on the Motor Show in Geneva, an agreement was obtained with the Irmscher GmbH, in order to manufacture a series production of a Spider in the workshops of Irmscher  in Remshalden. The sales start was in March 1984.

The Spider could be ordered thus in all equipments at the Opel dealer and was available with all standard engines (45PS - 72PS) as well as with the Irmscher 1.3l injection engine (83PS). The Opel warranty remained.

 

The 3-door Corsas were delivered immediately from the factory in Spain to Irmscher, where they were converted to Spiders. The delivery was done without tail gate and without inside panels in the trunk.

The roof was cut off at the windscreen frame and on the B and C-columns. Subsequently, reinforcements were welded to the sills, at the rear side panels, at the window frame and at the floor (in the interior). Furthermore the metal back of the one-piece backseat was welded in the back of the car, a little further backwards, so that between this and the rear seat a box for the roof bars was created. Finally the top of the side panels were covered with particularly made sheet metals. The door frames were cut off at the top of the A-column and at the bottom of the B-column and sealed with a rubber plug. The door seals were also shortened.

       

The trunk lid and the roof compartment cover were made of fibreglass (btw. at the trunk lid, the lock striker was used from the Corsa Saloon and the hinges of the Manta B). The roof compartment cover was bolted to particularly made sliding rails, so that it could slide over the trunk lid when opened.

 

A foam coated rollover bar, which could be folded in the compartment behind the backseat, was fastened on the B-pillars. For the further stabilization of the roof, a second bar was fastened to the B-pillars, which stands with closed roof at approximately 45° between the rollover bar and the compartment. In addition a brace between the rollover bar and windscreens frame is fastened on each side.

The single-layer roof was not conceived as a folding roof, it is only buttoned (therefore named as Spider and not Cabriolet), i.e. after setting up the rollover bars and fastening the two braces to the windscreen frame, it was fixed to the compartment cover with pushbuttons and to the rollover bar with Velcro fasteners. Furthermore it is fixed on a bracket along the windscreen frame and spanned with 2 levers on the 2 braces.

Here are the exact operating instructions of the roof:

   

The Spider could be ordered with all possible Irmscher extras, such as front and rear bumper, side skirts, twin headlight grill, leather interior (very rare!!)

In addition from 1987 on, a fibreglass Hardtop with or without heated back window (was used from the Corsa Hatch) was available. The side windows were made of polycarbonate. To the installation, the compartment cover had to be removed.

The installation manual can be seen here as a PDF file.

 

1 Spider was even delivered with the wide body kit of the Sprint C!!

   

 

Official press and brochure pictures of the Spider

   

 

Produced quantities:    approximately 1500 Spiders, only 1 Spider with Sprint C wide body kit!

    Hardtops: approximately 12 pcs