1990 Bitter SC Cabriolet
Among the very last made and subject to a £100,000 'restomod' programme

Registration No: H108 LJO
Chassis No: 5290603
MOT: June 2023

• Two owners from new, the first of whom was a personal friend of marque founder Erich Bitter
• Current registered keeper since 2005 and treated to a £100,000 'restomod' programme from 2008-2018
• Fitted with a 6 litre LS V8 developing c.400bhp allied to six-speed Tremec manual transmission
• Bodyshell reinforced with stronger sills and an integral roll over hoop, uprated ABS braking system, 19-inch alloys etc
• Power steering, power hood, electric windows, air-conditioning, digital instruments and sumptuous interior with leather-lined glovebox

A former international-level, Tour de France cyclist turned professional driver who campaigned everything from a NSU Prinz to a Porsche 906 via a Ferrari 250GT, Erich Bitter ended his racing career with Works outings for both Abarth and Opel. Maintaining close links with the latter he became an agent for Abarth and Intermeccanica before striking out as a manufacturer in his own right. The resultant Bitter CD and SC models were underpinned by Opel / GM running gear but boasted their own individual style. The SC had a distinctive wedge profile which echoed that of more exotic designs such as the Ferrari 400/412 and William Towns-penned Aston Martin Lagonda. Sources differ but approximately 450 SCs were made before production ceased in early 1986 (420 Coupes, 25 Cabriolets and 5 four-door Saloons). Forced into administration by a dishonest distributor, Erich Bitter nonetheless kept a cache of parts at his Schwelm facility which he subsequently used to complete extra cars to special order.

Chassis 0603 is understood to be one of these special order cars and was commissioned by a Mr Pawlac who befriended Mr Bitter and saw the fortunes of his East Berlin bakery business rise dramatically following the collapse of the Berlin Wall during 1989. Completed the following year, the SC Cabriolet was retained by the Pawlac family until 2005 covering some 149,163km in the process. Sold to its only UK (and second) keeper thereafter, the Bitter was enjoyed at his Spanish holiday home but suffered a catastrophic engine failure whilst en route to Madrid airport. Recovered to Automonza’s Watchet premises – arguably one of the UK’s leading authorities on Opel Senators, Monzas, Bitters and Lotus Carltons – where Derek Hunt had already impressed the SC Cabriolet’s owner by converting another one his cars, a 1985 Opel Monza, to 24-valve power, a plan was soon devised to put the four-seater droptop through an ambitious ‘Restomod’ programme. In all the work took almost ten years and £100,000 to complete!

Sourced from Paul Spinks of Wortec, Goodwood a 6-litre LS2 V8 engine and six-speed Tremec manual transmission promised to transform the Bitter’s performance. Conscious that the two-door monocoque bodyshell was going to be asked to handle nigh on twice the power of its original 3.9 litre straight-six, modifications were made to the sills and a hefty rollover bar with links to the front windscreen installed so as to successfully boost torsional rigidity. The LSD-equipped, 3.45:1 rear differential gained an enlarged oil capacity and heavier duty mounts, while Spax adjustable shock absorbers were added all round (those at the rear using assister springs). The ATE braking system was adapted from a BMW 7-series and the sharper power steering rack originated in a Pontiac GTO / Holden Monaro. A bespoke, mandril-formed stainless steel exhaust system was made and the cooling system significantly upgraded. The interior was treated to new Dark Blue carpets and Drift digital instrumentation but is otherwise much as ‘SALT’ of Turin originally supplied it.

Riding on 19-inch alloy wheels and painted in Nautic Blue metallic with a matching soft-top, this unique Bitter SC V8 Cabriolet has covered a mere 3,900 miles since completion. Starting readily upon inspection and sounding decidedly purposeful, a dyno test carried out in September 2018 showed outputs of 356.17bhp and 369.74 lbft of torque at the rear wheels (suggesting over 400bhp / 400lbft is being generated at the flywheel). Undeniably rapid but civilised too, one cannot help but feel that Erich Bitter would approve of this extravagant ‘restomod’. Offered for sale with V5C Registration Document and history file including numerous invoices and photographs not only of the restoration but also the initial build.

For more information, please contact:
Damian Jones
damian.jones@handh.co.uk
07855 493737