The Opel Kadett C GT/E occupied a specific and well-earned place in 1970s European rallying. Running car number 7 at the 1979 Tour de Corse, Jean Louis Clarr and Jean François Fauchille represented the privateer contingent that filled out the WRC grid alongside factory machinery. Trofeu's die-cast interpretation of their car arrives in a Night Version presentation, a reference to the Tour de Corse's notorious night stages across the Corsican interior.
The Opel Kadett C GT/E: Fuel Injection and Rallying Ambition
Introduced in 1973, the Kadett C GT/E was the performance flagship of Opel's C-series range. The GT/E designation identified the fuel-injected variant, fitted with a 1.9-litre CIH inline-four engine and Bosch fuel injection. Rally-prepared variants were tuned beyond standard road specification. The Kadett C ran through 1979, and competition versions contested Group 1 and Group 2 categories at European and international level throughout the mid-to-late 1970s. By 1979, it was in its final season before the Kadett D arrived.
Round 9 of the 1979 WRC: Night on Corsican Roads
The 1979 Tour de Corse was round 9 of that year's World Rally Championship season, run on the island of Corsica over fast, technical sealed-surface stages. The event was renowned for combining daytime mountain passes with night stages that demanded precise navigation and committed driving on narrow, unlit roads. Clarr and Fauchille carried number 7, competing as privateers in a period when independent crews were a genuine and competitive element of the WRC field. The Night Version designation on this model reflects that atmospheric side of the event directly.
The 1:43 Die-Cast Model by Trofeu
Trofeu is a Portuguese manufacturer with a long focus on 1:43 die-cast rally and race car models, specialising in detailed livery reproductions of historical competition cars. This model is part of the DSN series, a line distinguished by its night-stage presentation concept. The construction is die-cast metal, and the livery reproduces the privateer Opel Kadett GT/E as it appeared at the 1979 Tour de Corse. Trofeu's catalogue emphasis on lesser-documented rally entries makes this a more unusual piece than mainstream single-marque releases.
In the Display Cabinet: Pairing and Context
At 1:43, the Kadett GT/E sits comfortably alongside other WRC entries from the same era without requiring substantial shelf depth. The Night Version finish distinguishes it visually from standard-presentation rally models and pairs naturally with other Trofeu Tour de Corse releases from the 1970s. Collectors focused on the 1979 WRC season will find it a period-accurate companion to contemporary Corsican rivals such as the Renault Alpine A310 and Porsche 911 SC. It also marks the final competitive year of the Kadett C generation, giving it a logical place in any Opel rally sequence leading forward to the Ascona 400.
