Estimated Price: £40,000 - £50,000

The Opel Omega 3.0 24V Evolution 500 was a high-performance ‘homologation special’ built between 1991 and 1993 by Opel in partnership with German car tuning and engineering company, Irmscher, to qualify for the German DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft) racing series and compete against the BMW M3 Sport Evolution and Mercedes-Benz 190E Cosworth 2.3-16/2.5-16.

While 500 units were required to meet DTM Group A regulations, it’s believed that only around 330 were actually completed. All official road-going units were left-hand drive and originally destined for the German market, making them rarer than the legendary Lotus Omega.

Officially, they were only sold in a single colour, Nova Black metallic, and featured a prominent, DTM-style bodykit with an automatically extending front splitter and rear spoiler. At speed, the rear wing would lift, and the front lip extended downwards to drastically improve high-speed downforce. The car sat on wide 18-inch 10-spoke Irmscher alloy wheels tucked under subtly widened, squared-off wheel arches designed to clear massive racing rubber on the DTM circuits.

The road car was based on the standard Omega 3000 24V but heavily re-engineered by Irmscher with high-strength, lightweight internals and featured a new forged crank with eight rather than twelve counterweights so reciprocating masses were kept very low to allow race engine to rev close to 10,000rpm. Conrods and pistons were also modified making the standard engine very special, even receiving a different engine code. Output from the road-going car was 227bhp and 207lb-feet, however, the full race cars produced in excess of 400bhp.

The Omegas were prepared for the DTM race series by Irmscher with drivers Strycek, Engstler, Schmickler, and Haider with the Eggenberger-entered cars driven by Niedzwiedz and Ferte. The Volker Strycek Omega finished fourth and sixth at the 1992 and 1993 Nurburgring 24hrs beaten only by Porsche.

It's estimated that only around 130 remain and offered here is a true survivor that managed to escape any competition use. Very well presented, it appears remarkably original, probably helped by the fact that it spent a period of time in a private collection in Portugal.

A super rare and overlooked homologation special that helped define the most evocative Touring Car Championship of all, at a very inviting guide.