1982 Bitter SC

In total, 461 SC coupes were built, 22 convertibles, and just 5 sedans. Bitter’s business model ultimately failed them, as rebodying other manufacturers’ vehicles was a practice that became highly unpopular by the 1980s.

This SC’s exterior is finished in a metallic brown. While the brown shines brilliantly in the sun, and the paint is relatively well applied, things are not as dreamy as they might appear to be. This Bitter has some real issues with bubbling in the paint. Bubbling can be found in the following areas: beneath the driver’s door, the bottom of the driver’s rear quarter panel, the bottom of the passenger’s rear quarter panel, at the bottom of the windows on the passenger side, and at the bottom of the passenger door. Bubbling aside, there are some scratches on the hood and some paint chips in the panel gaps. The plastic rear bumper has aged rather poorly, the black plastic is fading in color and would benefit greatly from being replaced. Overall, condition on the outside of the vehicle is decent, but condition beneath the first layer of paint is questionable at best.

The leather interior to this SC was finished with gold leather. The edge of the passenger seat appears to have been poked at, possibly by some kind of animal, as there are around ten or more tiny holes poked into the material. The wood trim is failing and peeling away from the air vents and is coming loose around the shifter. The leather wrapped steering wheel would benefit from a detailing but does not appear to be coming apart. The holes poked in the dash pad for the speakers have deteriorated over the years. The leather back seat is in decent shape.

The SC is powered by either a fuel-injected Opel 3.0-liter in-line six making 177hp or a 3.9-liter version of the same engine making 209hp. In 1981, a convertible version of the SC was introduced, and four-wheel-drive became an optional extra.

This Bitter’s travels are a bit of a mystery to us, but we do know its whereabouts between 2005 and 2016. In 2005, the car was registered in Sarasota, Florida. In 2011, the odometer was reported at 48,525 miles and was registered in Rockville, Virginia. In 2012, the car popped up in Nashville while still retaining its Virginia registration, and then popped up in Virginia once again in 2013. The trail goes cold after that, but based on the documents available to us, the seller likely acquired this vehicle in January of 2016.

The Bitter SC was a fantastic car in concept. At first glance, a German engineered vehicle with Italian styling is a match made in heaven. Unfortunately, Bitter ran into several issues trying to expand the company and increase production speeds. These efforts were ultimately thwarted and led to Bitter aggressively slowing production by 1985. Regardless, with an estimate between $5,000 and $10,000, we doubt this little Bitter will have any issues reaching its goal.

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL BIDDERS

It should be noted that this vehicle has been on static display for a number of years and there is no history available beyond that displayed in our photography section.

We have not started or driven the car so cannot vouch for its mechanical viability or functionality. It will require recommissioning prior to road use and is sold ‘as seen’.

Due to California emissions laws, please note that this vehicle may only be sold to an out-of-state resident for use outside of California or to a licensed automotive dealer.

Please note that the title for this vehicle is in transit.