--- title: "This 1985 Bitter SC is an Oddball German Coupe You Can Buy Right Now" description: "You can currently buy an ultra-rare 1985 Bitter SC, which is an oddball German-made coupe with Italian styling." date: "2023-07-16" modified: "2023-07-16" authors: - name: "Nico DeMattia" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/nico-demattia" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/this-1985-bitter-sc-is-an-oddball-german-coupe-you-can-buy-right-now" categories: - "News" --- # This 1985 Bitter SC is an Oddball German Coupe You Can Buy Right Now ![]() *Photo | Cars and Bids* Never heard of the Bitter SC? Don't worry, neither had I until about a couple of hours ago. The Bitter SC was the brainchild of German racing driver and businessman Erich Bitter and only 461 SC coupes were ever made. You can now buy one of those 461 coupes, as this super clean 1985 example is currently for sale on[ *Cars and Bids*](). The Bitter SC first launched in 1979 and, while its design had gone through a few iterations before it went into production, its final design was penned by Giovanni Michelotti, the man behind countless gorgeous Alfa Romeos and Lancias. Its design is often compared to the Pinifarina-designed [Ferrari ]()365 GT4 2+2 and once you see it, it's hard to unsee. It's almost a carbon copy of the '70s Ferrari. ![]() **Photo | Cars and Bids** ![]() **Photo | Cars and Bids** ![]() **Photo | Cars and Bids** However, its underpinnings aren't so exotic. The Bitter SC was built on the Opel Senator chassis and shared most of its suspension bits. Under the hood is a 3.0-liter Opel-sourced straight-six engine, with 177 horsepower. There was a stroked 3.9-liter straight-six available when it was new, which made 209 horsepower, but the car on sale has the smaller engine. That straight-six is paired to a five-speed manual and rear-wheel drive, so it should still be plenty fun to drive. Sadly, due to the late '70s oil crisis, the Bitter SC dropped the 327 cubic-inch [Chevy V8]() of its processor, the Bitter CD. This specific car only has 33,900 miles on it and looks to be in near-perfect condition. Its red paint looks spotless, its squishy looking leather chairs are flawless, and there are very few mechanical issues with the car (its few issues are acknowledged in the listing). ![]() **Photo | Cars and Bids** ![]() **Photo | Cars and Bids** ![]() **Photo | Cars and Bids** It isn't completely stock, though, as it has a Magnaflow muffler, which gives it a deep, burbly exhaust note that sounds good, even if it doesn't sound exactly like it did from the factory. If you're looking for a numbers-matching collector's car, that might be an issue. There are still two days left on the auction and the bid is at $10,500 (at the time of writing this). So now is your chance to snag an incredibly rare, Italian-styled, German built coupe, with a straight-six engine, five-speed manual, rear-wheel drive, and popup headlights. *Got tips? Send 'em to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Nico is a writer and reviewer from New Jersey who probably thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. His love of cars began when he was just a kid playing Gran Turismo 3, grinding out enough race wins with a Mazda Miata to save up for an in-game RUF 911. That passion for small, lightweight sports cars drove his desire to learn more about the industry, get his hands on as many cars as he could, and bring those experiences to life on the page. He cut his teeth writing about BMWs, Volkswagens, and Audis, mostly, and has owned far too many of each. He’s on his fourth 3 Series sedan, but all of his old, cheap German cars have forced him to learn more about car maintenance than his mechanical capability can handle. Too many late nights have been spent scrambling to get a car running by morning so he could get to work. For some reason, he never seems to learn that old Bimmers probably aren’t the best daily drivers. But he loves more than just old German cars. He’ll gladly drive and discuss anything with four (or even three) wheels. Cars aren’t his only passions, though. Nico is also a big nerd and loves movies, video games, comic books, and cares far too much about the New York Giants. So don’t be surprised if you see football references or dumb, obscure movie quotes in any of his car reviews. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()