On the IAA 1983 the
company Michalak Design from Wiesbaden presented the Corsa Spider,
a Spider without rollover bar, developed on basis of the Corsa. The
Michalak Spider was conceived as pure two-seater, which had attached
tie bars behind the seats for the reinforcement of the body. The
cover with its characteristic essays was fastened at the right side,
the closing mechanism was on the driver's side. The tail was
completely closed with a fixed panel, so that the trunk only was
accessible from above. The sills were strengthened inside and
outside, whereby the latter was covered by a plastic side skirt.
Furthermore cross members in the dash, two millimetres strong steel
sheets at the A-pillars and a strut brace in the front were
installed.
Despite the
modifications the Spider weighed 40kg less than a series Corsa.
At first Michalak
thought about 2 roof structures: Either a Hardtop with extractable
rear window, which should fit under the rear cover, or a fabric
roof. The priority was thereby given to a convenient mechanism.
At the beginning of
1984 Michalak showed the finished design, with its own front (twin
headlights and grill bezel)
Due to the favourably
formed windshield it was reached that even in rain from a speed of
40km/h on, the passengers sat in the dry.
The roof was
conceived afterwards as hinged two-piece Hardtop, which could be
stowed away under the tail cover.
Two weeks after the
presentation on the IAA Michalak had already received 6 orders. In
co-operation with a body specialized company (the company Voll from Würzburg, known for their Ascona C Cabrio Conversions) and
a plastic specialized enterprise, it was planned to manufacture a
small series. The production startet shortly after.
The idea was also not
only to supply new vehicles but also to convert used cars.
On the IAA '85, Bernd
Michalak presented his mid-engine Spider Study
In this one, a
2.0l-engine with 115HP from the Kadett GTE with its 5-gear
transmission and an Ascona C rear axle were mounted in the back of
the car, the radiator and the fuel tank were mounted in the front.
The car had no roof.
The engine was then equipped with a supercharger by the company
Kissling from Oberhausen. The power output should have been around
200PHB, but due to a restricting exhaust system it was around
170BHP.
The mid-engine Spider
was fully driveable and was Tüv-certified. However it was build as a
single item.
Very easy installation of the roof
The basic equipment
of the Corsa Spider corresponded to the series Corsa, except for the
spider-related modifications.
As an option the
following special equipments were available:
Electronic
additional instruments
Twin headlights
Front spoiler
Rear skirt
Side skirts
Alloy wheels
Leather interior
Furthermore Michalak
Design had accessories in its product range, both for Spider and for
the 3-door hatch. There were 2 kits:
The kit Tech1
consisted of:
Front and rear
skirt
Side skirts
Grill bezel
The kit Tech2
consisted of:
Front and rear
skirt
Side skirts
Grill bezel
Wing and rear
arch enlargements
Alloy wheels
Produced quantities: Spider:
98 (2 were delivered by GM France ausgeliefert; 1 was sold to Danemark or Schweden)
