The Bitter CD and SC, a bittersweet tale

Posted by John Mellberg February 01, 2021

The Bitter CD and SC, a bittersweet tale

Erich Bitter was born in 1933 at Schwelm, 30 miles east of Düsseldorf in central western Germany. His parents owned and operated a bicycle shop. At the age of 16 Erich quit school and started working there. He started a cycle racing career and at the age of 20 turned professional. During his four years in the sport, Erich competed in the Tour de France and rose to become one of the top German riders.

As a result, Erich built a close relationship with NSU. NSU not only produced bicycles but cars as well. they would be of great help when Erich planned a switchover to car racing. In his eleven year racing career from 1958 to 1969 he raced Porsches, Ferraris and Mercedes 300SL's, eventually being offered a works drive for Abarth.

Bitter CD, with headlights exposed

In 1962 Erich Bitter also founded Rallye-Bitter Gmbh. to specialize in the marketing of tuning kits and car accessories. Rallying equipment and his own Bitter "Nomex" rally suits were also added to the product range. The business flourished. After his retirement from motor racing in 1969 Erich Bitter was appointed the official German importer of Abarth.

This followed with the German concession for the small Italian marque of Intermeccanica. The Intermeccanicas were so poorly built that Bitter almost went broke trying to keep his customers mobile. The short, sour, and expensive relationship with Intermeccanica was the spur that encouraged Erich Bitter into building a car of his own to German standards of quality and reliability.

Musing on the experience, he would say, "They had the right idea, the car was a beautiful design and a top price. The market was small but the potential profits were very attractive. I believed that the potential was there and given the right conditions and a more rigid control of production, hand built bodywork and mass produced mechanical components can be a feasible basis for a car".

Bitter decided to use the proven mechanicals of the Opel Diplomat and was able to work out an agreement with the General Motors subsidiary to supply drivetrains for his efforts. Better still, his connections afforded the opportunity to have the car styled at GM's European Design Studio by their top talent.

Dick Ruzzin's own personal Bitter CD

Working under Opel Design Director Dave Holls, rising star Dick Ruzzin would pen a crisp and beautiful design for Bitter's project. "This was an exciting design opportunity, as Erich Bitter had a reputation as a terrific driver, and had made a strong connection with Bob Lutz, who was then Opel Sales Manager for Germany. The Diplomat platform had a fairly low cowl, independent rear suspension, vented disc brakes all around, and something new for Europe, a 225 HP Chevrolet small block. All of that would be carried over to the new two door coupe that would ultimately be called the Bitter CD", Ruzzin said of the project.

Describing the influences and inspiration behind the CD, "We immediately started a scale model, and one day when I was working on the body-side, Dave Holls came by and said, 'Why don’t you do it like the Mangusta?' (with a mid body break line, exaggerated wheel flares, and rising line in the rear quarter). I hesitated to do that as I had purchased a Mangusta about a year earlier from GM Design and felt a little strange about using it as an influence on what I was doing. At that time the European design culture was still enamored with two cars designed in the late sixties by Georgetto Giugiaro, the Maserati Ghibli and the DeTomaso Mangusta, which I was very familiar with", Ruzzin recalled.

Bitter CD, at rear

So, Bitter started his car building business in 1971, to manufacture the CD. His base of operations was a one acre site in his home town of Schwelm. He didn't have the capital or time to set up his own production facilities, so Bitter looked for a proven, independent, small scale company to build the CD. He chose Baur of Stuttgart as they produced prototypes and limited production runs for several well known German companies. They possessed the necessary experience, had the capacity to build the car, and the quality of their was impressive. Baur would play a major role in building the CD, making the body panels, assembling the shell, trim and fitment of the interiors, and installing the Diplomat's running gear.

The CD was introduced at the end of 1973 after a very successful showing at the Frankfurt Motor Show. A euphoric Erich Bitter took 176 orders for his stylish new car at the show and hopes were high. Unfortunately, the cars introduction coincided with the oil crisis which crippled the auto industry world wide, during the next few years. As such, most of those orders were cancelled.

The Bitter CD had sweet curves and perfect proportions

Production never reached the 200 cars per year target but by the beginning of 1975 Bitter had built 100 CD's. With the effects of the oil crisis receding, CD sales continued and in 1976 the production of 254 cars (total) was celebrated in a public advertisement : "Wir freuen uns über die Produktion des 254. Wagens". At the end of production in 1979 Baur had built 395 CD's.

When Opel launched the technically advanced Senator in autumn 1978, Erich Bitter had already been at work on a CD replacement. He started talks with Opel's management in 1977 about using the Senator's engine and running gear for his new car. Opel had been very impressed with the CD and agreed to provide the Senator platform, mechanics, and some technical help. However, this time, Bitter had to develop the new car himself at a cost of DM 8 million. The money was raised by winning investments from a Swiss industrialist and a handful of other financial partners.

A young Erich Bitter in the Bitter CD

Initially Bitter considered a design combining the theme of the CD with more practical and conservative estate car styling but dropped this concept in favor of the rough SC design which he sketched in the late sixties. Bitter's design was then refined for production by Opel stylists Henry Haga and George Gallion. At the outset of the detailed SC design program, Bitter enlisted the help of Italian stylist Michelotti to carry out the engineering detailing for the body. The SC also underwent aerodynamic testing and development in Pininfarina's wind tunnel.

Bitter could not find a German company to produce the bodyshells and interiors for the SC, and turned to Italy. He formed a company called "Bitter Italia" to organize and finance the manufacture of the SC. So, the fabrication of the body shells was sub contracted to Turin based OCRA. However, quality issues forced Bitter to end that contract in early 1982 in favor of another Turinese coachbuilder, Maggiore. At that time they were producing shells for Maserati and Bristol. Another Turin company, SALT, produced the beautiful Napa leather interiors. Final assembly took place at Bitter's facilities with an output of roughly two per week but with a brief increase in demand Steyr Puch was enlisted until SC production wound down.

Bitter CD and SC in black

In the course of the SC's production both convertible and sedan versions of the car were offered, albeit in limited numbers. A total of 488 SC's were ultimately made by 1986, but by then it was a bit long in the tooth. Between 1987 and 1997 Erich Bitter produced several prototypes but he could not raise sufficient capital to put them into production. The company would cease trading in 1997, but Bitter continued working in car design and engineering, heading his own sub contracting company employing 50 people.

Bitter's relationship with Opel would continue, despite the stillborn CD successor shown in 2003. Bitter would go on to produce a variety of "bespoke" editions of Opel models with richly appointed interiors and exterior styling from 2007 to the present. Today the company is helmed by Erich's nephew Marcus, but he still plays an active role.

The Bitter SC Cabriolet, looking smart with a modern wheel/tire fitment

Personally, this Author thinks that the Bitter CD was among the most beautifully styled cars of its day. It epitomized the luxury Grand Tourer concept in the era, muscular performance, draped in curves, and built to motor with elegance and style. A perfect synthesis of themes from machines like the Ferrari 365GTB/4 and Maserati Ghibli (coupe) that bested them all, in pure aesthetic terms at least.

Its a car every enthusiast should be aware of.

Content & Image Sources:

Dean's Garage

Bitter Cars

Bitter Cars Group on Facebook

The many flavors of the Bitter SC