• GM launched a new Chevrolet Vintage division to restore classic models.
  • The Omega features Irmscher tuning and a 3.6-liter inline-six engine.
  • The restoration included dynamic testing at GM’s local proving grounds.

As part of its centennial celebrations, General Motors has launched a new heritage program in Brazil that gives classic Chevrolets a second life. The newly formed Chevrolet Vintage division is focused on restoring locally built models and selling them to benefit charity.

First in what’s set to become a full series is a fully refurbished 1994 Chevrolet Omega, which recently sold for R$ 437,500, or about $80,000 at current exchange rates.

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GM calls the Omega “the most luxurious national car of all time,” built for buyers who expected top-tier tech in the early 1990s. The Brazilian version mirrored the Opel Omega and Vauxhall Carlton sold in Europe, and it even shared roots with the rare Lotus-tuned performance sedans of that era.

American buyers may remember it in another form, the Cadillac Catera, sold in the US from 1996 to 2001, was essentially a rebadged Omega with a few Cadillac flourishes

The South American-market Omega remained in production from 1992 to 1998 before being reintroduced as a rebadged Holden Commodore imported from Australia.

Inside the Restoration

GM Restored This Forgotten 90s Chevy Sedan And Sold It For $80,000
GM Restored This Forgotten 90s Chevy Sedan And Sold It For $80,000
GM Restored This Forgotten 90s Chevy Sedan And Sold It For $80,000
GM Restored This Forgotten 90s Chevy Sedan And Sold It For $80,000
GM Restored This Forgotten 90s Chevy Sedan And Sold It For $80,000
GM Restored This Forgotten 90s Chevy Sedan And Sold It For $80,000
GM Restored This Forgotten 90s Chevy Sedan And Sold It For $80,000
GM Restored This Forgotten 90s Chevy Sedan And Sold It For $80,000
GM Restored This Forgotten 90s Chevy Sedan And Sold It For $80,000
GM Restored This Forgotten 90s Chevy Sedan And Sold It For $80,000
GM Restored This Forgotten 90s Chevy Sedan And Sold It For $80,000
GM Restored This Forgotten 90s Chevy Sedan And Sold It For $80,000
GM Restored This Forgotten 90s Chevy Sedan And Sold It For $80,000
GM Restored This Forgotten 90s Chevy Sedan And Sold It For $80,000
GM Restored This Forgotten 90s Chevy Sedan And Sold It For $80,000
GM Restored This Forgotten 90s Chevy Sedan And Sold It For $80,000

The specific car restored by GM Vintage is a 1994 Omega CD that came with a few extra touches from Irmscher, the German tuning house with a long history of tweaking Opels.

According to Chevrolet, the car originally belonged to a senior executive in Brazil’s financial sector. Despite its good condition, it was treated to a full factory-style restoration aimed at bringing it back to showroom quality.

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The project began with a full teardown of the vehicle. Every component was inspected to determine whether it could be preserved or needed replacing with original factory parts.

After reassembly, the car even went through a series of dynamic tests at GM’s proving grounds to make sure it felt and functioned just like it did three decades ago.

GM Restored This Forgotten 90s Chevy Sedan And Sold It For $80,000

The body received a fresh coat of paint, the lights were restored to factory clarity, and the interior was reupholstered in period-correct materials.

The car still wears its signature digital dashboard, a high-tech novelty in its time. Under the hood is a 3.6-liter inline-six engine tuned by Irmscher, delivering about 200 horsepower. Power goes to the rear wheels through a four-speed automatic transmission.

What Did It Sell For?

The charity auction took place on December 6 at Brazil’s Carde Museum. The final hammer price of R$ 437,500 ($80,000) puts it just shy of the starting cost for a new Chevrolet Silverado in Brazil, currently listed from R$ 483,900 ($88,200).

More restorations are in the pipeline. GM says the Omega will be the first in a series of revived classics that includes a rally-spec Chevrolet S10 pickup, a modified Opala, a Monza, and a Kadett GSi—all set to receive the same level of attention from the Chevrolet Vintage division