Opel is one of the car manufacturers with the richest tradition in the world. This year, the brand celebrates 125 years of car production.
After listening to the advice of her sons Carl, Wilhelm and Friedrich, Sophie Opel decided to start producing cars in 1899 – four years after the death of company founder Adam Opel. What started in a garage in Rüsselsheim am Main with 65 hand-built System Lutzmann’ patent motor cars has largely become a mass phenomenon with over 70 million vehicles produced to date.
From the very beginning, Opel has been a champion of making cars as efficient as possible to make them affordable for a wide audience. For example, Opel was the first German manufacturer to introduce a very economical production line, back in 1924. This made the Opel 4/12 PS Laubfrosch’ and later all variants of the Opel 4 PS become bestsellers.
The company located in Risselsheim was already producing technologically advanced cars for the masses in the 1930s in the form of the Opel P4 and Kadett models (even then with a self-supporting body). They are made in Germany and thus German engineering has become affordable and accessible. Opel even stayed true to its values of democratizing mobility when developing a sports car: the affordable dream car, the Opel GT, hit the roads in 1968.
The brand played a leading role in all segments – models such as Opel Kadett, Rekord and Kapitän were characteristic of the period of reconstruction and economic miracle. Style icons such as the Opel GT, Manta and Monza followed later. During the 1980s and 1990s, models such as the Corsa, Astra and Zafira became bestsellers and symbols of reunification. After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the opening of the Eisenach factory, Opel became more popular than ever before.
Opel joined automotive pioneers such as Daimler, Benz and Peugeot in the late 19th century by purchasing a motor car factory owned by Friedrich Lutzmann. In the spring of 1899, Opel’s first patent motor car “System Lutzmann” was produced in Rüsselheim.
Two years later, the converted Lutzmann won the Heidelberg-Königstuhl mountain race beating 16 other cars made by well-known German car manufacturers. All in all, development in the automotive industry has been fast and furious. While the first models were still direct descendants of horse-drawn carriages, Opel offered an ultra-modern small car with an extremely competitive price in 1909.
The Opel 4/8 PS Doktorwagen already had a four-cylinder in-line engine that was developed and produced in-house. In advertisements, Opel claimed it was ideal for “doctors, vets and lawyers”. The Doktorwagen was available for between 4,000 and 5,000 marks, while many other cars of the period cost over 20,000 marks. It transformed the motor car from a prestigious toy for the rich and famous to an affordable mobility solution for the masses.
Od Laubfroscha do Kadetta: Mass mobility
Friedrich – who had since been promoted to chief engineer – and his brother Wilhelm introduced production on the production line at Opel in 1924. Ford was the first company to introduce this lean method in America in 1913, but Opel always had a keen eye for development. in other countries. Adam Opel became fascinated with the sewing machine during his years traveling through France, and later the Darracq system provided a major impetus for automobile production in Rüsselheim.
The Opel brothers then presented the innovative 4/12 PS “Laubfrosch”. A two-seater with a top speed of 60 km/h was available for 3,900 Gold Marks thanks to the production line. Later, this “car for everyone” was available for 1,930 Reichsmarks. In the years that followed, an entire family of cars was created based on Laubfrosch technology. A total of 119,484 Opel 4 PS models were built until 1931.
What these revolutionary cars were to the 1920s, the Kadett was to the 1930s. Automotive progress was making great strides. The Kadett inherited the successful Opel P4 and celebrated its debut with a self-supporting steel body, independent front suspension, a 4-stroke 4-cylinder engine and hydraulic drum brakes.
The prices were significantly lower compared to direct competition. During 1938, the standard Opel Kadett sedan was available for an affordable 1,795 marks. The Kadett name was revived in 1962 and Opel went even further with the Kadett A.
While the competition still relied on a rear-mounted two-stroke or air-cooled engine, the newcomer offered comfort in the form of a water-cooled 4-cylinder engine, a quiet four-speed gearbox and a wide range of body styles from coupe to wagon.
From Olympia Rekord to the KAD model: Growth of prosperity
The first new Opel after the war was the Olympia Rekord, which overshadowed everyone with its pontoon-like body and chrome front that resembled shark jaws.
The design took cues from large American sedans and was perfect for the economic miracle that was taking place. Those who are successful wanted to show it again. And then a new type of vehicle made its debut with the Olympia Rekord Caravan model – a caravan for the whole family that depicts a luxurious lifestyle.
The all-new Opel Kapitän was introduced in 1954, the Opel Rekord P2 premiered in 1960, and the Rekord A followed in 1963 with disc brakes and soon after with 6 cylinders. Regardless of whether as a coupe, station wagon or limousine – the Rekord has become synonymous with the new middle class in the young Federal Republic of Germany.
Opel produced 882,443 Rekord A models by 1965. This success opened the door for the “big three” and in 1964, the “KAD” (meaning the models Ki hope Admiral i Diplomat) arrive in the luxury class.
The second generation of these KAD models also offered a unique level of driving comfort thanks to the legendary de Dion rear suspension. In 1968, Opel introduced a deformable steering column for all its passenger vehicles. Innovations have helped to cope with the growing amount of traffic.
From Opel GT to Caliber: A new sporting experience
Opel became the first European manufacturer to open a modern design studio in June 1964. After just one year, the first concept car from a European manufacturer, the Experimental GT, saw its premiere at the 1965 Frankfurt Motor Show. After 36 months, the series-produced Opel GT is available at Opel dealers and marks the birth of a legend among sports cars.
The Manta shared technology with the Ascona model when it was introduced in 1970, and the Calibra “borrowed” technology from the Vectra from 1989. The most powerful variant of the world champion in aerodynamics (Cd of 0.26), the Calibra Turbo 4×4 developed 204 horsepower and offered the driving performance of twice the expensive sports cars.
Source: www.magazinauto.com
