Olympia, Manta, Admiral, Commodore, Ascona, Kadett and Senator. Those are some famous and long-running Opel models of yore, which were all present at the April 2018 edition of the Autotron classic car show, covering a time frame from 1952 to 1987. Unsurprisingly the focus is on the seventies; without any doubt that was the automaker’s peak-decade.
Starting with the oldest, a 1952 Opel Olympia 2-door sedan, powered by a 1.5 liter 4-cylinder.
This model was built from 1950 to 1953, yet technically it was still fully based on the pre-war Olympia. The model name dates back to 1935.
1971 Opel Manta (1970-1975 A-series).
The Manta was Opel’s answer to the Ford Capri.
These lights match with the car’s paint color quite well.
This is clearly not a Stingray.
1974 Opel Admiral (1969-1977 B-series of the Kapitän-Admiral-Diplomat), a genuine Opel Autobahn cruiser.
All Admirals were powered by a 2.8 liter inline-6 engine. It was offered with a single Zenith carb, dual Zenith carbs or with Bosch D-Jetronic fuel injection.
1975 Opel Commodore Coupé Automatic (1972-1977 B-series).
This generation of the Commodore (also available as a 4-door sedan) was an upgraded Opel Rekord D-series with an inline-6 engine, either with 2.5 or 2.8 liter displacement.
The absolute top model of this series was the 2.8 GS/E. The letter E for Einspritzung, (fuel) injection.
1975 Opel Ascona 2-door sedan (1970-1975 A-series).
Get yourself a used Opel Ascona, preferably a 2-door, add fat wheels and some extra lights at the front and the end result was an affordable young guy’s sports sedan. Especially when living in the more rural areas. The same applies to the next generation Ascona B.
Never mind the real-life power output. The one above has a 60 hp 1.2 liter, to put things into perspective. And yet it has a certain -and desired- attitude.
1978 Opel Kadett Coupé (1973-1979 C-series). This was the last RWD Kadett generation, in 1979 it was replaced by the much more up-to-date FWD Kadett D.
1986 Opel Ascona 1.6 S (1981-1988 C-series, GM’s German J-Car).
The first FWD Ascona, and also the last Opel that carried the Ascona name. This one here is an all-original survivor, a downright automotive miracle an sich.
Opel’s young gun at the event, a 1987 Opel Senator CD (1987-1993 B-series, based on the Opel Omega A-series). As far as I’m concerned this is the last true Big Opel.
Under its hood Opel’s C30LE 3.0 liter inline-6 engine with Bosch Motronic fuel injection, good for 156 DIN-hp.
To the old members of GM’s former Euro-division, I salute you.
Related reading:
Curbside Classic: 1975 Opel 1900 (Ascona) – What The Vega Could Have Been
Curbside Classic: 1977 Chevrolet Chevette – An Econobox For Garden-Variety Americans
European Vacation Outtake: Opel Ascona C – The Genuine Euro J-Car
Ebay Find: 1973 Opel Admiral – This Could Have Been The Seville; Now Someone Should Turn It Into One
I find Opel such a fascinating subject. It seems that when the German-ness outbalanced the GM-ness they did well, with the opposite being true as well. I look forward to some European perspectives on this.
The very short story: Opel’s downfall started in the first half of the eighties, with cars like the Kadett E and Ascona C (the blue car in the article).
The good overall build quality (rust proofing included) and durability of Opel “as we knew it” just wasn’t there anymore. Mainly due to cost savings, cost savings and cost savings.
An Opel Rekord from the seventies? Best described as a poor man’s Mercedes.
There’s more: the market in Europe has bifurcated, and all the growth has been in the two ends: the German premium brands (MBZ, BMW, Audi) and the low-cost brands (Dacia, Skoda, Kia, etc.) The former mass-market brands have been hard, most of all Opel and Ford (Fiat too), as both companies are(were) of course owned by their US parents, who never saw Europe as being absolutely crucial to their existence. That has made the true European companies much more competitive, as their existence does depend on it.
The Opels haven’t been bad cars; they just didn’t stand out enough, and lacked a subtler sense of where the market was heading.
I think the odds of Ford eventually throwing in the towel in Europe are better than even. They’re not making any real money there either.
Europe is not an easy market (what is?) Most of the Japanese except Toyota and Nissan are out or likely will be soon (Honda). The days of just sending over Japanese cars are long over; they have to be uniquely tailored for the market. Toyota and Nissan, with Renault’s help, have largely done that. Honda not hardly at all.
Look at the success of the Japanese (and Koreans) in the US. There was a point they had to fully commit and design cars unique to our market too. Not many cars they sell are true “world cars” anymore; most are specifically targeted to the US.
And look at how specifically many unique vehicles are sold in China. Same thing. The markets are becoming increasingly unique again, in certain respects. And that requires a 100% commitment. Which explains why Isuzu and Suzuki bailed out of the US market, and why Mitsubishi is dependent on Nissan/Renault to survive.
Totally agree about the 1970s being Opels’ peak. The FWD 1980s cars were worthy and still good value, but by the 90s they were building cars that could be a liability.
I never was (or am) a big Opel fan, but you simply could not avoid them when looking for cheap used cars, so I ended up owning most of the pre-90’s ones pictured here I realize…..
In my mind, there have been two undeniably beautiful Opels – the 1971-1975 Manta and the 1978-1986 Monza, but the 1969 to 1977 Admiral/Kapitan/Diplomat biggies are handsome too.
Got to have a Commodore or Rekord Coupe – one of the best looking cars of the early 70s.
And that Manta beats any Capri for me as well.
Is it any surprise that GM had Opel subsume Vauxhall in the early 70s?
Love the Mantas. Would have really liked to have one, but at that point, for my graduation car, the nameplate had to say Chevrolet. Or dad wasn’t buying.
My first car out of college was a ’73 Manta. I kept it for less than a year (it had some collision damage the front suspension that I failed to notice when buying), until I found a ’74 1900 Sportwagon with only 24,000 miles on it. That was my daily driver until it was really tired out at over 150,000 miles. I then saw a ’75 wagon in nice shape but as it had bad synchros I picked it up very cheaply. So I swapped the ’74 transmission into the ’75 and kept driving Opel for another couple of years. They were great cars, with particularly good handling for the era.
That red Ascona A is missing its’ blitz… a bowtie would’ve looked good there. Just sayin’.
So on the Ascona, the C-pillar kink definitely resembles our J cars, but the window openings look much larger. Did the roof stamping or doors interchange at all or is it just a case of a similar design language?
That’s an illusion due perhaps to the camera angle or lens in those shots. They were virtually identical in their key body parts; same doors and roof and windows.
That Manta is stunning and a beautiful example. I think I recall having read in a previous post on CC that the Opel Manta subsequently developed an unfortunate association as being the performance car of choice for lower-brow types (the “German Camaro”), but I think I like it even more for that reason.
That ’75 Commodore Coupe also doesn’t have a bad line on it.
I have actually ridden in a J-Body Ascona before. I was a kid and my family had just landed in Bonn, Germany. The gentleman who our friends sent to get us showed up in one of these. Back then, I wouldn’t have drawn any obvious connection between that Ascona and our homegrown Chevy Cavalier.
As always, Johannes, great post.
These are Chuck Jordan at his finest, especially the Commodore coupe.
Thanks Joseph!
Regarding image, agreed that the Manta was the Euro-Camaro back then.
And sadly now, they belong to the French. Ugh. The new ones seem to be uninspired boring boxes. I daily drive a Kadett B sedan and it is a fun ride. Not fast with the 1.1 but at least it has the dual carbs. It just has that “something ” that makes it enjoyable.
So when are you going to share it with us? I’ve been waiting for years. 🙂
The new ones seem to be uninspired boring boxes.
I would have a very difficult time keeping my hands off an Adam, especially an “Open Air”.
But nooo…..GM, in it’s wisdom, gave us the Sonic instead.
The Opel K-A-D cars (including the Senator) inspire what-if alternate histories. What if they had been brought over as Buicks, or upgraded a bit to become Cadillacs? Could they have contained Mercedes? Maybe even prevented Toyota from attempting to launch Lexus?
Or maybe they could’ve been an upmarket version of Saturn–a new brand with unique cars and a better dealership/ownership experience. “Jupiter. A better kind of company, a better kind of car.”
Sigh…
You mean like this?
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/alternate-history/automotive-alter-history-1965-cadillac-seville-the-car-that-beat-back-mercedes-and-became-a-global-best-seller/
or upgraded a bit to become Cadillacs? Could they have contained Mercedes?
They tried that by rebadging an Opel Omega as a Cadillac Catera.
They tried offering a US built version of the Vectra B as the Saturn L300.
Then, as Saturn was fading out, they tried a quick and dirty adaptation of a Belgian built Astra H and a Mexcian built version of the Antara, which, itself was an adaptation of the Korean Chevrolet Captiva.
GM also handed us a Korean built version of the Kadette E, badged as a Pontiac, and a Japanese built version of the Kadette C, badged as “Opel by Isuzu”.
the US has not proven to be fertile ground for mass market European products. Even mighty Volkswagen was considering giving up in the early 90s, and has not make a profit in the US in a very long time.
Cadillac Catera = Opel Omega B with the (in)famous 3.0 V6.
Prior to the 1994 Omega B, all high-end Opels had an inline-6 engine. Well, not all of them, as the Opel Diplomat was also offered with a Chevy V8.
Also the Aura, Vectra based midsized sedan on the same platform as the Malibu. They have a unique body and I think the best by far of the bunch. GM had totally blown it with Saturn at that point and didn’t even try selling them or anything else Saturn.
And the T car Kadette begat the Chevette. So even if the Vega was an Opel design, wouldn’t have been the exact same car as the German versions.
A Manta usually isn’t my cuppa, but in metallic beetle-green with yellow headlamps? Hubba.
Commodore for me, though the Manta looks good in yellow and green. What’s that logo in the grille?
It’s the logo for Irmscher, the biggest tuner of/for Opels.
What Paul says.
According to the official registration this article’s Manta A has a 2.0 liter engine with a maximum power output of 82 kW ( x 1.36 = 112 DIN-hp).
The most powerful factory Opel Manta A was the 1.9 GT/E, 105 DIN-hp.
I don’t know if it’s a full Irmscher job or an engine-swap + “aftermarket” Irmscher logo on the grille.
I didn’t really care for those early ‘70’s Mantas back in the day, but (other than the black wheels) that green one looks mighty fine today. Too bad there weren’t enough Opels sold in the US to make them a viable restoration target and daily driver 45 years later.
Never was a fan of the Opel Manta, but that green with the wheels really pops!
I bet that red Ascona is putting out more than 60hp these days! What is the chance it has a larger engine than 1.2L too? Would a change be reflected in the registration database?
Several almost-familiar cars there, some were almost identical to what was sold here (eg Kadett coupe) while others shared GM styling themes – Admiral, Ascona, Senator etc.
It is very interesting to see the Olympia – surely the headlights must have been controversial!
I really like these Opels. But my favourite is one of which the e are no photos, the late 1960s Rekord and Commodore hardtops.
I see Wheeler Dealers is back with a new series on Velocity channel. First up is an Opel GT 1900 tomorrow night.
These were all pretty uncool by the 80’s in Europe. Definitely never equalled a camaro. “Oh no, not a …..”
Manta coup’e for me, some of the later cars or some of the styling cues arrived here in either Vauxhall or Holden flavours sometimes like the Kadette both, a nip here and a tuck there and voila the new Holden whatever all Australian doncha know.
Back in the summer 1984 I was lucky enough to be working in a local junkyard and was offered payment in the form of a 1971 1900. Same color and body as the Manta shown. Not sure why it didn’t have any Manta script or even the markings. Neighbor had a deep blue one with a black vinyl roof a few years newer – Manta name clearly displayed from the factory.
With the GT the Manta is one of the sexiest looking small cars to date. A true orphan when I had it though. Sad to see it go after I did a quick bondo job. Best dealer experience ever was when I stopped by Gaylin Buick in Union NJ to see if they could source a new thermostat housing, wheel cylinders and an exhaust pipe! I can still hear the laughter.
Didn’t Buick offer an Isuzu that mimicked same styling once they dropped Manta?
Didn’t Buick offer an Isuzu that mimicked same styling once they dropped Manta?
The infamous “Opel by Isuzu”. Buick even had the chutzpah to stick a stripe on the two door and call it a “sport coupe”. iirc it was R&T that ran a 1 page article about it and said something along the lines of “we actually didn’t want to bother reporting on this car, but decided to inform our readers what a fraud it was”.
The irony is that these Isuzus were better built and more durable than a genuine Opel.
For a minute, I thought I had been transported back to 1985. My best friend and now my brother-in-law (yes, I married his sister, still married) had a 74 Manta in the same lime green color. Our own personal rally machine. What a blast. A coworker of his had an Ascona just like the red one. I think both cars got used up fairly quickly. Haven’t seen either of these in the flesh for many years. Harder to find than gen one Fiestas.
Thanks for the memories.
The Opel connection to the 1st Holden in 1948 is seen by the wheels of the Olympia with the distinctive large open centres, similar to early Volkswagen Beetle wheels as well.
The Holden was years ahead in body design though compared to the Olympia.
Opels are very interesting to look at from the 50s through the 60s seeing the common styling details with the Holdens that I was so used to seeing.
The Manta and the 1975 Commodore are absolutely gorgeous, GM styling at its finest.