Curbside Capsule: 1984 Buick-Opel Skyhawk Ascona CC

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For years we had Buick-Opel dealers in the US. They had plenty of Buicks, and they had some Opels too. But they never had any Buick-Opels. Finally I spotted one!

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Last week I was in the beautiful city of Halmstad, on the southwest coast of Sweden. Walking back to the hotel, this CC caught my eye, obviously an Opel hatchback. But wait a minute, that front end looks familiar. What’s that emblem, could it be?

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Yes, it’s a Skyhawk! So is it a Buick with an Opel badge, or an Opel with a Buick badge? Neither. Finally, I found a true Buick-Opel!

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What we have here my friends, is an eighties J-platform Opel Ascona CC with a Buick Skyhawk front clip. It’s a perfect fit, too. The trim makes me wonder, are those Opel or Buick doors?

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Its nose was too buried in the bushes to get a good shot, but here at least is confirmation of its Skyhawk beak.

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The interior is best of all, Opel dash and steering wheel, with those plush Buick door panels. Are those plush Buick seats as well?

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From 1981 to 1988 GM’s J-body platform was the core of a dizzying array of cars, the American Buick Skyhawk, Chevy Cavalier, Pontiac 2000/Sunbird, Olds Firenza and Caddy Cimarron, plus the German Opel Ascona C, British Vauxhall Cavalier, Aussie Holden Camira, Japanese Isuzu Aska and the Brazilian Chevy Monza.

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Here’s a complete Opel five-door hatchback, called the Ascona CC. (It’s a CC, how great is that?) Opel was the only one with the five-door hatch.

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What do you think is under the hood? Presumably the Opel drive train, but could it be a Buick? (They’re both FWD.) Are the fenders, nose and hood bolt-on interchangeable? Or is this the whole Skyhawk front end, including the Buick drive train? Check out the side exhaust. Is that a clue? And what about those doors? And the interior? How did a Buick Skyhawk ever end up in Sweden, anyway? Every car has a story, but this car has at least two. Quite a piece of work, don’t you think?

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