This little Opel 1900 (Ascona A in its home market) has almost completely eluded me and my camera for several years now but for these few frames. In both instances when I spotted this car during rush hour, I heard it before I saw it. It just seemed to dart around in traffic like a wild mouse – one that didn’t want to be “caught”, not even in pixels. In fact, if I didn’t know better (and if the internet didn’t exist), I’d wonder if “Ascona” was actually German for “wild mouse”. The color of its mousy-gold paint actually doesn’t seem that far off from that of the fur of a small rodent. I had also wondered in the past if “Ascona” was a coined name, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it’s the name of a municipality in Switzerland.
It’s been discussed in this forum that in a less-imperfect world, the Ascona A would have been the basis of GM’s subcompact entry in the U.S. market instead of the Chevy Vega. Speaking strictly of aesthetics and not of the Vega’s self-destructive tendencies, the mini-Camaro looks of the pretty Vega hatchback really do it for me. However, as far as the notchback goes, I think I prefer the looks of this Opel 1900. The Opel’s a good-looking car in its own right, but (to me, anyway) there’s just something dorky about the Vega notchback… something seems to have been lost in translation between it and the hatchback. It’s clear which of the Vega siblings (Kammback wagon, panel delivery and hatchback) got the looks in that family.
The Opel 1900 / Ascona A has been covered fairly comprehensively in this site, so all I really intend to add to the conversation is just a few pictures of one of probably, literally only two rolling Opels I’ve seen in probably at least twenty-five years, the other being a race-prepped Manta I spotted in Flint six summers ago. With Buick having been headquartered in my hometown of Flint, Michigan for close to a century, and with Buick dealerships having been the sales outlet for Opels in the United States, I can remember one such dealership back home (the former Ken MacGillivray Buick on Averill Avenue) that was selling Isuzu Gemini-based “Buick/Opels” when I was first learning to identify makes and models of cars in the late-70’s. These days, some Buicks actually are Opels…who saw that coming in the 1970’s? The weather in the Windy City is still nice for a while, yet, so perhaps I may still have a chance this year to better capture my “wilde Maus” with my Canon, after all.
Downtown, The Loop, Chicago, Illinois.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013, and Monday, July 27, 2015.
Related reading from:
- Paul Niedermeyer: Curbside Classic: 1975 Opel 1900 (Ascona) – What The Vega Could Have Been; and
- GN: Vintage Review And Commentary: 1971 Opel Ascona – The “Buick” That Should Have Been A Chevy
Here in Chicago, older cars are about, and with my job being on Michigan Avenue, they typically won’t even make me pause. That Opel would have me stop dead in my tracks! I’ve seen the odd Manta and GT over the years, but a sedan? That very well could be the only running example within a thousand miles of here. Amazing find, Joseph.
This takes me back to being ferried to our Friday-night our youth group — our driver had a red Opel Wagon, in northeast Philadelphia … which didn’t seem to scurry that much back then. In retrospect, maybe it was the driver and not the car?
You realize that you probably have better odds of seeing an Opel 1900 up and running in daily use in America than you’d have in seeing a stock Chevy Vega.
This is true.
Agreed….. mine.
nt.
That’s a beauty, Jon!!
Thank you…
People ask me, “What kind of car is that? A BMW?”
I say “It’s an Opel”.
The usual response is “What’s an Opel?”
I respond with “Well, if you have to ask,….ah, never mind”!”
I often hear…”Oh, I remember the Opel GT! The mini Corvette!!”
These cars were all over the North East of the US in the ’60’s,’70’s & ’80’s. Growing up, my family owned kadett’s, Manta’s & myself, 1 Manta & 2 Ascona’s. I learned to drive a stick on a ’73 Manta.
Unfortunately, the Opel GT got the most notoriety & are highly sought after today. The GT body’s were built in France,by a manufacture of railway locomotives and wagons, & ROTTED horribly.
The Manta’s & 1900’s (Ascona’s) can still be found on Craigslist across the country. Some are driver’s, most are basket cases.
P.S. I recently had an ad on Craigslist for some ’82 BMW 320i(e21) rocker panel SIDE SKIRTS. I had too many cars, so I was parting the 320i & selling my other 6 classic BMW’S (e21, e24,e28,2 e30’s & a ’72 2002) . In one of the photo’s, my ’75 Ascona can be seen in the background. I received numerous emails asking if the “BMW 2002 in the background is for sale?” The majority of people assume the Ascona is the more notable late model “square tail” BMW 2002(’74-’76). I sold ALL my classic BMW’S, but kept my prized Ascona for its’ rarity, numerous mod’s & its’ zero rust condition (Ca. car).
The AD photo:
Great find! I can’t remember the last time I saw one actually rolling, though I did see a rather nice Opel GT in a parking lot about 5 years ago.
Are the painted bumpers original? Or would that be an owner modification?
Chris, the bumpers had actually been removed… It didn’t look half-bad.
What a catch, Joseph!
I really like your photography because the ‘Chicago vibe’ comes through every time.
Thanks, Wolfgang! I’m so glad the essence of this city comes through in my pictures. I think the “natural habitat” in which these cars are found adds to the experience of seeing them in present day (as with many cars featured on this site).
For those who weren’t around then, GM/Chevrolet spent a TON of money promoting the Vega. Aside from all the “usual” advance publicity in any magazine remotely connected to cars….for months before the car hit showrooms there were multiple 1/2 page ads in MotorTrend and Car&Driver. The Opel 1900s? They probably spent pennies promoting Opel for every $5-$10 GM spent promoting the Vega.
Oh well, GM (seemed?) to learn a lesson with the T-cars.
I can’t remember when I’ve seen any ’70s Opel on the road, what a catch.
In 1973, when my future ex-wife and her family were looking to pitch that awful one year old Vega they had, we stopped in at a Buick dealer and drove one of these. It was fun to drive, far more so than the Vega, but it was just too darn expensive.
The Ascona’s name was particularly infamous in Portuguese speaking countries, as the last four letters of “Ascona” are portuguese for “p***y”… and yet it was sold in Portugal anyway…
It’s amazing that no one in marketing cared to fix this / rename the car for the Portuguese market! It probably would have been cost-prohibitive to do so, is what I’m thinking.
They did it for Brazil. The last generation Ascona was sold there as Chevrolet Monza until 1996, so it just probably slipped away from the marketing department
EDIT: earlier Portuguese models were called Opel 1204, 1604 and 1904 (depending on engine) but last gen WAS called Ascona (I remember seeing them as a kid)
What a great looking car.
I liked the Opel 1900 in the old days as we never had them on this side of the border except for the Opel GT which was imported by Pontiac-Buick dealers after the Auto pact was revised in 1965.
Even if they were sold up here I would not have been able to buy one new. Not sure I would have wanted one used. Canadian winters were hard on any car back then. Part of the reason my Vega GT lasted so many years is I had two Ford Customs I drove on a daily basis.
Remarkable find, in traffic no less! I’ve shot a couple here, but they were all “at rest”; temporary or permanently. I can’t remember the last one I saw on the go.
Paul, I usually try to hit the intersection of Jackson & Clark every morning at a certain time (8:05 AM) in the hope of seeing and photographing this car again. If I’m successful, you know I’ll be posting an update. 🙂
Being an Ascona, it is newer than a ’70 as they were still Kadetts. B series to be exact. My daily driver is a 70 sedan 1100. This car replaced a stock 1977 Vega wagon as a daily mover. They coexisted well in the household for several years.
The Ascona was larger and more expensive than the Kadett. The Ascona was first introduced for the 1971 model year in the U.S. and it was sold alongside the Kadett for 1971 and 1972. The last year for German-built Opels sold under the Opel name was 1975 after which they were replaced by the smaller Japanese Isuzu Gemini, which was heavily based on the Opel Kadett. Because of currency rate fluctuations (low dollar, high German mark) the prices of European cars had gotten uncompetitive in the 1970s.
I don’t think I’ve seen an Opel on the road since the 1990s.
Thanks, Erik and Johnster – our featured car first made its appearance in the fall of 1970 for model year ’71, so this one must be a ’71 – ’73 model. I’ll fix the title.
Didn’t “Car & Driver” magazine race one of these Opels in the “Showroom Stock” class wayyyy back in the mid 1970’s?
I believe their editor/columnist/road test writer Patick Bedard drove one for “C&D”?