The Opel Kadett was a big deal, even if it was very small physically. After watching VW sales grow exponentially for almost two decades and displace Opel as Germany’s best selling brand, the General decided it was time to finally fight back.
The Kadett, which first saw duty in 1961, was a very credible weapon, the result of a focused development program to create a car that was to better the Beetle in every metric. It mostly succeeded, thanks to the very pragmatic engineering and design of a very light but conventional front-engine RWD car. It was quicker, roomier, had a vastly greater trunk, was a bit more economical, and it drove and handled very differently. But was it really better than a VW, in the ways that made the Beetle an icon?
I’m very familiar with the Kadett A, as my father bought a light green one like this in 1965. I can still feel its black ribbed vinyl upholstery on my sweating backside, hear its little 993 cc mill being revved to valve float on each shift as my brother red-light raced VWs, the outcome of which was preordained given the Opel’s 46 hp compared to the VW’s 40, and weighing a whopping 200 lbs less. My only regret is that its tenure in the Niedermeyer household ended in 1968, just before I began my illicit driving career, thus I never got actual wheel time. So we’ll have to read what Car Life said about that.
We called it the “Laubfrosch” (tree frog, in German) for two reasons: Opel’s first light car, the P4 from 1924, was popularly called that, but hitting closer to home, it was because my father struggled with its trigger-like clutch. In the first few days and weeks, he would dump the clutch, making the little Kadett’s 12″ rear wheels skip and hop, two or three times in succession. Yes, you can chirp them, if you follow my father’s technique: dump the clutch, make it hop, quickly release the clutch and then dump it again, and then repeat once or twice more. We used to die of hysterics watching him take off for work in the morning, as the Kadett hopped up the driveway.
CL notes that the Kadett marked the return of Opel to the US, after leaving the market in 1961 with its larger Rekord. That car had sold pretty well during the great import boom of the ’50s, but was utterly irrelevant after the arrival of the Corvair and the other compacts. But GM quickly came to realize that the domestic compacts were making no impact on the annual growth of VW’s sales in the US, so they decided to dust off the Opel signs and offer up to 400 Buick dealers to get back in the import business with the Kadett. Why not?
It’s a three-box car if ever there was one. But for a conventional sedan (and wagon), it really was very space efficient, thanks to the physically very small ohv four in front and a body tall enough to allow upright seating, a space-saving feature. The most impressive thing was its weight: 1475 lbs at the curb. That’s a full 200 lbs less than the Beetle. It was a bit smaller in its outside dimensions, with a 3″ shorter wheelbase and 5″ less overall length, but then the Beetle’s 1930’s baby streamliner design was not all that space efficient.
CL muses if the Kadett will make a dent in the Beetle’s sales, with their conclusion being: “Not“. They thought its boxy styling alone was a turn-off. Well, they were right and wrong; the Kadett A didn’t sell very well here in ;64 and ’65, but by 1966, thanks to the more attractive and contemporary-styled Kadett B, it was quickly on its way to becoming the #2 selling import here for a number of years, until eventually Toyota took the #2 crown away. And in Germany, it did unseat the Beetle. So yes, The Kadett became a solid success here; just not right away, and of course it didn’t kill the Beetle. And after the Vega came out and the dollar sank against the mark, Opel soon slid away, giving us a few more years of 1900/Ascona goodness before it was gone for good.
It’s not CL didn’t like the Kadett: “Once used to driving the Kadett, it becomes a very likeable little creature“. It did what it was supposed to do, and fairly well at that. “The engine feels very sturdy and is quite smooth at all times, if not very quiet“. True that. But then the lightweight Kadett felt tinnier and noisier all-round; getting into a VW after being in the Kadett, one felt ensconced in a decidedly more solid-feeling and quieter car, and a bit better-riding one too.
The long V0lvo-style stick shift worked a slick-shifting gearbox with excellent gear ratios to make the most of the little engine. The result was a 0-60 time (23 sec.) a good five seconds quicker than the VW. There was a”hotter” 54 hp engine in the Sport Coupe, but not available in the sedan and wagon; CL wished it were.
The rack-and-pinion steering was “first class“, and the brakes were “quite good” too. As to fuel economy, CL didn’t even try to make an “economy run“; but even driving it hard all the time it always topped 30 mpg. The seats and driving position came in for praise. The even mentioned those very noticeable-under-the-clothes longitudinal ribs in the upholstery, as it helped keep passengers form sliding in curves. Now I find out! Even the rear seat passengers get decent accommodations, something the Beetle could not claim. And trunk space was “surprising“.
CL was “shaken” by the 6 volt battery (VW still had one too then), and the little 12″ wheels and tires: “Where do you buy one if one blows out in the middle of Arkansas?” The Buick-Opel dealer?
All in all, a pretty positive review, even if the styling didn’t exactly wow them.
More on the Kadett:
Curbside Classic: 1966 – 1973 Opel Kadett (B) – It Dethroned The Volkswagen
The Opel Kadett Asassination – By Car and Driver
Curbside Classic: 1969 Opel Kadett – Buick Dealers Really Sold These?
Opel. What could have been a very strong weapon in GM’s American arsenal. Except that they couldn’t take it seriously. I was always an admirer of the brand back in the day, unfortunately by the time I was starting ownership of new cars the brand was on its way out. And the Isuzu rebadge didn’t interest me.
I did have some driving time in a college buddy’s early 70’s Kadette wagon, which only increased my admiration for the brand.
I’d say they took it quite seriously with the Kadett B, which sold very well for a number of years (1966 – 1970), when it was the #2 selling import car. Three things happened in 1971: The Vega; the decision to replace the Kadett B in the US with the 1900/Ascona, which was a bit bigger and more expensive, and then of course the dollar devaluation.
The 1900/Manta was a terrific car, but it was not cost competitive to the Corolla and such, and had too much internal competition from the Vega. But the dollar devaluation is what ultimately killed Opel. And of course impacted VW very severely too.
“It’s a very good little car, but its bland, squarish appearance alone almost preclude mass appeal.”
Fully agree, too bland, never a car for me. But that did not matter to European buyers. In the Netherlands, Opel country, the Kadett was #1 in sales for many years, decades even.
I remember these well, these were still all over the place here in the mid 70s.
Had to smile seeing that Opel Rekords were imported to “test the U.S. small-car market”.
The Opel Rekord, any age, in the Netherlands always was seen as a big car 🙂
Even then, 12 in tires seem absurd. Why in the world would they do this? Even 13s would be pretty puny. Should have had 14s from the start. And also surprising, the 6 volt electricals. Though they don’t need size twelve tires, they do need size twelve volt electrics. On a positive note, this car is nice and light and has good space utilization.
Germans were very slow to adopt 12v electrics for reasons I cannot explain. Even the BMW 1600’s that were such a hit were 6v. My 1967 gray market VW was also 6v while the US models had 12.
Smaller wheels are simply more space efficient. The Mini had ten inchers and my Ford Fiesta also had 12’s, even in 1980. Honda Civic also had that size. Back when the Kadett was imported, giant heavy American cars had 14’s, even my dad’s 5000lb Continental. VW had 15’s due to its 1930’s origins.
I didn’t know so many makers were using those small wheels back then. I thought the smallest ever was a 13 in, which my 1991 Civic had. American car makers of the 1960s should have not used 14 inch wheels on any of their cars. Too heavy and large for 14 in wheels, though my 1987 Cutlass had 14 in wheels. Seems GM started putting 15 in on their 1969 Chevy full sizers.
14 inch tires on a massive car were used for two reasons: 1) cost – they were cheaper than 15 inchers, and Detroit was notorious for putting the cheapest and lowest capacity tires they could find on their cars to cut costs. 2) small tires made the cars look more massive when bigger size was seen as a status-symbol.
And there was a third important reason: it was an easy way to lower cars in the era of longer, lower, and wider. 1957 was the year when many makes switched from 15-in wheels to 14 inchers.
12″ wheels were quite common in Europe back then. Why? They were lighter, and worked well enough with the light cars they were on.
IIRC, the last car sold in the US with 12″ wheels was the Yugo. I had a utility trailer with 12″ wheels, and could still get cheap tires to fit the Yugo a couple of decades ago.
I believe the Ford Festiva also had 12’s and would have outlasted the Yugo by a few years.
Yes, definitely on the Festiva. A colleague at work had one and he always used to say, when tires are advertised as low as X dollars, that lowest price was what he paid.
Even Mercedes W111 had 13 inch wheels! In the 60s!
Even Mercedes W111 had 13 inch wheels inthe 60s!
My first car, well actual the “luxury” version of the A but close enough. Bought my ’65 in ’72 for $200. Lots of Bondo went into repairing the front fenders but otherwise a great first car. Served me well in high school.
The last page of text appears to be missing.
It’s surprising how long GM Europe took to get (back) into this class after WW2 – the tooling to build the prewar Kadett was famously appropriated by the Soviets who used it as the first Moskvich, and there had never been an 8 (RAC) hp Vauxhall.
Part of that could be ascribed in Germany to the VW’s untouchability until the flaws of its’ aging-by-1960 design became apparent only as models from Lloyd, BMW and others originally positioned below it “grew up”, and in the UK to the early postwar “export-or-die” policy which meant only Morris offered a new postwar “eight”, the Minor, and its’ only competitor at the time, the Ford Anglia, was a prewar holdover until 1953.
It sure is. Sorry about that. it’s there now.
It’s probably just me, but these look similar to that darling of the DDR, the Trabant. I wonder of the probability that the earlier East German influenced the Opel.
Of course, it’s not exactly like there will be a lot of styling variance with any basic, small 3-box car of the period.
I thought the A Kadett and Trabant are worlds apart so could not understand you. Then I saw this picture in the article and indeed, the Kadett without clothes they look remarkably similar 🙂
The Kadett A came out in 1962. The restyled Trabant P60 came out in 1964, so if there was any cribbing, it’s not surprising that it was done in East Germany, not West Germany.
Good catch. I read that the first Trabant came out in 1957 and assumed it looked like the vast majority of later Trabants, but it was nothing like the Kadett A.
So, yeah, it was much likely that Sachsenring was the one doing the copying.
My parents and all of their friends always drove full size upscale American cars. Sometimes a truck or American smaller car would serve as a second car. Working for Inland Steel and having lived through WW II,to buy a foreign car was unacceptable. In 1964, parents best friends almost disowned their only son when he and his family arrived in one of these OPELs. Don’t know anything about the OPEL, but still regard it as small, spartan, and UGLY! 🤮
A cute , efficient and well built car. I’d worry about safety with such light weight. Adding back those 200 lbs in the form of thicker steel and structural reinforcements and the “hotter” (lol) engine to compensate might have been wise. The concurrent Rekord would have been a nice car to have here but probably would have been a sales flop. My IBM EE uncle had a ’68 Kadette B wagon and loved it. He also drove a Ford Model A to work regularly.
Basically a better inspiration than american car for the first corollas that went into the world market
Styling alays piques my interest, I see a bit of 1st gen Chevy II and a hint of Triumph in the front. the rear looks like a scaled down fintail Mercedes. I was more aware of opel in the latter 60s and in the very early 70s considered an Opel Manta. (dad’s long term friend owned a Buick Opel dealership and I could have gotten a deal, or a Capri from the Mercury dealer where I had gotten my 68 Cougar XR7. I bouthr neither, kept the Cougar until 74, When I bought my first Audi. a 74 Fox saloon. BAck to styling. I always liked the linear 3 box notchbacks with open airy greenhouse. still do.
Even more like the Chevy II with the L version of the Kadette A.
Or revised to look more like it’s HA Viva cousin?
For me, this Opel is one of the indicators of the differences between European manufacturers (and buyers) vs North American, post-war.
This side of the pond, it was quickly and (almost) universally agreed that a “proper” car was big, with a full frame, a live rear axle, and very similar styles of suspension. Drive wheels were in the back. Engines were cast iron, both block and head, and 6 or 8 cylinders. And this went on until the Corvair began “breaking the mold”.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the ocean, manufacturers tried *everything*. Engine in the back or front, drive wheels too. Air cooled or water. 2 cylinders or maybe more, inline, flat, or vee. Cam in the block or head. Iron, aluminum, or a combination. It was an entirely different world… Except for the European “branches” of American manufacturers who seemed more resistant to trying wild ideas.
As for the comparison to the Beetle… as has been noted on these pages before… just as Americans were really beginning to embrace the odd German car, Germans began seeing it as outdated and unfashionable. Opel was better; it was new.
I don’t really remember these, but remember the Kadett B very well. The Opel story in the US is a great example of how things only economists talk about (like screwed up monetary policy) have consequences in the real world. The US’s decisions that led to exchange rate swings were not the only reason European auto makers got chased out of the low end of the market here but they were one of the reasons.
In the comparison box, the Corvair weighed a 1000lbs more, had twice the horsepower, but cost only $250 more. I would have liked to driven a Kadett; I bet it was fun. Lightweight cars haven’t been allowed in the US for decades. Even the Yugo weighed 400lbs more.
There was a mild restyle done in Luton and called Vauxhall Viva, HA, They were sold in NZ and I owned one fitted with a 70s 1256cc HC Viva engine and box, that woke the performance up some and since it weighed nothing the car went fairly well, it would show 90mph indicated, which wasnt all that pleasant but not bad for a small tin can, handling wasnt up to the speed it could do neither were the brakes.
Bedford HA vans lasted in production into the 80s in Britain. Very popular with the Post Office.
I have neither the expertise nor the insights, but I feel like there’s a “Deadly Sin” topic about how GM handled their international divisions for the US. I mean, why was the Kadett sold at Buick dealers? It should have been branded as a Chevy and sold at Chevy dealers, or at most a Pontiac. When a future generation was Americanized as the 1976 Chevette, it was finally a Chevy. Let’s say the Kadett A was called a Chevette back in 1964, but based on the German design. And it stayed that way through the 70’s, instead of the Vega, perhaps shifting to Isuzu at some point and then a J car without pushrods or carburetors. An even smaller car? Either Opel Corsa or Suzuki based. Similar strategies may have helped the Seville (I know Paul has fantasized about that) all through the Catera era. Chrysler wasn’t perfect, but finally got it with the Omni/Horizon; and though Ford misfired with the Americanization of the first FWD Escort, they finally got the memo with the global Focus and Mondeo/Contour.
I’m going to guess that a big part of the reason Buick got the Opel franchise may have to do with the way German cars, in general, were marketed as premium products in the US. Besides Mercedes, BMW, and Porsche, even Max Hoffman shopped VW in that manner. It’s well-known that, back in the day, VW dealers sold their wares at a fixed price (what we call ‘no haggle’ today).
I’m certain GM thought they could do the same if they had their next-to-highest premium brand carry Opel.
GM never really had a division that was considered international or European until the eighties when they tried to market Oldsmobile as the international division. Like so many other half-baked GM schemes of the time, that little ploy never really panned-out, either. Frankly, I don’t think Oldsmobile ‘ever’ had any kind of captive import like Opel (German ‘or’ Japanese) and Oldsmobile is now just a distant memory.
Then there was the rebodied Opel Omega B sold as the Cadillac Catera. Maybe if the Catera had, too, went to Oldsmobile instead of Cadillac, Olds would still be around.
It’s worth noting that, of all the GM division cars, Oldsmobile was the one that stressed a balanced handling approach more than the other division’s performance cars, which were much more straight line oriented. An example is how the Cutlass was the one intermediate where the optional handling package included a rear sway bar, making them the best handling version and a definite European characteristic.
The bottom line is if GM had given their German cars to Oldsmobile instead of Buick or Cadillac all along, things might have ultimately worked out better. It’s just another automotive ‘what might have beens’.
Buick dealers signed up for Opel sub-franchises in late 1957 (calendar year), when the Eisenhower recession was knocking the hell out of auto sales and Buick’s volume took a major hit. So, it wasn’t originally something that was foisted on them, although after the economy improved and Buick introduced the compact/intermediate special, the enthusiasm level pretty clearly declined.
why was the Kadett sold at Buick dealers?
Because in the late ’50s, the only Opel sold here was the somewhat larger Rekord. In 1959, its price was $1988 for the sedan, and $2400 for the wagon. A full-size ’58 Chevy started at $2013 (sedan) and $2413 (wagon). They were too close in price, but the gap from the Rekord to the cheapest Buick was of course more. And once Buick was established as the Opel franchise, it continued what the Kadett.
I see it somewhat differently: if Chevy dealer carried the Opel, they would more likely be inclined to push a customer into a Chevy II or Corvair. When folks went to a Buick-Opel dealer, they were not likely to be interested in or be upsold into a big Buick.
I suspect that plenty of dealerships in smaller towns were glad to have a cheaper car to sell along side the Buicks. My hometown Buick dealer also carried Rambler/AMC for decades, so I would guess the Opels fit right in.
In 1970 as a kid from Seattle, I spent a summer in Germany in my mom’s beautiful hometown of Miltenberg am Main. I worked for my uncle that owned an Aral gas station and a farm machinery sales and repair business. A guy I worked with had exactly one of these in light baby blue. He loved it so much that he had it repainted in the same color that summer. He would give me an occasional ride. The looong stick shift seemed funny but intriguing at the same time. Very simple car for sure, airy inside unlike a beetle. But it felt very light and tinny. Compared to a beetle, the beetle felt like a bank vault and sturdier…and quieter I thought.
On paper and in the comments this sounds like car I’d like to try .
When I lived in Guatemala City in 1976 my brother in law had a red 1968 Opel Kadett B two door, it had been severely wrecked in a frontal collision then poorly repaired but ran fine and he liked it, he commuted nearly 75 miles in it daily from out in the suburbs .
It was 6 volts too, I was surprised to learn this when I repaired the generator one Sunday .
I too see the Chevy II in the 3/4 view .
-Nate
My very first car was a 67 Opel Kadett Rallye, silver with a blacked out hood and fog lights. I purchased it used in ’68 and racked up many memorable adventures and miles on the twisty roads of the Adirondack mts. of upstate NY and Vermont. I sold it in ’71 before going overseas.
In ’73 based on my great experiences with the Rallye, I purchased a pale yellow Manta ( my first ever new car) from our local Buick dealer where my Mom was well known. I believe it cost around $2700 . I salavated over the GT, but at $3400 it was just beyond my means. Only in recent years after reading about the GTs ” baby Vette” reputation online did I see the resemblance. A lot of people compare the Manta vith the Chevy Vega. I always thought the Opel was far better looking and way better engineered.
Thanks for the great trip down memory lane