History of the Opel car brand

Adam Opel AG is a German car manufacturing company. The headquarters is located in Rüsselsheim. Part of the General Motors concern. The main occupation lies in the production of cars and minivans.

Opel's history goes back almost two centuries, when German inventor Adam Opel set up a sewing machine company in 1863. Further, the spectrum was shifted to bicycle production, which earned the owner the title of the largest bicycle manufacturer in the world.

After the death of Opel, the business of the company was continued by his five sons. The Opel family came up with the idea to change the vector of production to the manufacture of cars. And in 1899, Opel's first licensed car was invented. It was a kind of self-propelled crew to develop Lutzman. The project of the released car did not please the creators very much and soon they abandoned the use of this design.

The next step was to conclude an agreement with Darracq the following year, which created another model that led them to their first success. Subsequent cars took part in races and won prizes, which contributed to the flourishing success of the company and rapid development in the future.

During the First World War, the vector of production changed its direction mainly to the development of military trucks.

Production required the release of new, more innovative models. To do this, they used the American experience in the automotive industry to invent. And as a result, the equipment was completely updated to a sufficiently high-quality one, and the old models were removed from production.

In 1928, an agreement was signed with General Motors that now Opel is its subsidiary. Production was significantly expanded.

The burden of World War II forced the company to suspend its plans and focus on the production of military equipment. The war almost completely destroyed the company's factories, and all the documentation with the equipment went to the authorities of the USSR. The company suffered a complete ruined collapse.

Over time, the factories were not fully restored and production was established. The first post-war model was a truck, over time later - the production of cars and the development of pre-war projects. It was only after the 50s that there was a noticeable improvement in business, since the main plant in Rüsselsheim was restored to a significant extent.

On the 100th anniversary of the company, in 1962 a new production plant was established in Bochum. Mass production of cars begins.

Today Opel is the largest division of General Motors. And the cars produced are famous all over the world for their quality, reliability and innovation. The wide range offers models of different budgets.

Founder

Opel Adam was born in May 1837 in the city of Rüsselsheim into a farmer's family. From early childhood he was interested in mechanics. He was educated as a blacksmith.

In 1862 he created a sewing machine, and the following year opened a sewing machine factory in Rüsselsheim. Then he expanded production to bicycles and continued further development. Became the largest bicycle manufacturer in the world. After the death of Opel, the plant passed into the hands of the Opel family. The five sons of Opel were actively involved in production until the birth of the first cars of this family company.

Adam Opel died in the fall of 1895 in Rüsselsheim.

Emblem

If you delve into history, the Opel emblem has changed a huge number of times. The very first emblem was a badge with two capital letters of the creator: the gold-colored letter “A” fit into the red letter “O”. She appeared from the very beginning of the creation of a sewing machine company by Opel. Post after massive changes over the years, even in 1964, the graphic design of the lightning bolt was developed, which is now the company's logo.

The emblem itself consists of a silver-colored circle inside which there is a horizontal lightning of the same color scheme. Lightning itself is a symbol of speed. This symbol is used in honor of the released Opel Blitz model.

History of Opel cars

The first model equipped with a 2-cylinder power unit (after the failed 1899 model) debuted in 1902.

In 1905, production of a higher class begins, such a model was 30/40 PS with a displacement of 6.9.

In 1913, the Opel Laubfrosh truck was created in bright green. The fact is that at that moment all models released were green. This model was popularly nicknamed "The Frog".

The model 8/25 was produced with a 2 liter engine.

The Regent model appeared on the market in 1928 and was produced in two body styles - a coupe and a sedan. It was the first luxury car in demand from the government. Equipped with an eight-cylinder engine, it could reach speeds of up to 130 km / h, which was considered quite a high speed at that time.

The RAK A sports car was produced in 1928. The car had high technical characteristics, and the improved model was equipped with an even more powerful engine capable of speeds up to 220 km / h.

In 1930, the Opel Blitz military truck was released in several generations, differing in design and construction.

In 1936, the Olympia debuted, which was considered the first production car with a monocoque body, and the detailing of the power unit was calculated to the smallest detail. And in 1951, a modernized model with new external data came out. Was equipped with a new large grille, and there were also changes in the bumper.

The 1937 Kadett series existed in production for over half a century.

The Admiral model was introduced in 1937 by an executive car. The more solid model was the Kapitan from 1938. With each modernized version, the solidity of the cars also increased. Both models had a six-cylinder engine.

A new version of the Kadett B debuted in 1965 with a two- and four-door body and more power in line with its predecessors.

The 8 Diplomat V1965 was powered by a Chevrolet V8 engine. Also this year, a prototype GT sports car with a coupé body was unveiled.

The 1979 Kadett D generation was significantly different in size from the Model C. It was also equipped with front-wheel drive. The model was produced in three variations of engine displacement.

The 80s are characterized by the release of new small-sized Corsa A, Cabrio and Omega with fairly good technical data, and old models were also modernized. The Arsona model, similar in design to the Kadett, was also released, with rear-wheel drive. The redesigned Kadett E won European Car of the Year in 1984, thanks to its excellent performance. The end of the 80s is characterized by the release of Vectra A, which replaced Ascona. There were two variations of the body - hatchback and sedan.

The Opel Calibra debuted in the early 90s. Having a coupe body, it was equipped with a power unit from Vectra, as well as a chassis from this model served as a basis for creation.

The first SUV of the company was the 1991 Frontera. The exterior characteristics made it very powerful, but under the hood there was nothing surprising. A more technically sophisticated model Frontera became a little later, which had a turbodiesel under the hood. Then there were several more generations of modernization of the SUV.

The powerful sports car Tigra made its debut in 1994. The original design and high technical data brought the demand for the car.

The first Opel Sintra minibus was produced in 1996. The Agila minivan was launched in 2000.