2023-04-20 07:00:00
Three new themed tours have now been added to the virtual 360-degree tours of the Opel Classic Collection. On the three new tours there will be lots of facts and also “many well-kept ‘secrets’ regarding studies, sports cars and vintage cars that have become real classics,” says Opel Classic Manager Leif Rohwedder, encouraging people to visit the online Collection.
The first tour is called “Concepts & Studies” and brings together many of these mostly unique eyewitnesses. This includes early vehicles such as an accurate replica of the 1938 Opel Kadett two-seater, which was developed at the time under the code name “Strolch” and can be considered the forefather of all sporty Kadett and Astra types. The Experimental GT is also legendary: the sports car study caused a stir at the IAA in 1965 and represented the first concept car from a German manufacturer. Other highlights to be discovered on this tour are the 444, which is equipped with a carbon body and gullwing doors HP strong Astra OPC X-treme and the all-electric SUV study GT X Experimental. With it, the “Vizor” front of today’s Opel models was presented for the first time in 2018.
The virtual “touring car” tour through the Opel Classic halls also wants to arouse emotions. Because the sporting heritage of the brand is diverse and has a great tradition, with the first Opel racing car already taking part in 1899. In addition to the rally vehicles, the greatest fascination comes from the touring cars trimmed for maximum performance. Racing legends such as the Opel Rekord C “Black Widow” or the Kadett GSi 16V DTM, which delighted fans at the race tracks from 1989, speak for themselves. From the year 2000, Opel got involved in the German Touring Car Masters with the specially developed Astra V8 Coupé – and immediately took the runner-up spot. Other competitions followed, such as the legendary 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. The high-tech Astra clinched overall victory there in 2003 – and was then conserved in its original condition, including dirt on the track and splashes of sparkling wine at the award ceremony.
A little calmer, but no less fascinating, is the look back at the “Golden Sixties”. Gleaming chrome, whitewall tires, lavish windows – the classics of that era embody timeless beauty and individual freedom. The Opel icons from the decade of Woodstock, the moon landing and color television include highlights such as the Opel Rekord P2 Coupé from 1962, which was jokingly nicknamed the “Racing trunk” thanks to its short roof and long tail. In 1965 Opel’s luxury class was expanded in its most elegant form: the Diplomat V8 coupé was launched by coachbuilder Karmann – the most exclusive vehicle in the Rüsselsheim model range. This is also shown by the production figures: Up until 1967, just 347 copies were made. The Rekord B, presented in the same year, is just as legendary – on the one hand because of its groundbreaking “CIH” engine and on the other hand because of one of its owners. None other than Sepp Herberger, the world champion coach of the 1954 national soccer team, proudly called the Opel mid-range model of the time his own. (awm)
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