It was the first German people's cars from the assembly line that made Opel number one in all of Europe. With legendary models such as the Laubfrosch, Kadett, Rekord and Kapitän, the fourth oldest existing car manufacturer has even overtaken Ford and VW. But Opel also achieved considerable success as a brand in the Stellantis Group.
The Germans and the affordable mass car, this relationship box began neither with Ford nor with VW. It was the Rüsselsheim-based sewing machine and bicycle manufacturer Opel, founded in 1862, that discovered the future potential of the automobile 125 years ago and soon became the largest European manufacturer.
Affordable mobility, this idea first motivated company founder Adam Opel to set up bicycle production on a large scale: Opel was still the world's largest bicycle manufacturer in the 1920s. Adam Opel had nothing in mind with cars, he called the motorized carriages "stink carts for the rich".
Not so Adam's sons Fritz and Wilhelm Opel, who in 1898 at the Berlin Motor Show became aware of the inexpensive and robust patent motor car of the Dessau car pioneer Friedrich Lutzmann. They immediately made Lutzmann an offer to buy his "Anhaltische Motorwagenfabrik". Lutzmann agreed, especially since he was to remain works manager in Rüsselsheim, but did not sign the contract until January 1899. The advertising campaign for the "Opel System Lutzmann" was already underway.
Vehicle production on the Main really got going in 1909, when the legendary "Doktorwagen" drove the rural doctors, before Opel rose to become one of the most popular European car brands in 1914 with the "Puppchen" model. The Opel "Laubfrosch" followed in 1924 as a people's car, the first German assembly line car. Olympia and Kadett also came before the VW Beetle. On the other hand, names like Rekord, Kapitän or Manta stand for the economic miracle, before models like Ampera, Corsa or Mokka have electrified the brand with the lightning bolt since 2011.
The second-oldest German car company has had exciting times, and Opel's history has always been like a roller coaster ride. Even the successes with the early Lutzmann motor car were short-lived. As early as 1902, a relaunch of car production was due, realized with licensed production from the French car manufacturer Darracq.
Wars, economic crises or quality problems that scratched the myth of "Opel, the reliable" when Jose Lopez de Arriortua was at work in the 1980s, as well as changing owners - from 1929 General Motors, from 2017 PSA Peugeot Citroën and since 2021 Stellantis: there were occasions for turbulence it many. Time and again, however, it was emotionally designed and technically innovative models with which Opel found its way back to the top of the sales charts.
Just as today the smart and inexpensive Corsa regularly dominates the segment of small cars in Germany and Opel is positioned ahead of Ford in the registration statistics, the Rüsselsheim-based company jumped onto the throne of Europe's largest automobile group in the 1920s thanks to a dark green tree frog. With this first German assembly line car, craftsmen were finally able to fulfill their dream of automobility.
Although the Citroën Type C, always painted lemon yellow, served as a blueprint for the Opel Type 4 PS, its frog-green color was enough for Opel to fend off a plagiarism dispute initiated by Citroën. But Opel could also set records - that's what drives rocket cars stood for - and prestige, as shown by an eight-cylinder engine in the Regent model in 1928. Incidentally, it fits perfectly with the sale of the German all-rounder to the US company General Motors (GM).
Playing in all segments and igniting emotions, that remained a recipe for success for the Hessians, even with commercial vehicles. The light truck introduced in 1930 was called Blitz, and its career was also rapid: as early as 1935 it rolled out of Europe's largest truck factory. Above all, however, lightning soon adorned the Opel brand logo. At that time, Opel just seemed to succeed in everything. The pragmatic P4 type was sold at sensationally low prices, which corresponded to only six average monthly salaries, and the little Kadett continued this success story in 1936. In contrast, the compact Olympia in 1935 astounded as the first German volume model with a self-supporting body, while the captain and admiral caused a sensation in the representative touring car segment at the end of the 1930s.
This is exactly what the captain continued to do after the Second World War. For years it outsold BMW and Mercedes, and from 1964 onwards there was again an admiral and, brand new, the diplomat with powerful eight-cylinder engines of American provenance in the management parking lot. The fascination of the V8: Opel also cultivated it with coupés until the Senator and Monza models opened a more modest flagship chapter in 1977, which was to remain the last.
Luxury class is no longer an issue for Opel, the brand sees itself where it has scored for 125 years. In the middle class, for example. From 1953, the record was subscribed to for many generations, and with the caravan, Opel made the station wagon socially acceptable. Or with the Commodore, the "Opel 6 bomb" that "knows no respect", as the ad said. Especially in the wild GS/E equipment, which even scared Porsche away. No wonder that Opel wants to revive the GS/E spirit today in electrified Astra and Grandland GSe.
The two-seater cult sports car Opel GT "Only flying is nicer" and the Manta, which was built for almost two decades, also anchored Opel as a symbol of German everyday culture, confirmed by Manta films, which are currently experiencing a revival. A post-war Kadett from the fresh factory in Bochum did not exist until 1962. But what a car: ten years later this small car briefly overtook the aging Beetle, above all it functioned as the most popular world car among countless GM brands for a long time.
Today the Kadett and its Bochum plant are history, but the Astra sets the tone among the compacts, from 2023 also as a fully electric Stromer. In the middle there was still the Ascona from 1970, a rival to the Ford Taunus and VW Passat that sold millions of times, which also secured Walter Röhrl victory in the 1982 World Rally Championship. The Ascona was followed by the Vectra and Insignia, until the SUV hype sealed the end of the conventional mid-range. Crossovers like the Grandland and Mokka are supposed to do it for Opel today. Above all, however, it is Stromer with which Opel wants to boost the brand, and that will include a Manta in the future.
Expert Nicolas Ziegler from the classic car evaluation organization Classic Analytics explains why Opel models are always present at classic car meetings: "Due to its wide distribution, Opel has been one of the most popular brands for many years, including in the old and young classic segment Combination with the rather low new prices but also that the current value is only rarely above the 25,000 euro limit, even for popular models such as the Manta A, GT or Kadett C. The currently most expensive Opels such as the Ascona 400 and Manta 400 and only around The Diplomat A Coupé, built 350 times, clearly differs from the other Opel models in terms of new price and quantities. In some cases, more than 150,000 euros are paid for the Diplomat Coupé.”
Chronicle
1862: Adam Opel founds his company as a sewing machine manufacturer
1886: Bicycles complete the product portfolio
1894: At the end of the year, automobile pioneer Friedrich Lutzmann presented his first automobile, which was built in his "Anhaltische Motorwagenfabrik" in Dessau and cost 2,000 Reichsmarks, about half the price that Benz charged for an automobile
1895: Company founder Adam Opel dies
1897: Lutzmann moves into a new, large factory building in Dessau, in which around 60 motor vehicles are built by 1898. At the Berlin Motor Show ("Review of the Horseless Cars"), Lutzmann was the most important exhibitor alongside Benz and Daimler
1898: Fritz and Wilhelm Opel, the sons of Adam Opel, also travel to the second Berlin Automobile Revue. Lutzmann is one of the exhibitors again and is also taking part in a reliability drive that covers around 390 kilometers from Berlin to Leipzig and back to Berlin. The Opel brothers are convinced of the qualities of the Lutzmann car, which is one of the favorites in the reliability test, but has no chance of winning after an accident. In Dessau, the Opel brothers visit Lutzmann's factory and submit a purchase and cooperation agreement to Lutzmann. At the same time, they are already advertising the future Opel automobiles ("Opel motor cars are the best"), but Lutzmann does not sign the contract until January of the following year, despite a trade agreement
1899: On January 21st, a contract is signed with Friedrich Lutzmann, the Grand Ducal court carriage builder from Dessau. Start of car production in Rüsselsheim, first model "Opel Patent-Motorwagen System Lutzmann" at a price of 2600 marks. The first Opel automobile was powered by a single-cylinder rear engine with 4 hp and a displacement of 1.5 liters; the top speed was 20 km/h
1901: Alexandre Darracq signs a cooperation agreement with Adam Opel AG to manufacture various vehicle types in Germany under the Opel Darracq brand name. A successful Franco-German cooperation that lasted until 1908. Construction of the first Opel motorcycle
1902: Opel Darracq with an 8 hp single-cylinder engine go into series production. In the fall, the first Opel design is created, the 10/12 hp model with a newly developed two-cylinder engine, front engine and cardan drive
1903: Construction of the first Opel four-cylinder engine for the 20/22 hp model
1906: First production anniversary for Opel, as the thousandth car leaves the factory
1907: Kaiserpreisrennen in the Taunus, winning the Kaiserpreis for the best German car
1909: With the production of the "Doctor's Car" 4/8 hp, Opel takes the step towards becoming a versatile, professionally usable automobile. The price of this "most suitable cart for doctors, veterinarians, lawyers, etc." is 3950 marks
1911: Opel occupies new market segments with the production of aircraft engines and plow engines
1912: "Opel - my little doll! Luxury cars with elegant appointments, trucks and delivery vans for all purposes," advertises a poster for the nation's new automotive darling. The Opel "Puppchen" is a four-seater torpedo, later optionally also a sporty two-seater with a top speed of 65 km/h. Production of the 10,000th Opel automobile, a "Puppchen" model
1913: Grand Prix racing cars with four-liter four-cylinder engines with four-valve technology with an overhead camshaft driving a vertical shaft
1914: Opel becomes the largest German and one of the leading European vehicle manufacturers thanks to the successful "Puppchen" model
1915: With the 3-ton standard truck, Opel becomes an important armaments manufacturer during the First World War. At the same time, the position as the largest German truck manufacturer is consolidated
1916: Opel develops the first six-cylinder engine and produces a 3-ton truck in cooperation with other companies
1919: Even before the completion of the Berlin Avus, the Opel racetrack south of Rüsselsheim is put into operation as the first permanent racetrack and test track in Germany
1924: Opel is the first German manufacturer to use assembly line production with a 45 meter long assembly line. The first assembly line model was the two-seater, green painted 4/12 hp "Laubfrosch" type, the price of which was reduced from the initial 4,500 marks to 1,990 marks. The steel disc wheels and the electric starter are unusual for this class
1925: The Type 80, a further development of the tree frog, is Opel's first car with four-wheel brakes, the new one reaches 90 km/h with 45 hp
1927: Every 4.5 minutes, an Opel 4/12 HP Laubfrosch rolls off the assembly line, and the little Rüsselsheimer is finally celebrated as the "people's car". Opel is the largest exporter among German manufacturers
1928: Every third car built in Germany is an Opel. The brand is the largest German vehicle exporter and at times holds a 44 percent market share in its home country. Conversion into a joint-stock company. First Opel eight-cylinder engine in the Regent model. Start of the Opel RAK program with rocket propulsion. Fritz von Opel achieves a top speed of 238 km/h with the RAK 2 on the Berlin Avus
1929: General Motors takes over the majority of shares from Opel
1930: As part of an employee competition, Opel determines the name of the new light truck, Opel Blitz. This designation was first used for Opel bicycles in 1890. Start of production for the first generation of the Opel Blitz
1931: General Motors takes over the remaining 20 percent of Opel shares
1935: On April 7th, the groundbreaking ceremony for the commercial vehicle plant in Brandenburg takes place because all capacities in Rüsselsheim are exhausted. On October 18, Brandenburg delivers the first Blitz. Opel-Brandenburg becomes the largest truck plant in all of Europe. Presentation of the compact Opel Olympia, the first mass-produced German car with a self-supporting all-steel body. Opel is the first German manufacturer to exceed the 100,000 unit mark in annual production. The Opel P4 was successful as a small entry-level model until 1937
1936: The Opel Kadett is introduced with a displacement of 1.1 liters and an output of 23 hp. With an annual production of 120,293 units, Opel is the largest car manufacturer in Europe
1937: The bicycle production is sold to NSU
1938: With its cultivated six-cylinder models, Opel gains respect in the representative class and in the large touring car segment. The captain has a displacement of 2.5 liters and an output of 55 hp, the admiral has a displacement of 3.6 liters and an output of 75 hp
1940: Production of the one millionth Opel, a captain. Opel ended the production of civilian cars in October, but manufactured the most important Wehrmacht truck in Rüsselsheim and Brandenburg with the 3-ton truck Blitz "S" (standard).
1945: The Kadett production facilities are dismantled and handed over to the Soviet Union as reparations. There the Kadett becomes the first Moskvitch, a Soviet people's car
1946: On July 15, the assembly lines in Rüsselsheim start up again after an interruption due to the war. The first automobile is the Opel Blitz 1.5 tons
1947: Car production begins with the Olympia model, the equipment is similar to that of the pre-war years, but without chrome decoration
1948: Production of the Opel Kapitän starts again
1949: The Opel Olympia is introduced as a station wagon, panel van and delivery van. The start of a station wagon tradition that will be continued by the Olympia Rekord launched in 1953. As an Opel Caravan, the station wagon becomes socially acceptable
1953: The mid-size model Olympia Rekord is the first Opel with a modern pontoon body. For a long time, the Olympic record took second place in German registration statistics behind the cheaper Volkswagen Beetle
1956: The two millionth Opel is a captain. In the post-war years, the captain temporarily took third place in the German sales statistics
1959: The most successful captain of all time, the P 2.6, starts. 145,618 units are manufactured in just over four years
1962: A new plant is opened in Bochum for the production of the Kadett A, which competes against the VW Beetle and Ford Taunus 12 M
1964: The flagship trio of captain, admiral, and diplomat is introduced
1965: The Opel Kadett B is marketed as a world car and also a success in North America. Fourth generation of the Opel Blitz light truck and van. With the renewed Opel Blitz, every second truck produced in Germany in the class with a payload of up to three tons comes from Rüsselsheim
1966: Start of production for the Rekord C, the best-selling Rekord of all time. Opening of the Dudenhofen test center and a parts plant in Kaiserslautern
1967: Luxury and performance, that's what the new Commodore stands for as the premium version of the Rekord. At the same time, the Commodore GS and, from 1970, the Commodore GS/E convey sportiness and strong performance values on a Porsche 911 level (130 and 150 hp respectively).
1968: The Opel GT sports car is presented
1970: The family-friendly sports coupé Manta is launched as a rival to the Ford Capri. The Opel Ascona aims against the Ford Taunus
1971: The ten millionth Opel rolls off the assembly line, a Rekord C Caravan
1972: Opel overtakes Volkswagen and is once again the largest German automobile manufacturer with a market share of 20.4 percent
1975: The Ascona B is also celebrated as a world car and 1.5 million units are sold by 1981. The newly introduced Manta B remained in the program until 1988
1977: Senator succeeds Admiral and Diplomat
1979: The Kadett "D" becomes the first Opel with front-wheel drive
1982: The Opel Corsa rolls off the assembly line at the new Spanish plant in Zaragoza. Walter Röhrl wins the Monte Carlo Rally and the World Rally Championship in a 260 hp Ascona 400. At the market launch of the final Rekord generation E2 (built until 1986), Opel celebrated 5.8 million Rekords sold since 1953, of which 3.8 million units were exported
1983: Production anniversary at the main plant in Rüsselsheim, because a Senator CD rolls off the production line there as the 20 millionth Opel
1985: Opel is the first manufacturer in Germany to offer a complete range of models with catalytic converters
1986: The Opel Omega replaces the record
1991: The Astra replaces the Kadett. 4.13 million units of the first Astra (F) were built up to 1997, making this first Astra generation the most-built Opel model to date. The new Opel Frontera becomes the SUV market leader in Europe
1992: Opening of the Opel plant in Eisenach
1994: The 30 millionth Opel is the top model at the time, the Opel Omega MV 6
1995: Opel is the first German company to introduce full-size airbags for the driver and front passenger as standard equipment
1996: World's first turbo diesel with direct injection and four-valve technology
1997: Debut of a downsized three-cylinder engine in the Corsa
1998: Presentation of the renewed SUV model line Frontera and a little later the off-roader Monterey
1999: Launch of the Zafira as a compact van. A silver-grey Omega B rolls off the assembly line in Rüsselsheim as the 50 millionth Opel
2003: The Opel Omega model series is canceled without replacement
2005: Adam Opel AG is converted into a GmbH
2008: Market launch for the Insignia as a harbinger of a new product offensive. GM suffers from the global financial crisis and Opel applies to the federal government for a loan guarantee
2009: Introduction of a new Astra generation. Several investors are interested in taking over Opel, including Fiat and automotive supplier Magna International along with Russian bank Sberbank. In November, General Motors decided against selling Opel to Magna
2010: With a market share of just 8 percent and 233,000 registrations, Opel experienced a difficult year in its home market. A guarantee of 1.1 billion euros requested by General Motors from the Germany fund was rejected in June. Market launch Meriva B
2011: Adam Opel GmbH is converted back into a stock corporation. Presentation of the Ampera with electric drive
2012: With the Mokka, Opel launches the brand's first successful compact SUV
2013: With the Cascada, Opel shows its presence in the mid-size cabriolet market
2015: The Opel Karl microcar is launched and is named after Carl von Opel, a son of company founder Adam Opel. After the Adam presented in 2014, it is the second Opel to bear a first name from the Opel family
2017: In Germany, Opel still holds a 7.1 percent market share. PSA Peugeot Citroën (PSA) takes over Adam Opel AG and the British GM subsidiary Vauxhall from the US group General Motors. Opel is transformed into Opel Automobile GmbH. Since the summer of 2017, the PSA Group has been the second-largest car manufacturer in Europe behind Volkswagen, as it was from 2007 to 2010. Several new Opel SUV models are based on French architecture as a result of years of cooperation with PSA: Opel Crossland X and Grandland X. The Insignia (B) is the last model developed under GM
2018: As part of the PSA Group, Opel Rüsselsheim is given responsibility for the development of light commercial vehicles for all PSA Group brands. Rüsselsheim is to be expanded into an "Electric City" with 650 charging stations with 1,300 charging points for electric cars throughout the city
2021: Opel is part of Stellantis NV, one of the world's largest corporations, which was formed in January this year from the merger of Groupe PSA and FCA Group. With its 14 brands, the group is the world's fourth-largest automobile manufacturer in terms of vehicles sold. Opel is the second oldest brand in the group after Peugeot
2022: Opel celebrates the 160th anniversary of the company's founding, the 30th anniversary of the Eisenach plant and the production of the 75 millionth Opel, a Grandland GSe, to roll off the assembly line at the Eisenach plant. The Corsa will be 40 years old in the summer and Opel is celebrating the anniversary with success stories, because the current Corsa is already the best-selling small car in Germany in the first half of the year, with a market share of over 20 percent. At that time, the Corsa-e was the leader among small electric cars with a market share of 25 percent. In Germany, Opel achieved around 145,000 new registrations in the year as a whole, 26 percent of which have an electric drive. Opel's market share in Germany is 5.5 percent compared to 5.0 percent for Ford and 18.1 percent for VW
2023: Opel and its sister brand Vauxhall are represented in more than 60 countries worldwide. By 2024, all Opel models will also be available in electrified versions. From 2028 onwards, Opel intends to rely entirely on electric vehicles in Europe. The sporty plug-in hybrids Astra GSe and Grandland GSe will go on sale in 2023, as well as the all-electric Astra Electric
