Hidden in Plain Sight: Shark-Spotting in the New Opel Astra

• Secretive sea creatures: Finding sharks in the new Opel Astra requires a keen eye
• Full of character: Compact class bestseller is sharper and more modern than ever
• Iconic idea: Shark tradition at Opel began more than 20 years ago with a boy's brainwave
• For shark fans: Customers will also be able to spot little sharks in future Opel models

With Easter and the traditional egg hunt Opel can offer an exciting alternative activity no matter what the weather – the traditional Opel shark spotting. These secretive sea creatures have been a tradition at Opel for two decades now. To delight fans, the team in Rüsselsheim always comes with new hiding places for the sea dwellers – as is now the case with the new Opel Astra. The compact class bestseller – designed, engineered and built at Opel’s headquarters – not only looks more modern, sharper and more distinctive than ever, but also has a few surprises in store.

The adaptive IntelliLux HD lighting system, featuring over 50,000 elements, is not such a surprise but rather the logical next step in lighting technology. Following its introduction in the top-of-the-range Opel Grandland SUV, it is now being used for the first time in the new Opel Astra, which is already available to order. The improved range of the Opel Astra Electric is also a logical step forward, allowing drivers and passengers to travel up to 454 kilometres (WLTP 2) between charging stops. The more modern appearance is underlined by the sharper design, featuring an even narrower and more precisely styled Opel Vizor. Additionally, both the Vizor and the Blitz are illuminated.

But whilst the new Opel Astra makes an even brighter appearance overall, the little sharks are normally afraid of the light. They feel much more at home beneath the Astra’s surfaces, which are crafted from eco-friendly materials. 

This means that the search for these cartilaginous fish remains exciting in the newcomer. A little hint: it is worth changing one’s perspective between the front seats and turning things around a bit. And in the luggage compartment of the new Opel Astra Sports Tourer, the sharks might just be ‘swimming’ at higher altitudes than expected.

Iconic brainwave: The Opel sharks story began in 2004

But how come that, for the past 20 years now, miniature sharks have been popping up in all kinds of Opel passenger cars and generating such enthusiasm within the community? A brief look back: One Sunday afternoon in 2004, designer Dietmar Finger was at home working on a sketch for the Opel Corsa D which was to be launched two years later. He was designing the ordinary outer panel of the glove box, which is mostly invisible because it is hidden by the closed passenger door. However, when the glove box is opened, this panel must ensure stability – which it does with ribs integrated in the plastic surface. Finger was designing the ribs when his son looked at the sketch and said, “Why don’t you just draw a shark?” “Why not!” thought the designer and gave the ribs their characteristic shape! The next day, he showed the shark profile to Niels Loeb and the then Opel Corsa Chief Designer was immediately sold on the idea. The shark in the glove box went into series production and the ‘Opel sharks story’ began.

Next came the Opel Zafira, where Karim Giordimaina, then in charge of the interior design, hid three sharks in the compact van’s cockpit. Further permanent ‘shark appearances’ followed, first in the Opel ADAM and subsequently in all other car models up to the current generations of the Opel Grandland, Frontera and Mokka as well as the new Astra, where several tiny sea creatures are hidden in various places.

This has created an iconic ritual. Since the mid-2000s, every interior chief designer has made sure that at the end of the development process of a new model they have at least one shark somewhere in the interior. The exact locations always remain secret, even from top management. The fish therefore often stay hidden until the launch, which makes for an interesting search for shark lovers both inside and outside the company.

Consequently, the ‘Opel shark story’ will continue. Thus, in future Opel vehicles, too, the mini predators will be making their rounds, sometimes more, sometimes less hidden. Depending on the model, they may well change their territory in the depths of the interior and bodywork. So it remains exciting for customers to see where and how many sharks they will discover in their new Opel model.

[1] A vehicle's values not only depend on the vehicle's efficient use of fuel, but are also influenced by driving behaviour and other non-technical factors.

[2] The stated range was determined on the basis of the WLTP test procedures (Regulation (EC) No. 715/2007 and Regulation (EU) No. 2017/1151). The actual range may vary under everyday conditions and depends on various factors, in particular personal driving style, route conditions, outside temperature, use of heating and air conditioning as well as thermal preconditioning.

125 Years Ago: Opel Celebrates Its First Victory in Motorsports

• March 31, 1901: Heinrich Opel wins Königstuhl hill climb race in a modified ‘Motorwagen’
• Early successes: Second Königstuhl victory follows the very next year, Fritz von Opel takes first place in the opening race at Berlin’s AVUS in 1921
• Rally and circuit successes: Walter Röhrl wins European Rally Championship in 1974 and World Rally Championship in 1982 in an Opel; Manuel Reuter takes ITC title in 1996 in the ‘Cliff’ Calibra
• Pioneering role: Opel launches the world’s first electric rally one-make cup in 2021
• Fully electric driving fun: New Opel Mokka GSE brings rally feelings to the road
• Next level: Opel GSE Formula E Team will compete in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship as of next season

A few days ago, Opel announced that it will be competing in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship for the first time as of next season. The brand with the Blitz is thus opening a new chapter in its long and successful motorsport history. This history began at the dawn of the 20th century; to be precise, Opel celebrated its first victory in an official race 125 years ago. On March 31, 1901, Heinrich Opel won the hill climb race up the Königstuhl near Heidelberg in Germany in a modified ‘Motorwagen’.

This event marked the start of Opel’s successful motorsports history, which continues to this day across a wide variety of racing and rally series. Over the decades, the brand’s journey has taken it from its first hill climb and road races, through the European and World Rally Championships, to circuit racing with Formula Opel, Formula 3, the German Touring Car Masters (DTM) and the International Touring Car Championship (ITC).

For the past five years, Opel has been demonstrating just how electrifying and thrilling locally emissions-free motorsport can be with the world’s first electric rally one-make cup, which is set to enter its next season in a few weeks’ time with the new Opel Mokka GSE Rally. Meanwhile, customers can also experience the exhilarating GSE driving pleasure, as Opel brings the all-electric rally feeling to the road with the 207 kW (281 PS) Mokka GSE series car.

With its factory team, the Opel GSE Formula E Team, competing in Formula E, the Rüsselsheim-based company is now taking its commitment to electric motorsport to the next level. 

Taking part in the world’s fastest-growing racing series marks a milestone for Opel on its journey towards an electric future – a future whose roots stretch back to its first motorsport victory 125 years ago.

A dream comes true: Opel’s first victory in motorsports on March 31, 1901

Opel made its debut in motor racing as early as the late 19th century. Heinrich Opel, the second-youngest son of the company’s founder Adam Opel, took part in the first international motor race in Germany – the ‘Aachen–Coblenz’ long-distance race – in May 1899, driving a Patent-Motorwagen ‘System Lutzmann’. Unfortunately, a technical issue prevented him from reaching the finish line. The Opel brothers also took part in subsequent races, though they had to wait a little longer for their first real success. But these early experiences laid the foundations for the first victory that was soon to follow. This was because the brothers were constantly improving their motor cars and, above all, increasing their reliability.

On March 31, 1901, the moment finally arrived: Heinrich Opel took to the track in a modified ‘Motorwagen’ for the first ‘mountain road race’ at the Königstuhl. The race near Heidelberg organised by the Rheinischer Automobilclub is thought to have been the first in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region and one of the very first German hill climb races.

The 5 hp Opel vehicle was characterised above all by its light weight: the mudguards, running boards, lights and trim had been removed. Whether consciously or unconsciously – aerodynamic insights would not influence car design until much later – the Rüsselsheim-based carmakers reduced air resistance using leather side skirts and a taut knee cover extending from the flat front end to the top of the seats. All this paid off: Heinrich Opel completed the 4.5-kilometre mountain route – with a 450-metre elevation gain and sections with gradients of up to 16 per cent – in 23 minutes in the optimised ‘Motorwagen’, thereby leaving his competitors far behind.

The motor car’s reliability was particularly impressive – not just during the race. Unlike today, when racing cars are transported to the circuit, Heinrich Opel already made the journey to and from the event in his own vehicle back in 1901. He covered the 180-kilometre route in just four hours, achieving an average speed of 45 km/h which was an outstanding average speed in those days.

No coincidence, but skill: Further Opel victories to follow in the ‘early years’

The Opel brothers quickly recognised the potential of motorsports. Success not only boosted the image of the young brand and its products; the development work also had a positive impact on the reliability of the entire range of cars. And Opel proved the following year that this initial success was no fluke. A new partnership with the French manufacturer Alexandre Darracq gave the Opel team a fresh boost. The newly developed Opel-Darracq motor car was in a league of its own. At the second hill climb race on the Königstuhl on October 26, 1902, Heinrich Opel crossed the finish line in just 10 minutes and 15 seconds – more than four minutes ahead of the next fastest competitor.

The winning streak continued: in the following years, Opel secured further podium finishes with its racing cars. And in 1921, the Rüsselsheim-based team made history at Berlin’s AVUS. More than 200,000 people came to the opening race on the legendary city circuit. Fritz von Opel set off in a fiery red Opel 8/25 hp racing car. To the cheers of the crowd, he fought his way forward lap after lap. In the end, he left his competitors far behind and won after seven laps with a time of 1:04:23 hours, corresponding to an average speed of 128.84 kilometres per hour.

Highlights: European and World Rally Championships and ITC Championship

These ‘early years’ marked the beginning of Opel’s long motorsport tradition, which reached its peak in the 1970s to 1990s. Speaking of rallying: as early as 1966, the Swede Lille-Bror Nasenius won the European Rally Championship for production touring cars in an Opel Rekord B, securing one of Opel’s first major international rally titles. The brand’s rallying history is inextricably linked with the name Walter Röhrl. In 1973, Röhrl and Jochen Berger finished as European vice-champions in an Opel Ascona. In 1974, the duo then dominated the European Rally Championship with six overall victories and 120 points – the highest points total ever achieved at that time – and were crowned European Drivers’ Champions with three rounds still to go. The 1974 European Championship title marked the start of a further rallying career for Röhrl and Opel, which, together with his co-driver Christian Geistdörfer, culminated in the 1982 World Rally Championship title in a 191 kW (260 hp) Ascona 400.

Opel went on to enjoy great success on the circuit as well. In 1996, Manuel Reuter and Opel secured victory in the International Touring Car Championship (ITC) with the legendary ‘Cliff’ Calibra, a 500 hp 2.5-litre V6 racing car. In 2003, the team comprising Reuter, Timo Scheider, Marcel Tiemann and the then head of motorsport Volker Strycek clinched a thrilling victory in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring in an Opel Astra V8 Coupé.

And today? The future of motorsport is electric, but no less thrilling. Opel has been demonstrating for the past five years in the world’s first electric rally one-make cup that fully electric and therefore locally emissions-free rallying offers just as much excitement – and the brand will soon be doing so for the first time in the Formula E World Championship as well.

Finetuning on the Nürburgring: New Opel Corsa GSE Undergoes Final Testing

• Special attention: GSE-specific chassis put through its paces
• Hot hatch: New Opel Corsa GSE promises thrilling, fully-electric performance
• Show premiere: Newcomer to be on display at Paris Motor Show

After recently announcing the arrival of the new Opel Corsa GSE later this year, the brand with the Blitz is putting the all-electric hot hatch through its paces. The newcomer was recently tested on the legendary Nürburgring with special attention being paid to the fine-tuning of the chassis.

The Nürburgring in the Eifel region of Rhineland-Palatinate has made a name for itself as one of the most beautiful and challenging racetracks in the world. It is therefore no surprise that Opel saw it as the ideal place to apply the final tweaks to the new Opel Corsa GSE before it goes into serial production later this year.

“The Opel Corsa GSE will be the next addition to the GSE family. We want everybody to enjoy fully-electric hot hatchback performance and exciting driving dynamics. That’s why we specifically travelled to the Nürburgring to put the final touches on the set-up. I am sure that everybody will enjoy the locally emissions-free driving pleasure it will offer,” said Marcus Lott, Member of the Opel Executive Committee and Senior Vice President Stellantis Lead Engineering Central Europe.

As can be expected from a performance model, the Opel Corsa GSE will come with a sport chassis with specific throttle, steering and ESC tuning matching its power output. While at the Nürburgring, the team focused on the fine-tuning of precisely these elements to ensure the perfect set-up of the series production vehicle which will then be the most powerful series Corsa ever built.

Elsewhere, the all-electric high-performance variant of Germany's most popular small car will celebrate its show premiere at this year’s Paris Motor Show (October 12 to 18). With its electrifying design details, it will stand out from the crowd. And, of course, it will also deliver on this claim with thrilling performance on the road – tested on the Nürburgring. So, stay tuned – more detailed information will follow soon.