- Flagships at the Opel stand: From 1937 Admiral to the new Insignia
- Center of classic car world: Techno Classica in Essen from April 5 to 11
- Joint effort: Opel Classic and Alt Opel IG share exhibition stand
Opel flagships at Techno Classica: From Opel Admiral to All-New Opel Insignia Grand Sport. |
Eight decades of “Big Opels”: Legendary 1937 Opel Admiral and All-New Opel Insignia Grand Sport. |
From 1937 to 2017: From the Opel Admiral to the new Opel Insignia Grand Sport
The large Opel cars can look forward to enjoying the limelight at the
Techno Classica in Essen – just like they did in Rüsselsheim 80 years
ago. To mark the 75th anniversary of the Adam Opel AG on
February 17, 1937 the company presented two visionary newcomers: The
Admiral and the Super 6. Both cars were equipped with modern engine
technology. Inline sixes with displacements of 3.6 and 2.5 liters and 75
hp and 55 hp respectively. The Admiral was the first member in a line
of luxurious models that continued for 40 years. The Super 6 paved the
way for the popular 1938 Kapitän.
Ten years later the first post-WWII Kapitän left the plant and the
economic miracle saw it rise meteorically. The Opel Kapitän was one of the
bestselling six cylinders in Germany and became an international
bestseller with 60 percent of all Kapitäns being exported. The Kapitän
built on November 9, 1956, and on display in Essen plays a special part
in the success story. As the two millionth Opel ever built, its roof was
painted in gold and it also sports 24-carat gold plated decorative
elements. Opel was the first German and European carmaker to surpass the
two-million mark.
The Opel upper class was completely overhauled in 1964. The “Big Three” were called Kapitän, Admiral and Diplomat and for the first time in its history Opel offered V8 engines. The ranking order in the premium class was determined by equipment and engine size. The Kapitän and Admiral initially came with Opel’s proven 100 hp, 2.6 liter six-cylinder engine, whereas the Diplomat’s engine was sourced from the United States. The flagship of the KAD series featured a 4.6 liter V8 with 190 hp. As of the spring of 1965 both the Kapitän and the Admiral could optionally be ordered with the 4.6 liter V8 engine and automatic transmission used in the Diplomat. To this very day the Kapitän and Admiral V8s are models with a special status: Only 113 units of the Kapitän and 622 units of the Admiral were built.
The members of the second KAD range were completely overhauled from
1969 – and grew in all areas. The Kapitän once again represented the
entry-level KAD model. Its 2.8 liter inline six delivered 132 hp. Above
it, sat the comfortable Admiral that delivered 145 hp at the 2800 S
variant and 165 hp as the Admiral 2800 E. The top-of-the-line engine was
the 5.4 liter V8 with 230 hp that came as standard in the Diplomat.
40 years after the Admiral made its debut, the company brought
another new big Opel to market. From 1977, the Senator was the spearhead
of the model portfolio. The Senator and its coupé sibling the Monza
were the first Opel cars with independentl rear suspension and
space-saving mini-block coil springs.
Another four decades down the line, eighty years after the Admiral,
the time has come for another major debut: The new Opel Insignia Grand
Sport will make its first home appearance at the Techno Classica.
The all-new Opel Insignia is in extremely good shape. It has the
sporty elegance of a large coupé, its completely new architecture makes
it uncompromisingly spacious and truly fun to drive, and it offers
exemplary safety and comfort features just as a true flagship should.
Not only does the second-generation Insignia impress with its
breathtaking lines on the outside and great wellness atmosphere on the
inside, it also provides the widest range of intelligent technologies
reaching from the trendsetting Opel IntelliLux LED Matrix
headlights and the very sophisticated all-wheel drive system with torque
vectoring to ultra-modern driver assistance systems and a refined head
up display. In addition, the Insignia comes with Opel-typical
first-class connectivity with smartphone integration which now offers a
new Opel OnStar feature – the Personal Assistant which allows Opel Insignia
occupants to book hotel rooms[1] and search for parking[2]
via an OnStar Advisor. Overall, the new Opel Insignia wows with high agility
and driving precision, more space and a superb price-performance ratio
that now more than ever make it a contender to be reckoned with, even
for premium brand models.
[1] Via booking.com. E-mail address and credit card required.
[2] Via Parkopedia
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