Frequently Asked Questions about Classic Opel

Who founded Opel and when?

Adam Opel founded the company in 1862 in Rüsselsheim, Germany, where he built his first sewing machine, and the marque still carries his surname. The firm later added bicycles. Adam Opel died in 1895 and never saw an Opel automobile. His widow Sophie and their sons took the business into car making in 1899 with the Opel Patent-Motorwagen System Lutzmann, built in partnership with Friedrich Lutzmann of Dessau.

Is Opel owned by General Motors?

Opel is no longer owned by General Motors and has been part of Stellantis since January 16, 2021. GM bought 80 percent of Opel in 1929 and the remaining 20 percent in 1931, then owned it until 2017. That year GM sold Opel and its British sister brand Vauxhall to France's PSA Group, in a deal agreed in March and completed in August. PSA then merged with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to form Stellantis.

Where were Opel cars built?

Opel's home plant is in Rüsselsheim, Germany, the town where the company was founded in 1862 and where it is still headquartered. A second large factory opened in Bochum in 1962, with the Kadett as its first product, and that plant later carried out final assembly of the Opel GT. The Bochum plant closed in December 2014.

Were Opel cars sold in the United States?

Yes, Opel cars were sold in the United States under their own name from 1958 to 1975, through Buick dealers, as captive imports from General Motors' German subsidiary. The Olympia Rekord came first, followed by the Kadett in 1964, then the GT and the Manta coupe. Imports of European-built Opels ended in 1975 as the Deutsche mark strengthened, and from 1976 Buick dealers sold an Isuzu-built car as the Opel by Isuzu.

When was the Opel GT made and where was it built?

The Opel GT was produced from 1968 to 1973. It was first shown as a styling study at the 1965 Frankfurt motor show and was designed by Opel stylist Erhard Schnell. The French firms Chausson and Brissonneau & Lotz supplied the steel bodies, which were shipped to Opel's Bochum plant in Germany for final assembly. Total production was 103,463 cars, and about 70 percent went to American buyers.

What was the Opel Olympia known for?

The Opel Olympia, introduced at the Berlin Motor Show in 1935, was the first German mass-produced car with a self-supporting all-steel body. Instead of bolting a body to a separate chassis frame, Opel made the steel shell itself the structure, which made the car lighter than the frame-built model it replaced.

What were the Opel RAK rocket cars?

The Opel RAK cars were rocket-propelled experimental vehicles that Opel demonstrated in 1928. Fritz von Opel, a grandson of founder Adam Opel, took up the idea from Max Valier and worked with pyrotechnics engineer Friedrich Sander. RAK 1 reached 100 km/h in eight seconds at Rüsselsheim on April 11, 1928. On May 23, 1928, von Opel drove RAK 2, powered by 24 rockets, to 238 km/h (about 148 mph) on the Avus track in Berlin.

What does the Opel lightning bolt logo mean?

The Opel lightning bolt stands for Blitz, the German word for lightning. Opel first used Blitz as a model name on its bicycles, and in 1930 the name won a nationwide competition to name a new Opel truck. Opel cars carried a stylized Zeppelin emblem from 1934, and since autumn 1963 Opel passenger cars have worn the lightning bolt in a circle.