About the Opel brand

General Information

Adam Opel AG is a German automobile manufacturer owned by General Motors. The company produces passenger cars, minibuses, and minivans. Its headquarters are located in Rüsselsheim, Germany.

Corporate History

The company was founded in 1898 by the five Opel brothers and named after their father Adam Opel, who owned a sewing machine and bicycle factory. After their father's death, the sons began producing cars using chassis and engines from the French company Darracq.

The first original Opel model — the two-cylinder "10/12PS" — appeared in 1902. It was followed by the "12/14" model. In 1903, the "20/24PS" was released, and in 1905, the company began producing higher-class cars.

The Opel brothers gained recognition in Germany through mass production, but in 1911, their factory was destroyed by fire. Restoration and installation of modern equipment gave the company an advantage over competitors. Opel plants were the first in Europe to introduce an assembly line. In 1913, the company began producing trucks.

The Opel Laubfrosch model, nicknamed "tree frog" due to its bright green color, resembled the Citroen 5 CV externally but sold better thanks to a well-thought-out sales strategy through its own network.

In 1916, a prototype of the first Opel with a 6-cylinder engine was created. In the early 1920s, the "8/25" model with a 2-liter engine gained wide recognition. Based on it, more powerful versions "10/35" and "14/38" with 4-cylinder engines up to 3430 cc were produced. In 1924, the first assembly line began operating, assembling the Laubfrosh, identical to the Citroen 5CV.

Due to post-war inflation, the Opel brothers went bankrupt and in the late 1920s transferred the company to the American concern General Motors. With the help of overseas partners, Opel became the largest automobile manufacturer in Europe, focusing on small and mid-size cars. The design of the cars retained typically European features of early models such as the Opel Olympia and Opel Kadett — these compact cars became symbols of their time.

In 1928, the sports car Rak-2 was introduced, a modified version of which accelerated to 220 km/h. That same year, Opel became part of General Motors.

In 1934, the Olympia model was released — the first mass-produced car with a unibody. From 1935, production of the highly successful Kadett model began. In 1937, the flagship Admiral with a 6-cylinder engine of 3626 cc appeared. In 1938, the company introduced the mid-size sedan Kapitan with a unibody.

During the Nazi period, Opel plants were effectively confiscated from General Motors and became state property. After Germany's defeat in World War II, most of the production base was taken to the USSR: it formed the basis for the equipment of the Moscow Small Car Plant (later AZLK), and part went to GAZ. Despite this, Opel quickly restored and exceeded pre-war production volumes. In 1947, production of the Olympia model resumed, and in 1948, the modernized Kapitan.

The 1953 Opel Rekord led sales in West Germany for a decade. In 1959, the Rekord began production with a new 4-door sedan body, and a month later the Opel-1200 appeared. At the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1965, the Opel GT sports car prototype with a coupe body was presented — it was a response to growing demand for expensive cars.

From 1969, the Kapitan, Admiral, and Diplomat models were equipped with fuel injection engines. In the 1970s, the Opel Manta sports coupe appeared. From 1982, production of the compact Corsa model began. In 1986, the Omega family with classic layout was introduced. In 1987, the Senator model was presented, becoming the flagship of the lineup. In 1988, the similar Vectra model was released.

In the 1990s, the model range was completely revised and expanded. The central place in the production program was taken by the Astra model, replacing the Kadett line. Starting in 2000, Opel continued to update its models and production facilities. The company launched an unprecedented number of new models, including the microvan Agila, the Speedster roadster, a new generation of Corsa and Astra Coupe. These cars were equipped with navigation systems and mobile telecommunications. In 2000, construction began on a new modern automobile plant in Rüsselsheim. Also presented were the two-seat sports car Speedster, the fuel cell concept car Zafira HydroGen1, and the engineering project Zafira CNG, running on compressed natural gas.