Opel

To study Opel industry history one should turn to its founder Adam Opel. Adam Opel was born on May 9, 1837 in Russelsheim. He studied with his father (a locksmith) till the age of 20, when he went to work as an apprentice locksmith to Belgium, in Liege, Brussels, and Paris. While in Paris (1858), Adam saw the latest wonder of engineering greatly impressed him: the sewing machine. In 1859, he went to work for a maker of sewing machines to get a closer look. When returned (1862) he rented his uncle’s cow stall and started a sew machines production.

In 1867 Adam built a new two story factory near the railroad station. He attached a new home to his factory and married (1868) the daughter of a well-to-do family Sophie Marie Scheller who afterwards helped him finish the plant. The craftsman business succeeded. Sophie gave birth to five sons: Carl, Wilhelm, Heinrich, Friedrich and Ludwig. Couple of years later the production volume went up to 8,000 units/year some parts of which to be exported abroad. In the 1880's sewing machine production was increasing with more than a half million machines produced by 1899. Five sons helped Adam manage the business. At odd moments the workshop produced bicycles.

The Opel bicycles became a popular brand name in Europe due to the sons’ keenness on racing. During their sport life Carl had won 60 European grand prix, Wilhelm - 70, Heinrich-150, Fritz-180, and Ludwig -100 prices.


In 1893 Wilhelm Opel went to the USA to unveil their production articles to the Auto Show in Chicago. By 1894 the Opel Company had produced 2000 bicycles/year. In 1895 Adam Opel died from typhus succeeding the business to his family and marking finishing of the initial and basic stage in Opel history. The company was managed by his widow Sophie holding the primary interest and his two eldest sons with lesser shares. By the end of the century Opel factory employed 600 workers. Sewing machines and bicycles were in great demand however the brothers started to look for a partner for producing cars on their factory in Rüsselsheim. The German famous manufacturers Benz and Daimler rejected the offer of cooperation.

In 1899 the brothers turned to Friedrich Lutzmann from Dessau owning “Anhaltische Motorwagenfabrik” to form a joint automotive manufacturing in Anhalt, Germany. The Opel brothers worked for two years in partnership with Lutzmann building up the production of automobiles in Rüsselsheim. Together they produced their first model called Opel-Luftzmann (1899). By 1901 65 cars had been produced in the factories. The car production was doing badly with sales of 11 vehicles only. In 1901 the Opel separated from Lutzmann. When visiting the Nuremberg Motor Show the brothers exposed the Opel production shortcomings and signed a new contract with Alexandre Darracq. The Opel was licensed to produce vehicles for 7 years. Jointly, in 1902 they began producing French Darracq models and selling them under the brand name "Opel-Darracq". They were Opel bodies mounted on a Darracq platform and powered by a 1,1 lit 8 hp 2-cylinder engine. The first Opel motorcycle was built as well.

In 1902 the Opel produced its own automobile - Opel-Motorwagen 10/12 Tonneau The car had 2cyl, 2365cc 12 hp engine with a top speed of 30km/h. Later on the Company released "10/12 PS" which made its debut at the Hamburg Motor Show. The car had 1,8 lit 12 hp 1884cc engine accelerating the car up to 45km/h. "10/12 PS" was applied with the Opel R&D available from the cooperation with Darraqc. The year became a debut for the Opel sports activity. The Opel factory car team had won a lot of competitions. The triumph served as the Opel production advertisement.

In 1903 the Opel produced the first 4-cyl model "20/22PS". The car was successful and the company managed to sell 178 vehicles and 798 units in 1909. The Opel went on opening up a production of the upper class vehicles and released "35/40 PS" powered by 6,9 lit engine. In 1906 the Opel opened one more factory in Berlin.

By 1907, the year of the contract expiry with “Darraqc”, the Opel Company became very popular brand mark in German. The 1000th car released.
In 1910 the leading car manufacturers were “Benz” and “Mercedes” however the Opel made a “breakthrough” to the European markets due to its "4/8 PS" Doctorwagen. The car had 1029cc 8 hp S4 engine with a top speed 50km/h. “Doctorwagen” estimated at 3950DM was in great demand with doctors and lawyers. That was the first step to producing vehicles widely available for the average consumer.

In 1910 the car assembly method was modified and allowed to produce vehicles on various chassis. Sewing machine production reached its 1 million units in 1911 and was replaced by truck assembly. The Opel engines were used in Euler biplanes. 1-2 cylinder engines production was ceased- the Opel started producing 4-cyl engines only.
In 1912 the Company released the 10000th vehicle.

By 1914 the Opel had become the largest German manufacturer of motor vehicles. In 1914 the most powerful engine of that time was built by the Opel engineers. The model "260 PS" was powered by 12.0 4-cyl 16 valve engine. The first 6-cyl 4,7 lit engine was installed in the model "18/50 PS" (1918). Since 1918 the Opel has used electric headlights for its cars.

The new decade was a terrible ordeal for the company. The post War crisis badly hit the Opel car production. In the defeat Germany an automobile became a luxury and decreased in demand. Moreover the plant in Russelsheim was occupied by French troops. In the early 1920's the volume production fell down to 910 vehicles a year. To survive the crisis the company needed an inexpensive affordable car to create a high demand.

The Opel fixed upon Citroen that was simply copied. Opel 4/12 Laubforsch or "Tree Frog had 2.0 12 hp S4 with top speed of 72km/h. The resemblance was actually formal - Opel changed and modified some parts and the model, put on the production line. In 1924 the Opel invested one million gold marks in modification of the production process and became the first German car manufacturer to introduce a mass production assembly line. The first car produced with the new technology was the very two-seater Opel Laubfrosch (5). The car cost 4,500 marks but the price reduced to 1,990 marks within six years due to the assembly line and great demand.

In 1925 the Opel released "10/14" equipped with 2,6 lit engine and the more powerful cars "10/35" and "14/38" with 4-cyl engines as well as racing vehicles. In 1927 the manufacturer started producing comfortable models powered by 6-cyl engines. With a market share of 37.5 percent and 42,771 units sold, the Opel became the largest car manufacturer in Germany in 1928. In that time the Opel RAK rocket-propulsion program was at the limelight of public.

With Opel Rak (1928) the citizens of Berlin witnessed the car powered by 24 solid propellant rockets able accelerate up to 238 km/h. The Opel released a new model “Regent” equipped with 8-cyl 5972cc engine. The car features headlights mounted at the car fenders. Despite all modifications and innovations the actual state of affairs was fairly bad. Without war orders the Opel turned out to be on the verge of bankruptcy. The only thing to support the company was a corporate merger. The brothers Opel started secret negotiations with the General Motors Corporation (GM) about selling the Opel control stock. Wilhelm and Friedrich- the rest of the brothers -resolved to sell the company.

In March 1929 GM’s proclaimed to take over 80 per cent of the Opel for $26 mil. entitled to buy the rest part that was subsequently taken up in 1931. According to the agreement GM left the Opel its independence in all areas. At that time of the Opel history employed 13000 workers assembling 500 vehicles and 6000 bicycles a year.

In 1933 the Opel-GM released its first small displacement car 1.2L. The car equipped with 4-cyl 23 hp engine was very easy to drive and inexpensive (a definite advantage due to the Depression). The four-seat "1,2L" accelerated to 75km/h. The car had four versions and cost 2650 – 3300 PM. The total series production amounted to 29 000 vehicles. The modified version of "1,2L"- “P4” was released in 1934. The model (2 body door sedan, cabrio and special sedan) had been produced until 1938. The Opel production went up due to the cheap and simple cars.

In 1935 Germany became the second Europe’s largest car manufacturer. Moreover the Opel was the first to assemble all-metal body vehicles in Germany. That year the Opel put a truck plant (Blitz) into operation in Brandenburg. The plant volume production was 25000 trucks per year. The logo for trucks was a forked lightning. Subsequently the logo was applied for the following Opel models except the vehicles to be exported abroad. This year the company released over 100,000 vehicles a year. The figure includes 25,000 Blitz light duty trucks produced at the new plant in Brandenburg.

The same year the Opel history was marked by the legendary Opel Olympia that It was the first mass-produced German car to have an all-steel integral body and frame. For the first time the headlights were enclosed in body. The car had 26 hp 1288cc 4-cyl SV accelerating to 95km/h. Its small weight (865kg) and aerodynamics improved the performance and fuel consumption. Opel Olimpia total production amounted to 81 661 units within two years.

In 1936 the Opel sold its bicycle plant to NSU in Neckarsuim, which started making bicycles at about the same time as Opel. During this period, the production capacity for bicycles was steadily reduced in favor of the constantly rising demand for passenger cars. The Opel released the most compact car Opel Kadett. The Kadett was powered by 23 hp 1.4 lit S4 with a top speed of 100km/h.

Small displacement cars such as Opel Olimpia and Opel Kadett became a symbol of that time. Over 100000 units of Olympia and Kadett had been assembled before World War II. While the period the connection with GM had given it greater access to the world market. New bases were established in Japan, China, and various countries in South America. The Opel had also produced two 6-cyl engine vehicles Opel Super (1937), Opel Kapitan (1939) and Opel Admiral (1938).

Opel Kapitan became a very successful car. With a 2.5 liter 6-cyl engine, all-steel body, front independent suspension, hydraulic shock absorbers, hot water heating w/electric blower and central speedometer. 25,374 Kapitans had left the factory before W.W.II. Opel Admiral was equipped with 3.6 lit 6-cyl 75 hp and run at a maximal speed of 132 km/h. In 1939 the Nazi claimed the Opel to produce Opel-Blitz Autobus. Opel-Blitz Autobus, a command vehicle, had been produced as a truck in various versions throughout the War. Besides, the Opel opened up a production of landing gears, cockpits, bullet-proof fuel tanks and howitzers.

In 1940 the Opel produced the 1st mil vehicle. However the car production except army vehicles was ceased in October. Opel-mPI Kfz.15, four-wheel-drive trucks Blitz were produced in the plant in Brandenburg. In 1942 the General Motors referred the Opel to battle casualties with damage estimated at $34 980024. Moreover the Opel became A National Socialist Enterprise Model. In August 1944 Russelsheim was attacked and utterly ruined by the British Air Forces.

After the War Russelsheim was in the American occupation zone and the Opel plant in Brandenburg in the Soviet one. The greater part of the plant equipment and Opel Kadett technical documentation was removed to the Soviet Union with production started under the make Moscvitch (400/401). In 1950 the Moscvitch vehicles were exported to Finland and Belgium. In 1948 the General Motors Corporation assumed control of the Opel and resolved to resume small displacement cars manufacture. The plant reconstruction began in 1945 and shortly thereafter in 1946. That year the company released its first postwar 1,5-t Blitz trucks.

The Opel plant in Russelsheim had been completely restored by 1950. The first cars to be produced were successful prewar models Olympia and Captain. The revised versions performance differed from those of 1930’s. The new Captain (1951) was powered by 2473cc 6-cyl 55 hp engine accelerating to 126 km/h. By 1950, the annual production of the plant once again reached over 100,000 vehicles. In 1953 the Opel released Opel Record. The car with its "shark fish muzzle" had an aggressive look. Opel Record was inexpensive, roomy, fast and extremely durable. The Opel had assembled the 2nd mil vehicle by 1956. The production was duplicated along with a launch of the new plant for assembling bodies K 40. In June, 1958 the Opel produced Captain P. The car was 4.8 meters long, had a completely radical body style and two colored lacquer finish. By mid 1959 about 35,000 units had left the plant.


In 1962 the Opel launched a plant in Bochum and started assembling new Kadetts. The 100th anniversary was celebrated. In 1965 at the Motor Show in Frankfurt the company unveiled a concept of the sport car Opel GT Coupe. The 1st mil Kadett left the factory in Bochum. The same 1966 the company set up Dudenhofen Proving Ground in Germany and launched a new plant for utility production in Keiserslautern. A year later "Commodore" released. 1968 was marked by Opel GT appearance. In 1969 the Opel started equipping Captain, Admiral and Diplomat with direct-injection engines.

1970 year in Opel history started with Ascona production, 5 years later the model was deeply modified. The Opel automotive production volume exceeded 10 mil units. In 1972 the model “D”, subsequently the bestseller, made its debut in Geneva. The company became the German second largest automotive manufacturer with 20,4% share of the market. The sporty coupe “Opel Manta” was released. In 1977 the Opel unveiled Senator and Monza models.

In 80’s the company initiated several ecological projects some of which were applied in automotive manufacturing. The Opel was the first company to produce ecologically pure water- based paints. Over 500 mil DM were invested in building of new paint workshop in Rüsselsheim. In 1982 the company started building a new plant in Saragossa (Spain) for assembling a small displacement car Corsa. In 1983 the Opel produced the 20th mil vehicle. The asbestos-free clutch plates were included in standard kitting. In 1985 the Opel was the first manufacturer to unveil the model line-up fitted with catalytic converters. A year later the company unveiled Omega powered by a wide band of petrol and diesel engines with reduced exhaust.

In 1987 Omega became “a car of the year”. The Opel celebrates its 125th anniversary. The new paint workshop in Bochum set ecological standards of car painting. That year the company unveiled “Senator” leading the Opel model line-up. In 1988 the company released a model of the same type “Vectra” which set new standards of aerodynamics. In 1989 the Opel assembled the 25th mil “Omega Caravan”.

The company was the first to fit all petrol engines vehicles with a reserved catalytic converter in Germany.

In 90’s the Opel made a big success in enriching its line-up, in developing of new technologies and internationalization of the Opel industry. The Opel Technical Development Center in Russelsheim, Germany became the core for the GM international development strategy and the leading source of projects and technologies. The Opel made big investments in the European plants, new production facility around the world. The company is ready to open up new world markets. In 1992 the Opel plant in Eisenach (Germany) established a new set for the GM future production facilities. In 1993 The Opel Technical Development Center in Rüsselsheim was charged with drafting and manufacturing development outside the North America. In 1994 the Opel released the 30th mil vehicle. The FIFA Football World Cup in the U.S.A. is sponsored by the Opel.

The manufacturer replaced Cadet line with new Astra family. The compact coupe of the same type Tigra was released. In 1995 the Opel was the first German car manufacturer to launch an assembly plant in Poland. In 1997 the Opel and Bertone marked the 10-year partnership. During the period approximately 105.000 Opel vehicles were assembled at the Bertone plant in Turin (Italy). The Opel unveiled 6-8 seats estate Sintra. In 1999 the German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder and Prime Minister Hans Eichel met with the Company leadership to mark “100 Years of Opel Automobiles”

In 2000 the Opel built a new plant in Russelsheim. The foremost automobiles were unveiled. The company released a new generation of engines- ECOTEC- featuring a high power and a low level of the environment pollution. In 2001 Adam Opel AG and GM Europe announced about the restructuring program targeted to rehabilitating of positions in the world market and the brand reform with around 10 mil Euro to be invested in. All this resulted in producing of two new models – five-seat minivan Opel Meriva and Opel Signum. The company introduced the warrant of all production. “Astra” celebrated the 10th anniversary. From the production on, over 7 mil “Astra” automobiles had been sold in 90 countries.

In 2002 the Opel planned to release a new model version per half a year for the following five years. A new Vectra was launched at the ultra modern plant in Russelsheim. Corsa marked the 20th anniversary. During the period over 11 mil vehicles had been released.

Along with Agila microvan, Speedster roadster, Corsa and Astra Coupe new generations as well as Astra produced as Eco 4 - the first 4-lit compact class vehicles - and the third generated Corsa, the Opel launched new models equipped with navigation and mobile telecommunication systems. The company unveiled a two-seat mid engine sport car Speadster and Zafira Concept fitted with fuel cell Zafira "HydroGen1" with output power of 74kwt/ 100bhp, a maximum torque of 150Nm at 3800 revs and at a top speed of 172 km/h.

During the post war time the Opel released more than forty models. At present the Rüsselsheim plant produces around a quarter of the total German volume production the greater part of which to be exported.

A great number of automobiles sold by GM around the world are the posteriors of Corsa, Astra, Vectra and Omega. Some of the Opel models are sold under brand names Vauxhall in England, Holden in Australia, Chevrolet in Latin America and Subaru in Japan. "Adam Opel AG" is the first-rate GM branch outside the U.S. The company possesses engineering plants in Rüsselsheim, Bochom, Keiserslautern, Berlin, Antwerp (Belgium) and employed around 60000 workers.

Cars under Loutzky brandmark were constructed by the Russian engineer Boris Grigoryevich Loutzky. In 1897 he set up “Gesellschaft fuer Automobilwagenbau System Loutzky” automotive company in Berlin. His first cars were shown off at the Berlin Motor Show in 1899. These were light-duty vehicles with an engine under a driver seat. Loutzky engines had a mechanical drive of both exhaust and admission valves. Due to the fact a 0.62lit. 2 engines 5,5bhp was 50 percent more powerful compared to other analogues. The engines had a spherical combustion chamber and a two spark ignition.
Historians differ in their opinions according Loutzky activity: he’s considered a German engineer for one hand and his activity is depreciated in “Motorfahrzeuge und Motorenfabrik Berlin” for another. “Motorfahrzeuge und Motorenfabrik Berlin” had manufactured “Daimler- Marienfelde” and is regarded as one of the oldest Mercedes-Benz branch available. However that’s “Mercedes-Benz” historians who have left Loutzky out. Although that’s an undeniable fact the cars assembled by “Lessner” under “Mercedes-Benz” license in 1904 had a double brand name “Daimler- Loutzky”.