(Updated 1/28/2026) A wide and wild variety of car models, body styles, engines and colors. That’s what you get when visiting a classic Opel car show, even in the parking lot behind the main event. All Kadett generations have already took the stage in my previous article, so here’s the rest of the ol’ Rüsselheimers.
1977 Manta B 1.9 S with some extra body parts.
1984 Corsa A 1.2 S. The Corsa was introduced in 1982 and competed with the Ford Fiesta, VW Polo, Renault 5, Peugeot 205, and the like.
1972 Admiral B, 1969-1977 second generation Big Opel KAD-series, as in Kapitän-Admiral-Diplomat. The Diplomat B, the series’ top model, was easily recognizable by its vertical headlights. And by the sound when it had the optional Chevy 327 under its hood.
1979 Commodore C 2.5 S. It appears to be a daily driver, or at least a frequent one.
1983 Manta B “i200”. This must be a replica/tribute, as the i200 by tuning house Irmscher was introduced in 1984. According to its registration, it does have a 125 DIN-hp 2.0 liter engine though, just like the real McCoy.
1968 Commodore A GS. Sehr Schön!
1977 Diplomat B. In July 1976, the Admiral with its 2.8 liter inline-six was renamed Diplomat. It kept the Admiral’s face with the horizontal headlights though, as seen here.
1970 Manta A.
1974 Chevrolet Vega Ascona A two-door wagon with a 2.0 liter engine.
1982 Commodore C 2.5 E wagon. First owner car!
1969 GT, the mini Corvette.
1999 Corsa B, 1.6 liter engine.
1971 Manta A.
1962 Kapitän De Luxe (P 2.6 series).
1976 Manta B 1.9 S Automatic.
1991 Corsa A 1.6 GSi, 98 DIN-hp, Opel’s little hot hatch in those days.
1981 Rekord E1 2.0 S. This fine example -a trailer queen it ain’t- has the hood of a Rekord diesel (the diesels were OHC designs, so they were taller) and possibly also its right front fender…
1996 Combo B, a panel van clearly based on the Corsa B. Unsurprisingly, the current Combo is a rebadged PSA product.
1982 Monza A2 3.0 E. From 1978 to 1986, the Monza was the coupe version of the contemporary Senator four-door sedan, based on the Rekord E.
1973 Manta A.
1985 Corsa A 1.0 S.
1995 Calibra 2.0 i 16v. The front-wheel drive Calibra was offered from 1989 to 1997 and was based on the Vectra A (introduced in 1988). The top model was the all-wheel drive Calibra 2.0 i 16v Turbo (204 DIN-hp) with a six speed manual transmission.
1965 Kapitän A (1964-1968 first gen KAD-series).
1958 Olympia Rekord, P1-series.
1985 Monza A2 GSE (3.0 liter CIH inline-six, fuel injection, 180 DIN-hp).
1955 Kapitän. The Kapitän model name goes back to 1938.
1963 Rekord A, the starting point of the Rekord A to E2-series from 1963 to 1986.
And that’s the back end of this event. Classic Opel shows always deliver!
Previous reports:
Car Show Outtake: 1976 Opel Commodore B Coupe GS/E – My CC Holy Grail From Rüsselsheim
Car Show Classics: Opel Kadett A to E – A Pictorial Overview Of All Generations
After spending time driving various VW Beetles, Chevy Vegas and Ford Pintos, the ’71 Buick/Opel Manta/1900 coupe was a revelation!
Chair height seats, tall greenhouse, a 4 cylinder engine that never shook, groaned or vibrated, a smooth shifting 4 speed manual transmission, a usable back seat and trunk with performance and handling that was darn close to the much more expensive BMW 2002.
The upscale cloth/corduroy interior for the 1973 model was gorgeous & comfortable, if unfortunately delicate.
The Bosch fuel injection unit added to the last year in America 1975 model made it the Reference Standard for 4 cylinder powertrains.
I’d love to find a “Time Capsule” one of these enjoyable cars.
Always fascinating how one’s mileage varies. I know that the Manta engine you mention was quite well-regarded in Europe.
But it came to Oz in a few sizes, fitted to different models of the local Holden Torana from the late ’60’s into the ’70’s, and was universally disliked for being rough, noisy, thirsty and lacking power.
And in its biggest size here, that very 1900, I can confirm that it was all of those things, as I used to ride in one that friends had one in my teen years. They couldn’t wait to get rid of it. I should add that it was fitted to a car (’77 Torana) about the size of a Vega, which was a porky (for then) 2600lbs+, but that still doesn’t account for the discrepancy in NVH perceptions. As I say, fascinating.
As an Opel fan, this has been a gift, Johannes!
That ’81 Rekord E 2.0 (almost equal to the one my father bought, 2 years old in ’81) might even have a 2.1 or 2.3 diesel engine installed, which would require as you say a donor “nosed” hood. At least that happened very often here in Uruguay. Even though you could get a 2.3D when they were new, after a few years many owners would swap their gas engines for whatever was available, a 2.3D Opel, or a 220D/240D Mercedes, even a 300D….and a few years later, Toyota, Nissan, Isuzu, all diesels and generally underpowered. Nonetheless, the standard 2.0, 100hp gas engine was very slow, so the 65 hp or so 2.3D was not terribly slower in those days when its main competitor for the taxicab trade was the W123 240D with similar power but incomparable in terms of engine noise.
Thanks Rafael. The 1981 Rekord has a gasoline engine alright. If there had been a diesel engine swap at some point, it would have gone through the official authorities for an inspection and a “re-registration” as a diesel car (and consequently, a subtantially higher road tax).
So many car we didnt get and several we did with minor styling revisions badged Vauxhall and Holden the 64 Kapitan being the first of the Opel designs to become Australias own as the HD Holden, and that 63 Rekord shows a lot of FC Vauxhall Victor of course in the 80s it was blatantly obvious but earlier at least down under GM badge Holden did a few alterations and Vauxhall was mostly gone so the punters didnt notice.
The new Corsa is a modified Peugeot 206 with a different feel according to a roadtest I read how they did that was unclear but its been done before when BMW turned it into the new Mini so anything is possible.
Bryce, you must mean the latest generation of the Peugeot 208:
The current Corsa, the Corsa F, was introduced last year. It rides on PSA’s EMP1 platform, just like the Peugeot 208 (of course). Both the 208 and the Corsa are available as full EVs, by the way.
Opel Corsa 2026 (Image: Stellantis):
Opel Overdose!! I’m comatose!
Those Mantas are really talking to me; such a clean, timeless design.
Always loved the big Opels; those ’50s Kapitans were popular as taxis in Innsbruck at the time. Taxis were rather expensive, and they were always nice.big roomy cars, like the ’50 Olds we hired for some special family outings.
That ’65 Kapitan is the closest thing to a stripper big Opel; the Biscayne of Opels.
Thanks for this heavy dose; I’ll try to digest it over the day.
Once Again, Paul and I agree on a car! (1900/Manta)
“Great (automotive) Minds Think Alike”
🙂
Yep, it was a pleasant surprise to see a good number of big Opels!
That first generation Corsa brings back great memories. I travelled around Northern Europe, including Italy down to Florence, in a rented Corsa 1.2 in 1984 with two friends. It carried three adult males plus our luggage including camping gear, over Alpine passes, through Paris traffic and tiny Tuscan hill towns, and on the Autobahn at maximum speed without complaint. It’s small size was handy when I took it across The Channel and drove many miles in the UK from the “wrong” side. Among the three of us we had owned two 2nd gen Civics and a Fiesta, and the Opel compared very well though a bit down on low-end power compared to our 1500/1600 cc cars.
Just for fun, I checked. Throughout the years, the Corsa A was offered with 1.0, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 and 1.6 liter gasoline engines. Ranging from 45 to 100 DIN-hp. Fuel injection was available from September 1985 onwards (the first was the 1.3 i).
And there was the 1.5 liter diesel, either naturally aspirated or turbocharged.
Thanks for the post and all the great photos! We Americans need to be reminded occasionally just how well GM could execute outside the confines of the US. Or perhaps the unobtanium nature of some of these models is appealing to us. I think GM did Opel a disservice by marketing them as Buick Opels in the early days; that seemed like an oxymoron when Buick was still an aspirational brand. By the time the 1900 Kadett and then Ascona/Manta got the attention of the buff book readers, it was too late and the Isuzu branding killed it off (perception, not reality).
Thank you, fine photos! My favorites are the silver Manta A and the blue Ascona A wagon, brings back fond memories of my (yellow) 1975 “Sportswagon”. The blue shade on the depicted 1974 wagon is almost identical to silk blue of my 2015 VW “Sportwagen”.
A small (100 cc) correction: the depicted 1974 would have the 1.9 L CIH engine, unless the owner retrofitted a later 2.0. When my sister lived in Germany years ago, she had a yellow Manta B with the 2.0 engine, quick and a fine handler in its day. But she is a university graduate … for those who know Manta jokes.
Correct, must be a retrofit. Displacement 1,979 cc according to its registration, like in the Ascona B/Manta B.
I’ll take that gold Commodore A GS please. The Monza and Mantas are great too.
GM on high. You could sell nearly any of this collection on looks alone. In at least one case, they kind-of did too, the Corsa B. Sold here as a Holden Barina, they weren’t great to drive – the gearbag sliding down from “not great” to “poor” – but they looked really good, in and out, and sold well on that basis for their entire world lifespan. I always remember the base model had 33 kw (44 hp), just outrageous in 1994.
Is the black one the 1.6 Lotus-headed GSi? I very nearly bought one, as it had 78KW (110 hp), and was a flying hoot to drive. Alas, after one weekend, I realized I couldn’t live with the horrid, jerk-prone gearbox, nor the rock-hard ride, nor, in the end, that sweet but crazy engine that had nothing at all until 4,000 rpm (though great force from there to 7,000) for use in real-world commuting.
Great photos, Mr D. The V8 Admiral for me, please.
Beautiful post Sir. I would love to have any of the rear drivers pictured. That Ascona wagon is a beauty.
Great post Johannes. I never new the Diplomat could be had with a Chevy 327. Must have made it pretty quick… Jim.
Both the Diplomat A and B were available with the 327. Initially, the V8 in the A was the 283.
Short video of a B – 327:
I’m a fan of those Opels, I like the robust and humble style of them, specially the Admirals, Diplomat and Käpitan. It’s interesting the resemblance among the three Monzas from GM.
I’ll take the ’65 Kapitan or the ’68 Commodore, or maybe the Opel GT…or a lot of them, actually. Opel styling was pretty good for decades. The ’62 Kapitan has a bit of a Fintail Mercedes vibe from the rear 3/4 view.
I was just watching Ingmar Bergman’s “Winter Light” the other day, and I had to look up the preacher’s car; I thought it was an Opel, and it was…a ’56 Kapitan. I noticed a lot of Oldsmobile in that one.
Nice pictures, I still remember many cars from the 70s abd 80s even if some of them were not very common in Spain.
What about Opel Kadetts? There were very common in the 80s
Just click on the third link at the bottom of the article.
Thanks. I was surprise because the Kadett was to Opel like the Golf to VW.
Johannes, thanks for this great post! I’ve been an Opel enthusiast since the early 70s, having owned a 72 GT and two 74 Manta As. I still have one of the 74 Mantas, and it has been fully restored back to being a great runner. I remember being frustrated that we didn’t get the Manta B in the US – instead we got the much less satisfying Opel/Isuzu. I love seeing so many RWD Opels from the 60s through the 80s. Lots of great styling!
Mike, that’s a mighty fine first gen Manta!
So many good looking small cars there ! .
Hard to choose, I wish the Buick Division had tried harder in the 50’s & 60’s as those are the most pleasing to my eye .
-Nate
Good looking group here! Between the composite headlights well before the US could get them, and the clean body lines, many of these look ahead of their time.
A fantastic gallery. I’ve been married to Volvo cars for many years – but Opel was my first great love. They looked amazing back then.
Allow me to point out that hardly any of the vehicles shown are in original condition. The green GT and the white Manta A (apparently a base model) seem to be the exceptions.
My Buick Division Daddy was able to hold on to an Opel GT in the same green/tan colors seen here for quite a while, what a head turner. I’ll take the GT shape over the contemporary C3 Corvette everyone mistook it for every time.
Quite a collection of interesting vehicles. Living in Canada I don’t have much experience with Opels, as we got Vauxhalls instead. In the 70s I went to India with a friend and we stayed with his family. At that time imported cars were rare and very expensive. One of his uncles had an Opel Kapitan, which was either a P1 or a P2. I did have a ride in it, but I don’t remember any details. In any case it was probably not stock by then, as parts would have not been available. It certainly ply stood out among the Hindustan Ambassadors.