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| From Olympia to Monza - Opel in the United Kingdom |
|
That the export effort was a serious one is illustrated
by a 1937 Pride & Clark advert which listed 29 sub-dealers for the Opel
brand from Peterborough to Farnham. In a period of rising political tension
between Britain and Germany, Pride and Clark did not mention Opel’s German origins,
instead referring to the cars as a “Product of General Motors”. By 1937 the
crude P-4 had gone in favour of the 11.3 HP “Cadet” which had conveniently lost
a K and a t in translation from the German, an Olympia, a 2 litre 4-door saloon,
a 2.5 litre saloon and the featured “foursome drop head coupe” at £265. With
its teardrop headlamps and “waterfall” radiator grille it bore a strong family
When hostilities ceased, the Opel plants in Rüsselsheim and Brandenburg were in ruins and the devastation was compounded by the Russians moving the remains of the Berlin operation piecemeal to the Ural Mountains where the Kadett was put into production as the Moskvitch 400 model. This already unprepossessing pre-war design formed the backbone of Soviet car production until 1959! In 1947 car production resumed at Rüsselsheim and in 1948 GM was able to regain ownership of its severely impaired German operations. In the UK any Opels left after the war were orphaned in the sense that no official dealer network or sales operations remained. Vauxhall dealer Douglas Sharp remembers buying an Olympia, which had been left on bricks for the duration of the war, from a customer in 1948. “It was a very nice car with independent front suspension”, he recalls. It appears from later adverts in Motor and Autocar that a limited number of agents were appointed in the fifties as official repair and service outlets and small parcels of cars were imported on an ad hoc basis. In the sixties Opel developed right hand drive models for export to Africa and again small numbers were imported to the UK by specialists. But by the late sixties, Opel was ready for another full invasion of the UK market.
This
time they chose not to operate through a local concessionaire but established
a UK Opel “national sales company” with its headquarters at General Motors Limited,
Hendon and a parts department in King’s Langley. A network of dealers was gradually
recruited, including a number of Vauxhall dealers who “dualled” with the new
franchise, a development that Vauxhall seemed, initially at least, to accept
with good grace. One such, Ernest Tomkins, recalls that: “Vauxhall were OK about
it in those days. We saw the Opel range as a bit more upmarket than Vauxhall
and thought it would appeal to our largely retail customer base.” Later, it
1972 saw the launch
of the heavily revised four cylinder Rekord D, which was quickly joined by the
very attractive and potent six cylinder Commodores which shared the same body
structure. With their lower belt line and
By now the situation was plainly unsustainable, with
the two companies seemingly expending as much energy fighting each other as
the true opposition. With Vauxhall market share down to a low of 8.2%, the situation
was finally resolved at a meeting of the dealers of both franchises at the NEC
in 1981, when it was announced that the franchises were to merge under one organisation
based at Luton. Thus began the short life of the Vauxhall-Opel franchise, with
Back in the forests, something big was stirring. In
1977 Tony Fall left DOT to head a new Opel Motorsports Department in Rüsselsheim.
For the coming season the use of special cylinder heads for International Group
In the UK, the 1981 franchise merger also brought DTV
and DOT under one marketing umbrella. However, with contracts already in place
It was marvellous to see two of the works Manta 400s at Billing in 2005 and even the immaculately prepared ”Little Magic” put in a brief appearance, to the joy of many. © Ian Coomber 2006 Thanks go to the
following for helping with memories and quotes: |
Under General Motors ownership since 1929, Opel embarked
on a major new model programme in 1936 which included right hand drive models
for export. The distributor rights for London and the South East of England
were granted to major London car and motorcycle dealers, Pride & Clark of
Brixton. For the 1936 London Motor Show, they advertised the bargain-basement
12HP P-4 saloon or cabriolet, in “deluxe” form for export, which offered such
backward features as beam axles and a side valve engine. Priced to sell at £150
they were a bargain compared to the new for ‘36 12HP Olympia models at £175.
Although they shared the same primitive engine, the Olympia (named in honour
of the 1936 Berlin Olympics, but conveniently the 1936 London Motor Show was
also held in Olympia) had up-to-the-minute unitary body construction, although
the cabriolet version featured a roll top that opened up the whole car leaving
the body sides and windows in place. Unlike the P-4, the Olympia cabriolet cost
more than the saloon which might be explained by the amount of reinforcement
required to hold it all together. Also available were a series of 16HP models
which were topped off by a 7-seat limousine, with and without partition. It’s
interesting to note that Opel, who had access to the same General Motors “gene
pool” as Vauxhall throughout the thirties, were first with the unitary body
and independent front suspension, using the GM developed Dubonnet system, but
had no modern overhead valve engines in the range. By contrast Vauxhall had
employed overhead valves since the mid twenties with the sole exception of the
14-40 models.
resemblance to the Vauxhalls of the same period. In Germany the new Kadett was
positioned between the P-4 and the Olympia and shared the 1074cc side valve
unit. Styling was best described as functional and even at £135 it is hard to
envisage huge UK sales demand. But at least the Olympia was about to receive
an engine in keeping with its modern chassis, part of a whole new family of
overhead valve fours and sixes based on an 80mm bore. Both cylinder configurations
used an unusual four bearing crankshaft layout. The largest car advertised in
1937 was the 2.5 litre “Super Six” which introduced the new engine range to
the UK, but stylistically could best be described as “homely”. Any sales momentum
achieved by Opel in this period was swiftly interrupted by the outbreak of the
Second World War when GM executive William Knudsen memorably commented, “I have
to report with some regret that Mr. Hitler is the boss of our German factory”.
was a lot less harmonious as Opel dealers (and therefore Vauxhall dealers with
the Opel franchise) got the new T “world car” Kadett before Vauxhall started
production of its version, the Chevette. Vauxhall and now Opel dealer, Douglas
Sharp, soon learnt that it wasn’t wise to let the two manufacturer’s representatives
meet on his premises and kept them well apart! The rest of the new dealer recruits
ranged from large groups like the Midlands Co-op to relatively small, service
based operations.
The initial range of imports were right hand drive versions
of the Kadett B saloon and coupe, Ascona A, Manta A and a few of the larger
“coke bottle” styled Rekord Cs and Commodores. Also included was the “mini Corvette”
Opel GT, a beautiful coupe developed from a 1965 Frankfurt Show car using a
Kadett floor pan and available in left hand drive only. It featured flowing
curves with a kicked up rear lip to the “Kamm” style tail and pop up, or roll
over to be more precise, headlamps. Body production was carried out in France
and it certainly turned heads as well as being a nimble performer with the 1900cc
power unit. Former Opel sales manager Angus Thompson recalls that his company
car “was a bit of a handful in the wet”. 
The Kadett B was the staple Opel small car offering,
which up to 1973 paralleled the Vauxhall Viva models, albeit this was not obvious
to the untrained eye, as the common design ground was exclusively under the
skin. With a 1079cc engine it featured pleasant styling somewhere between the
“coke bottle” Viva HB and the flatter, wider, look of the HC. Assembled in a
new factory at Bochum it was a well built small car with lively performance.
The Ascona and its project “1450” platform sharing stable
mate, the Manta, were launched in 1971. The Manta had a hurried genesis as Opel
were forced to react to the Mustang-like Ford Capri which had taken the European
market by storm. Designed by a team under the “Chucks”, chief stylist Jordan
and chief engineer Chapman with Karl Brumm responsible for the chassis, it was
penned in record time. The Manta actually made it to market a few weeks before
its saloon sisters. Both fine cars, they used new Opel designed “cam-in-head”
engines which proved to be eminently suitable for motor sport and the Ascona
was soon being campaigned successfully in international rallies by the Scandinavian
Dealer Opel Team. The stylish Manta received a very favourable reception and
one car unique to the UK was the Broadspeed/Dealer Opel Team Manta Turbo. Turbocharging
was still a novelty in 1974 and just 28 cars were produced in black with silver
pinstriping by engine guru Ralph Broad and DOT. “They were just too expensive”,
observed Tomkins.
increased glass house the D models were even likened
by one journalist to a western gunslinger with his guns worn low on the waist!
In any event it was quite a departure for Opel in the style stakes, but inevitably
the expensive Rekord was a modest seller here, although the new 2100cc diesel
version was the first GM “oil burner” to be offered in the UK and found favour
with taxi companies and other big mileage users. Although not big sellers either,
the Commodores became famous in racing circles, particularly in coupe form.
Autocar observed that: “With its sporting appearance, the Opel Commodore Coupe
suggests a fast, responsive and
thoroughly enjoyable four-seater and on the road it
entirely lives up to expectations”. Egg crate grilles, pierced steel wheels,
cord upholstery and six cylinder engines certainly made for a sporty combination.
In GS/E form, equipped with a 2.8 litre fuel-injected engine, it was nothing
short of a road rocket with the handling to match.
In 1970, Opel had been given the responsibility for
engineering the new GM T model “world car” platform, GM’s first. Project “1865”
was launched as the Kadett C by Opel in 1973 and was immediately available in
saloon and coupe body styles, the old 1.0 and 1.2 litre engines being carried
forward. It would be two years before Vauxhall were able to launch the T based
Chevette, giving rise to the stresses between the two organisations already
noted. When it arrived, the Vauxhall version still retained its Vauxhall built
Viva engine (a mixed blessing, as the Opel unit was generally considered the
better one) and was further differentiated by Wayne Cherry’s droop snoot front
and the hatch back body style. But later, sheet metal was not only being shipped
from Rüsselsheim to Luton but vice versa as Opel launched the Kadett City hatchback
range (and Vauxhall added saloon Chevettes). But there was one body style, unique
to Opel that really set the pulse racing, the Kadett Coupe. With cooking engines
it was just a styling exercise, but the 1.9 litre injected GT/E model was a
serious performance car and although only available from the factory in left
hand drive a trickle of cars reached the UK. However it was to have a significant
impact in UK motor sport, of which more later. 
The next major launch
was in 1975 with the introduction of the heavily revised Ascona and Manta B
models. Mechanically they were near enough a carry-over design, but track was
increased and much emphasis given in the new bodies to passive safety via crumple
zones, collapsible steering columns and
petrol tank location. The Ascona was undoubtedly handsome
but the Manta was sensational! Initially a coupe with perfect proportions, it
was later joined by a practical but, many would say, less attractive hatchback
version, the CC (Combi Coupe). Manta engines were either 1.9 or 2.0 litre with
injection and once again motor sport beckoned.
By 1977 it was the turn of Rekord for a thorough revision.
A new, more aerodynamic, body was offered for the Rekord E and front suspension
featured MacPherson struts for the first time on an Opel. Diesel and “caravan”
(estate) versions continued to be offered, while engines were carry-over. With
an elongated nose to take a straight six, the Commodore was back in 1978 as
a C model, but in a more sedate, 2.5 litre injection, format. Excitement now
focussed further up the range when in 1978 the Senator saloon and Monza coupe
were introduced. In Germany Opel had always produced a top-of the-range model,
most recently the Chevrolet V-8 engined Diplomat. Not officially sold in the
UK they had prodigious performance in the American style but US sized thirst
to go with it. The new cars were designed with Europe specifically in mind.
Sharing the same floor plan they were elegant designs with good driving characteristics
courtesy of a semi-trailing arm rear suspension layout with MacPherson struts
at the front. For the UK the 180HP 3.0 litre injection straight six was fitted.
By now, the otherwise sensible plan by GM to “badge engineer” products for sale
as Vauxhalls and Opels, was causing obvious problems with differentiation in
the UK where both were offered by competing organisations. The Vauxhall versions
of the Ascona B (Cavalier Mark 1) and the Rekord (Carlton) both had the Wayne
Cherry droop snoot frontal treatment to give visual difference. With the Commodore
C no such major visual differences existed and the ill starred Vauxhall version,
the Viceroy, had to use a lower trim standard and a carburetted engine to distance
it from the Opel via pricing. So too with Senator and Monza, where the Vauxhall
Royales took the 140HP carburetted six while Opel had the “real thing”. This
artificial sharing out of the engineering goodies produced increasing stress
between the two organisations in the UK, compounded, it has to be said, when
dealers who experienced both, lauded the build quality of the German manufactured
products over those from Luton and Ellesmere Port. 
By 1979 it would be no exaggeration to say that a state
of war existed between Vauxhall and Opel in the UK. The last straw was the launch
of the first front wheel drive GM models, Atra and Kadett D. Designed in Germany
they were a radical departure from previous Opel practice. They also featured
the first of a new family of overhead cam engines, a 1.3 litre unit that significantly
out performed most rivals. The problem again rose from a lack of differentiation,
the only difference being the badging. And once again Opel were ready first.
There was no motor show at the NEC or Earl’s Court in 1979, so it fell to the
Scottish Show in the Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, to act as the first public viewing.
Vauxhall were not due to commence deliveries to customers until the following
April, so they intended to place one Astra on the stand as a focal point. Opel
put the Kadett on sale on the opening day of the show, forcing Vauxhall to put
a second car on the stand, potentially harming sales of the run-out Chevette.
the Opel “blitz” and yellow livery joining Vauxhall and GM to form a red, yellow
and blue corporate identity which was applied to dealer fascias and letter heads
alike. The dealer body was also rationalised, although in many cases, such as
in St. Albans, two dealers were appointed to sell the combined product range.
At first remaining dealers sold all products, but given the identical specification
of the volume lines this was abandoned before the launch of the J Cavalier.
A more sensible strategy of using the Vauxhall badge for the volume lines and
Opel for the sportier or luxury cars was soon adopted. 
Under this new regime
the Opel Manta was rationalised into a three model line-up and the Vauxhall
Viceroy and Royale models were dropped in favour of the better equipped 1982
Opel Senator range. These benefited from aerodynamic improvements, giving the
coupe an impressive Cd of just 0.35. The last iteration of the Monza, the 3
litre injected GSE, was a very fine car indeed with impressively long legs and
more than adequate handling. By 1984 this arrangement too was wound up when
the Senator was rebadged Vauxhall to allow fleet customers, who often operated
a “buy British badge” strategy, to add Senator to their employee choice lists.
The Monza soldiered on until 1987 and the Manta until 1988 as the last Opel
brand representatives in the UK.
Much reference has been made so far to Opel in UK motor
sport. In 1970 Opel dealers had taken a leaf out of their Scandinavian cousins’
book and formed the Dealer Opel Team (DOT), managed by former BMC works rally
driver, Tony Fall. Funded by a voluntary dealer contribution it commenced operations
with an Ascona A rally car driven by Fall. In 1974 new premises in Tong Park,
Yorkshire, were acquired and DOT became a commercial enterprise selling competition
cars, converting road cars, supplying tuning and body kits as well as preparing
and running the DOT team cars. For 1975 attention turned to the Kadett C GT/E
coupe fitted with the 1.9 litre injected engine. The GT/E was homologated for
International Group 4 competition and the black and yellow DOT “busy bee” driven
by Tony Pond was soon a potent force in UK rallying. To increase sales, DOT
converted a number of GT/Es to right hand drive with the help of Bradford University
Engineering Department. “It wasn’t very pretty, but it worked” observed DOT’s
John Nixey. The next iteration of the Kadett GT/E was a 2 litre injected model
which was homologated for Group 1 and therefore became eligible for production
car based classes and events. GHD502S, a DOT entered car driven by Brian Culcheth
in a distinctive white and yellow livery, rapidly became something of a giant
killer in the British International Rally Championship, winning its class on
every round in 1978 and earning itself the nickname “Little Magic”. 
On the race tracks
a number of privateer teams used the very effective Commodore GS/E models in
production car racing. Monorep prepared and ran Gerry Marshall’s own Marshall
Wingfield car in 1976 for saloon car legend Tony Lanfranchi and in the Tour
of Britain for Formula 1 ace Denny Hulme. This was followed by a Marshall and
Lanfranchi onslaught (DTV had stopped racing in 1977) in production saloon car
racing. In 1978 new sponsorship from Mayfair Magazine for Lanfranchi in the
Monorep car was certainly popular in the paddock, with scantily clad “pit crew”
much in evidence. DOT also ran a car for Radio 1 DJ Noel Edmunds which brought
huge publicity via his radio shows. With production car racing it
was
usual to purchase ex-demonstration cars from Opel at Stag Lane at advantageous
prices for conversion to race spec and it was on one such trip that Peter McKay
of Monorep was offered the Opel franchise! In 1979 hot rod and rallycross ace
Barry Lee joined DOT to give the team another dimension, while caravan racing
and rallying had been tried with mixed fortunes a few years earlier.
Many Opel dealers became involved in racing and rallying
outside of the official DOT framework: Monorep, Halleys of Milngavie, Boleyn,
Moorland Motors, Alec Lobb, McGill Automotive, Lylesland Garage, Bengry and
Drake & Fletcher to name just a few. Production saloon car attention then
turned to the new Monza with a young John Cleland driving alongside Marshall
and Lanfranchi in 1984.
2 homologation was banned, so Opel needed to find, or create, a car with an
advanced head design. The result was the Ascona 400, the name signifying the
number that had to be built for homologation. Its twin overhead cam, 16 valve
engine had first appeared as a display at the 1975 Frankfurt Show and it now
came into its own when enlarged to 2.4 litres, with help from UK engine specialists
Cosworth, and fitted to a specially modified Ascona.
for the coming season, nothing much changed on the Motorsport front for 18 months
and Chevettes HSRs and Ascona or, its successor, Manta 400s continued to go
head to head for rally honours. But in 1984 the Ascona/Manta 400 became the
front line weapon of choice under the new General Motors Dealer Sport banner
with Jimmy McRae, Russell Brookes and Irishman Bertie Fisher in the Rothmans,
AC Delco and Andrews Heat for Hire liveried cars.