The Astra in ‘Kult Yellow’, the ‘Green Monster’, the ‘Black Widow’ – in the pop-up exhibition, the many thousands of visitors to the ‘Open Day’ can get up close to iconic models. It’s a wonderfully colourful exhibition in which the Rüsselsheim-based brand shows which legendary Opel models have dominated the street scene over the past 125 years but are also currently shaping it – true to the motto “Forever forward since 1899”.

In addition to two dozen automobiles, there is also a bicycle on display – the yellow ZR III racing bike. This bicycle enabled the Rüsselsheim factory riders to dominate the cycling scene in the 1930s. “Yellow became the company’s first corporate colour back then – and it still stands for the brand with the Blitz today,” says brand designer Daniele Martini, who organised the pop-up exhibition together with the team around the head of Opel Classic Leif Rohwedder.

Emil Kaufmann has just celebrated a special debut. He drove electrically for the first time – in an Opel Rocks Electric. The 11-year-old sits in the passenger seat, with dad Kai behind the wheel. It won’t be long before he can take the steering wheel himself. Because the electric quadricycle can be driven from the age of 15 in Germany. “Just four more years – then I can finally drive myself,” Emil announces confidently.

Clever addition to the portfolio

The smallest vehicle in Opel’s portfolio is not only well received by the kids, the grown-ups love it too: “What I would have given when I was 15 years old to be able to whiz around in this.” Björn did two laps in the quadricycle with Jessica and was thrilled. “The smart Rocks is a clever addition to our portfolio,” says the Opel employee. And he is not alone in this opinion – the queue of people patiently waiting for a test drive is still long even in the late afternoon.

Daniel Beck circles the new Opel Grandland for the umpteenth time and slides behind the steering wheel. His conclusion: “This will be my next Opel!” He travelled from the Harz Mountains to see the flagship SUV live. Beck was at Opel for over 13 years, most recently in prototype construction, before moving back to his native Saxony-Anhalt. The love for the brand has remained. “I thought the Grandland was great in the photos – but I like it even better live!”

Two public premieres

Meanwhile, Oliver Bücking and his son Daniel set their sights on the new Opel Frontera. They disagree. Son Daniel “clearly” leans towards the Grandland, father Oliver points out that “the price-performance ratio of the Frontera is unbeatable”. “And it looks good too,” he adds. They agree to keep an eye on both models once they become available for employees.

With a helmet on his head and a harness on his shoulders, Michael Kuhn sits tightly strapped into the passenger seat. “I only see a jumble of pylons, but Calle will know where to go,” says the Opel colleague confidently. And Calle Carlberg does. The electric sound swells, 260 Newton meters of torque catapult the Opel Rally Electric forward from a standstill. The Opel works driver drifts across the parking lot.

Unleashed emotions on asphalt

“We offer pure emotions,” says Jörg Schrott. Since the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup and the Junior European Rally Championship are conveniently taking a break on the anniversary weekend, it is “of course a matter of honour” for the team around the Opel Motorsport Director to be present at the “Open Day” in Rüsselsheim. Schrott: “You just have to take a quick look around: We are here for these many smiling faces – to show people firsthand the fascination of electric rallying.”

And of course, the plant also opens its doors for the celebrations. After all, the reason for the festivities is 125 years of automotive production in Rüsselsheim. Over a hundred colleagues from production, maintenance, logistics and the quality department are ready to present the production of the Astra to the guests. Whether it’s quality control, the assembly line or the marriage – the employees explain the various stages that are necessary until a model that meets the customer’s wishes rolls off the assembly line in the highest quality.

Peter Leuser found out about the idea of an open-air pop-up exhibition to celebrate the day, in which owners of classic Opel cars can take part, on the Internet. And he likes it. So on Saturday morning he gets into his GT and sets off from his home town of Röttingen in the Würzburg district to Rüsselsheim. He is happy to embark on the 160-kilometre route to present his GT, which he bought as a US re-import in 1990.

 “The fact that I can be part of the anniversary with my GT – a great idea!”

– GT owner Peter Leuser –

The exhibition in the parking lot offers an unexpected reunion with an Opel Rekord A Coupé for Karl Labus. “This model was the first one that I was allowed to work on as an apprentice,” says the pensioner. It was at Auto Hübner, an Opel dealer in Kaiserslautern. Soon afterwards, Labus moved to the Kaiserslautern plant, where, among other things, he worked on the engine test benches. “A lot of memories come back on a day like today,” he says, sticking his nose through the open window. “Wonderful – it smells like a lot of patina.”