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- Designers call the Opel GT’s form the “Coke-bottle shape”. The legendary two-seater revolutionized the world of sport coupés with a host of unusual design and structural elements. The two-door model had low, tapered frontal styling, its rear was defined by shapely curves, and its massive wheel-arches and slim waist earned it that comparison to a Coke bottle. The GT was designed by Erhard Schnell, who had already created the concept car in 1965, the Experimental GT. And Schnell, who went on to design the Corsa A and successful Calibra, had taken the GT from concept to series production in just three years without allowing the distinctive character of the design to get lost in the process. The pop-up headlamps became a reality, as was the idea to forgo a rear luggage compartment. Only the small space behind the seats was designated for stowage. “Only flying is better” the ads promised GT drivers; and indeed, the sportive Opel was not only praised by normal customers, but also by racing drivers. Especially when equipped with the powerful 1.9-liter four-cylinder engine from the Rekord C, the GT – which weighed considerably less than one ton – delivered formidable performance. The 90 hp engine enabled a top speed of 185 km/h, exceptionally fast for the time. Despite its sporty genes, the GT pampered its occupants. The doors were cut well into the roof and allowed comfortable entry and egress. In the early days of the miniskirt, this was a particularly compelling design detail.
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- Opel presented the second generation of its luxury sedan model range KAD (Kapitän, Admiral, Diplomat) at the Geneva Motor Show in 1969. The Admiral was again the mid-level offering in the line-up. Compared to the previous model, the body was 4.8 cm shorter and 5.0 cm narrower, which is why the Opel press kit certified that the 4.91 m long car had compact exterior dimensions. Yet the new Admiral, with its smooth, uncluttered design, as well as its characteristic, horizontal light units, had a greater road presence than its predecessor. Echoes of American styling were still noticeable. Opel placed great value on comfort in its top model range. “The interior exudes the coziness of a tastefully decorated living room,” the press material of the time boasted. Comfort levels could be further enhanced with air conditioning and a stereo radio/tape player. Engineers also focused on safety, with body deformation zones, a stable passenger cell, safety steering column and disk brakes. With its sophisticated De Dion rear axle, a 165 hp, 2.8-liter six-cylinder engine with electronically- controlled fuel injection and, optionally, hydropneumatic ride-height leveling as well as threespeed automatic transmission, the Admiral reflected Opel’s high technical standards.
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- “When designers dream of their work, they dream of the future of the automobile.” This quote from Opel designer George Gallion is particularly apt for the Manta A. Introduced in 1969, this sporty two-door model was launched in 1970, two months before the four-door Ascona A with which it shared a chassis and drivetrain. Gallion, deputy chief of exterior design at Opel, had little time to design the Manta, which was Opel’s response to the Ford Capri. “My boss at the time, Chuck Jordan, gave me the job of developing a competitor to the Capri,” he says. “Chuck left for vacation with the words ‘have it finished by the time I’m back, otherwise I’ll show you how it’s done’”. The Manta is defined by a clean, crisp design in the style of highly desirable Italian sports coupés. Frameless windows, a crisp rear and a clearly structured front end quickly turned it into an affordable dream car for the younger generation. Its reasonable price was also a result of using the Ascona body platform and existing parts. “For example, there was no time to develop our own indicator units and headlamps, so we looked around to see what would fit and simply took the headlamps from the Olympia, which had just been phased out,” says Gallion. Today, the Manta has become a cult car, mainly due to its clean shape. At classic car gatherings like the popular vintage car weekend at the historic Opel Villas in Rüsselsheim, the Manta is one of the most admired exhibits, next to the GT. For Opel, the Manta model line was one of the most successful product developments in the company’s history. Over one million units were sold from 1970 to 1988.
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- Cars grow. In small but inevitable steps, the small Kadett became a veritable compact car. This created space for innovation. In 1982, the time was ripe, the Opel Corsa was on the starting blocks. Just 3.60 meters long and thus clearly a small car, the three or five-door hatchback was able to boast a potentially record-breaking drag coefficient for its class, just 0.36. To ensure that Opel’s youngest family member had a solid stance on the road despite its size, Erhard Schnell, responsible for the model line, gave it flaring wheel-arches. These not only contributed to improved aerodynamics, they also gave the Corsa an extremely “grown-up” and robust stature. Large window surfaces for optimum visibility and a very subtle wedge shape were the main characteristics of Opel’s smallest car. In some markets, it was even offered as a notchback with a separate luggage compartment. Airflow was directed upwards by the flattened shape of the hood, allowing for superb aerodynamic characteristics. Wearing hats was still in vogue at the time: “The small Corsa is also big with its high roof,” press information of the time stated. “Corsa passengers only have to take off their hats when greeting someone.” Erhard Schnell wanted to give the Corsa a masculine form, so its striking design was distinguished by the use of right angles and clear lines. All this was to counteract the prevailing image of a small car. And with a luggage compartment volume of 225 to 845 liters, the small Opel was ideally equipped to deal with major shopping expeditions.
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- Opel presented the Omega in 1986 as the successor to the successful Rekord model range. The company had invested more than DM2 billion (€1.02 billion) in the development of this new mid-size vehicle, and the result was convincing both visually and technically. Thanks to the experience the Opel design team and the aerodynamics specialists already had in 1981 with their Tech1 study – which closely anticipated the form of the Omega – the new sedan stood out with the lowest drag coefficient in its class: 0.28. The most important contributing element was the fact that the outline of the vehicle had the shape of a droplet. Groundbreaking technical design solutions, such as flexible joint seals, smooth and flush glazing with a specialized guidance system for the side windows, and the recessed door handles and windshield wipers also all played their part. The recessed wipers, together with the car’s rounded front section which deformed on impact, also reduced the risk of injury to pedestrians or cyclists in the event of a collision. In addition to excellent aerodynamics, a new generation of lower emission 1.8 and 2.0-liter four-cylinder engines contributed to the Opel Omega’s low fuel consumption, with Euromix figures ranging from 6.4 to 8.4 l/100 km. Innovative solutions were also implemented in the design of the cockpit. Newly developed, easily legible LCD instruments were an optional extra.
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- In 1984, Opel designers and engineers once again set standards with the Kadett E. At the heart of its development was the goal of significantly increasing economic efficiency compared to its predecessor. The aim was a reduction in air drag without exceeding the compact exterior dimensions of the Kadett D. After 1,200 hours in the wind tunnel, the development team was able to announce “mission completed”. Without any functional disadvantages, such as rapid heat build-up in the cabin due to the steeply raked windshield, the Kadett E achieved a drag coefficient of 0.32. This was bettered only by the sportiest model variant, the Kadett E GSi, with a value of 0.30, which gave the near four-meter long, wedge-shaped five-seater the lowest aerodynamic drag for any series production model in the world. Viewed from above, the Kadett GSi has contours similar to that of a droplet, which in aerodynamic terms means they are ideal for air flow optimization. This inspired Opel’s press department to claim that with the front of the car measuring 1.9 square meters, the Kadett GSi offers no more resistance to air flow than a board measuring half a square meter – such as grandmother’s cake tray. A key contributor to the great success of the Kadett E, of which 3.8 million units were built over nine years, was the comprehensive model line-up. There was a choice of seven body variants: three and five-door hatchbacks, three and five-door station wagons, a panel van, a notchback, and an elegant convertible.
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- “Enough of the machismo” was the watchword when the second Corsa generation replaced its predecessor in 1993. Sharp edges and creases were replaced by soft curves and flat surfaces. Hideo Kodama sketched the Corsa B shape. “Back then, we wanted to design a woman’s car. Today, you can’t even say that, because it’s regarded as discriminating. But in those days it was different,” he says, while explaining the design task for the second Corsa generation. Indeed, more than 60 percent of customers who bought a Corsa A were women. The softer design of the second generation was therefore an acknowledgement of this reality. The slim roof pillars gave the impression that the roof was floating over the cabin. This idea had first been presented to the public in the Opel Junior concept car, shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) in 1983. “The Corsa B was really a clean cut in the design history of the model line,” says Kodama today. “We were able to realize a substantially better space concept on a wheelbase which was 10 centimeters longer than the previous one.” There was enough space for five passengers and plenty of luggage. “The windshield was positioned further up front at a considerably flatter angle so that we had more leeway in the design of the interior,” explains Kodama. Today, the Corsa is a long-established favorite with the public. It is one of the most popular small cars in Germany, and over 11.7 million units have been sold in Europe alone during the first 32 years of its lifespan.
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- When asked if the computer was increasingly important for his work, Opel designer Erhard Schnell simply replied: “The computer cannot be creative.” He said he needs to have a pencil in his hand to put his thoughts down on paper. And that is exactly what he did when he gave the Opel Calibra its unmistakable shape in the late 1980s. This slim, highly-tapered sports coupé marked a milestone in Opel’s design history. With a drag coefficient of just 0.26, it was the most streamlined series production car in the world when it was launched in 1989. And well ahead of the times. The sleek, sporty shape was created around Vectra A underpinnings, yet the connection was not apparent in any part of its masterfully-tailored bodywork. Stretched with rounded shapes, it probably had the slimmest headlamps that existed before the arrival of xenon, LED and laser lights. The Calibra was the natural successor to the Manta. And just like its predecessor, the Calibra was based on a sedan in the same segment and, again in common with the Manta, it soon achieved cult car status through the seductive appeal of its emotional, dynamic form. This was reason enough for the readers of the German motoring magazine Auto Zeitung to name it sports coupé of the year. In early 1991, they chose the Calibra over competitors from Stuttgart and Munich as the sports car with the best design under the title “Shapely Aerodynamic Wonder”. Even years later, Schnell said of the Calibra’s character: “I myself find the rounded form more pleasant, it is more substantial. Too many knuckle lines can give a look of slight instability”.
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- The Japanese Opel designer Hideo Kodama developed the shape of the Tigra compact sport coupé, based on the Corsa B. In contrast to the Corsa, this 2+2 seater is distinguished by pronounced B-pillars, a hood with striking creases and a dome-shaped glass roof over the rear. “It’s not only the strict application of pure reason that counts in a coupé,” according to a product text describing this two-door model less than four meters long. “Here emotions are allowed, and indeed welcome.” The tinted Sundym glass in the rear, developed in America, lowers cabin temperature by four to five degrees, fulfilling not only aesthetic but also functional demands. The interior is versatile, a rare feature in coupés at that time. Kodama explains the car’s functionality: “Whoever drives a small car does so because of the low price or because it’s easier to find a parking space in the city. So the car isn’t just an attractive way to be mobile and enjoy driving, it’s also a mode of transportation.” So nothing gets left at home, the Tigra’s luggage compartment is flexible, with a foldable rear seatback. Kodama contrasted soft and hard design elements in the Tigra. Soft curves are in stark contrast to its distinctive wedge shape, and the sharp creases in the hood create a counterpoint to the soft outlines of the air intake vents in the front bumper. Production of this agile Opel coupé began in 1994 and ended in 2001.
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- On April 16, 1999, a real trendsetter was launched in the shape of the Opel Zafira. This successor to the Sintra was based on the Astra and impressed with its crisp styling and technically-oriented design, demonstrating the concept of the compact van – high functionality and versatility, together with a generous feeling of space. What made the Zafira unique was its innovative Flex7 seating system, which enabled this compact seven-seater to be transformed easily into a two-seater with 1,700 liters of load space – all without any seats having to be removed. The single seats in the third row could be folded down, thanks to a sophisticated mechanism, and stowed in floor recesses, giving a flat and even load deck. If additional cargo volume was needed, the second row of seats could also be folded, slid forwards and fixed behind the front seats. The Zafira was much more than simply a load carrier. It also impressed with its passenger car-like driving qualities, thanks to its newly-adjusted DSA (Dynamic SAfety) chassis. The Zafira boasted the best drag coefficient in its class at 0.33, and had a curb weight of just 1,390 kilograms, significantly lower than any comparable family van. Class-leading aerodynamics and low weight also contributed to the Zafira’s impressive fuel economy – with a 100 hp, entry-level engine, it consumed just 8.3 l/100 km.
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- In March 2001, Opel entered new terrain with its Speedster. This open-top, two-seater was the first mid-engined car to carry the Opel blitz badge. It was also the first Opel series production vehicle built from aluminum and plastic materials. This attractive sports car was just 3.79 m long and 1.12 m high, and was based on the concept of the Lotus Elise. But it was immediately recognizable as an Opel. As Opel’s then head of design, Hans Seer, explained: “For the first time, the lightweight body incorporates the same technically-oriented design language which we showed with the G90 and Zafira Snowtrecker studies in a series production model.“ The Speedster design team used opportunities provided by plastic material to create radical edges, which would have been extremely complex to shape in steel. Aluminum, which forms the structure of the Speedster, also comes to the fore in the no-frills cabin. Powered by the 147 hp 2.2-liter ECOTEC engine from the Astra coupé, the 945 kg Speedster reached 100 km/h in just 5.9 seconds. Even more performance was available with the Speedster 2.0 Turbo, launched in 2003, which sprinted from zero to 100 km/h in just 4.9 seconds and achieved a top speed of 243 km/h. In a comparison test carried out by Car, a leading UK motoring magazine, the Opel Speedster 2003 swept the board against 38 top sports cars, securing the title “Performance Car of the Year”.
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- The most exciting Opel Astra ever made its world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show in the fall of 2011 – the GTC had arrived. The Gran Turismo Compact impressed with its emotional interpretation of Opel’s new design philosophy. With its sporty silhouette, featuring a boldly arched, lower roof line, dynamic proportions and striking tapering front and rear, its shape is reminiscent of a wild cat crouching down, ready to leap. This effect is emphasized by a lower chassis, which makes the Astra GTC lower on the asphalt than its Astra kin. The optional panorama windshield was another highlight. This new concept made from Solar Protect Glass stretches right back to the B-pillars, offering a novel visual and spatial experience, comparable only to the cockpit canopy of an aircraft. A clever, seamlessly adjustable shading system protects occupants from strong sunlight. Indeed, no concessions at all need to be made in terms of interior comfort. Although the rear side windows are drawn in tightly, adults can also travel comfortably in the back.