Opel historic competition cars: a trip through time

To celebrate the 120th Anniversary of Opel, we had the chance to drive some of its historic competition models at the Jarama Circuit, in an unforgettable day.

The future of Opel is written with five letters: Corsa. The brand’s new generation of city car is its most important immediate launch. But the history of Opel spans no less than 120 years.

This year 2019, Opel celebrates its 120th anniversary. Many people don’t know that the brand began manufacturing cars in 1899, four years after its founder, Adam Opel, passed away. It all started in a garage in Rüsselsheim, where the company’s headquarters are now, building cars by hand under an external patent.

Today, Opel has produced more than 70 million vehicles since its creation. Among them are some already legendary models, such as the sports cars Opel GT, Manta and Monza. Or the Corsa, Astra and Zafira, sales hits in their categories in the 1980s and 1990s.

To mark this very special occasion, Opel invited us to a day at the Jarama Circuit, where we were able to go back to the golden era of the brand with some of the models that made history in motorsport. At times, we were transported back to an era when rally and circuit drivers wrestled with their cars, rather than letting electronics take over.

Before going over the cars that Opel made available to us at Jarama, in which we were able to ride, some as drivers and others as co-drivers, we leave you with a video of the day.

https://youtu.be/kdmgtj_m2ig

Opel Rekord C: the “Black Widow”

Nicknamed the “Black Widow” for the way it struck fear into the sports cars of its time, this Opel Rekord C has a very special story. We couldn’t drive it, but we did see it run around the circuit alongside the other historic sports cars of Opel gathered for the occasion. And the truth is, it’s impressive.

The first thing to say is that this car is a faithful replica of the original model, which disappeared mysteriously, believed to have been scrapped.

The idea of a racing Rekord C came about in 1967, when Opel decided to return to the circuits for the first time since World War II. Anatole Lapine brought to fruition a project carried out almost in secret in Rüsselsheim. The 1,897 cm3 engine of the standard Opel Rekord C received new carburettors and a higher compression ratio, reaching, in its most developed form, no less than 180 CV.

With its bodywork entirely in black, it also earned the nickname “Taxi”. And not because it was slow on the track: at the time, taxis in Germany were this colour. Hence the yellow “touches” on its wheels and bodywork.

Perhaps it’s its colour, or the thundering sound of the 1.9 engine with twice the power of the original version. But the truth is, the “Black Widow” is impressive. Very impressive.

Opel Rennwagen 1903: a trip through time

So, as you see it, this is what racing cars looked like in 1903. With this gem we had the opportunity to do a full lap of the Jarama circuit… although as the “co-driver”. At the speed it travels, there’s no need to sing the driver’s praises, but the experience is somewhat like stepping into a time tunnel. Crank-start to bring to life the two-cylinder engine with 12 CV, with a gentle rattle, and off we go.

Its driver tells us, as the car jumps like a sparrow with mumps when engaging second gear, that we won’t go into third and final gear… “because it runs fast, and this is a relic, it has to be looked after.” Running fast means reaching 72 km/h, after the 25 km/h gained by Opel engineers in its day through improvements over the standard car. Among them, metal spoke wheels instead of wooden ones, and the removal of everything superfluous, leaving the chassis exposed, along with the engine cover and the corresponding seats.

Unlike some of the historic Opel vehicles available at the event, I haven’t been able to drive it. But the lap I took in it as a passenger is one of the most enriching things that has happened to me in many years of testing all kinds of contraptions with wheels.

Opel Ascona 400: on the road to success

Contemporary with the Opel Manta, the Ascona B hit the market in 1975, with a range that included up to 13 choices, among them the first diesel in its category.

The unit we briefly drove is an Ascona 400 manufactured in 1981 (it appeared on the market in 1979), with a 4-cylinder, 2.4-litre engine producing 144 CV, which already features a 4-valve-per-cylinder cylinder head. It reaches a top speed of 210 km/h.

With the sportier versions of the Ascona, Opel found the road to success… outside the circuits. In 1979, Jochi Kleint and Gunter Wagner won the European Rally Championship driving an Ascona 2000. And in 1982, a certain Walter Röhrl, co-driven by Christian Geistdörfer in an Ascona 400, went on to celebrate victory in the World Rally Championship, which remains the most important competition title for Opel in its 120 years of history.

Of the more than 1.5 million Ascona Bs manufactured, only 268 units were Ascona 400s, which owe their name to the number of vehicles the FIA required for homologation in Group 4. The competition version reached 250 CV and a top speed of 225 km/h. It featured a multi-link rear axle and optimised brakes.

Opel Kadett B Rallye 1900 Sprint: the popular sports car

The year 1965. The writer of these lines had not yet been born, and Opel began production of the second generation of the Kadett, the “B” series, which quickly became a bestseller. 2.73 million units were manufactured until 1973.

Just a year after its launch, Opel presented the sportier version, the Kadett Rallye 1100 SR, available only as a coupé, followed by the Rallye 1900 S. This version was very popular among motor racing enthusiasts. The Swede Anders Kulläng became one of the brand’s first factory drivers, at the wheel of the Kadett B Rallye 1900 S.

Its 1.9 engine produced 106 CV, compared with the 90 CV of the standard version. Naturally, it had the necessary bodywork reinforcements, auxiliary lights, sports suspension, improved brakes and a larger fuel tank. During our brief test drive at Jarama, it reminded me of the anguish one feels on a circuit when a car brakes very poorly, and you have to “pump” the brake pedal with force while praying an “Our Father” every time you reach the end of a straight.

Opel Kadett GT/E: a legendary car

I remember that one of the cars that was always on my list of “future dreams” for when I got my licence and could afford it was a Kadett GSI. At the time I didn’t even know there had been a Kadett that made history many years earlier, although all my beloved GSi retained was the name.

Indeed, between 1973 and 1979, Opel manufactured 1.7 million units of what was the last rear-wheel-drive Kadett, the Kadett C, successor to the Kadett B. With the Group 1 GT/E version, Walter Röhrl and Jochen Berger took part in the World Rally Championship in 1976.

The 2.0 engine with electronic fuel injection went from the standard 115 CV to 160 CV in its competition version. It won the Monte Carlo Rally in its class in 1978, finishing the season as runner-up.

Opel 120th Anniversary photo gallery at Jarama