Just before the World War II Opel had produced a very cheap saloon know as the Kadett. The name had died long ago in the mid war but in 1962 Opel revived it for the betterment of the company and for the car to take on the VW Beetle. Built at Bochum, the new Kadett had a new one liter engine, synchromesh gear box and rack and pionion steering. The initial two door saloon and estate versions were soon joined by a coupe with a high compression engine producing 48 bhp.
In the late 1965 Kadett received a make over, the most obvious alteration being squared off headlight surrounds, but the major evolution took place in 1967 when Opel expanded the engine range from one to four. At base level was a bored out 1.1 liter unit with 1.5, 1.7 and 1.9 also available. In this guise the kadett sold in vast numbers until 1973, by which time well over 3 millions had rolled off the production line.
The most exciting addition to the family was a Rally Coupe, with aggressive styling and power output of 90 bhp. It was capable of 102 mph and is now a favorite among collectors. After 1973 the Kadett went through several changes, major and minor, and continued to sell into the 1980s.
No comments:
Post a Comment