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A matter for the boss - Fiat 130 versus Opel Admiral

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Created on June 28, 2021

Text:

Sven Jürisch

Photos:

Kai-Uwe Knoth

84

General Motors / Opel

1

Archiv

21

Kai-Uwe Knoth

84

General Motors / Opel

1

Archiv

21

Fiat 130 (1973) & Opel Admiral (1974) - head-to-head luxury sedans far from the stars and Bavaria

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Fiat 130 (1973) & Opel Admiral (1974) - Italian beauty versus German-American simplicity

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Fiat 130 (1973) & Opel Admiral (1974) - Same and yet different

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Fiat 130 (1973) & Opel Admiral (1974) - Elegant slip-on against rubber boots

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Fiat 130 (1973) & Opel Admiral (1974) - The Fiat is more angular, the Opel looks sportier

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Fiat 130 (1973) & Opel Admiral (1974) - The top class of both manufacturers

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Fiat 130 (1973) & Opel Admiral (1974) - understatement for both

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Fiat 130 (1973) & Opel Admiral (1974) - luxury in two ways

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Fiat 130 (1973) & Opel Admiral (1974) - The Fiat has much more detail

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Fiat 130 (1973) & Opel Admiral (1974) - The Fiat is more stylish

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Fiat 130 (1973) & Opel Admiral (1974) - Italian stylish and German understated

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Fiat 130 (1973) & Opel Admiral (1974) - Leaving the ferry

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Fiat 130 (1973) & Opel Admiral (1974) - The boss's choice

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Fiat 130 (1973) & Opel Admiral (1974) - Different characters

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Fiat 130 (1973) & Opel Admiral (1974) - Two six-cylinder models from Italy and Germany

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Fiat 130 (1973) & Opel Admiral (1974) - Served different clientele

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Fiat 130 (1973) - Fiat's rise to the top

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Fiat 130 (1973) - With it, Fiat drivers could finally enjoy luxury

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Fiat 130 (1973) - A departure into new classes

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Fiat 130 (1973) - Whether simple or plain is a matter of opinion

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Fiat 130 (1973) - Stately Italian

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Fiat 130 (1973) - Angular silhouette

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Fiat 130 (1973) - Reminiscent of a Lada

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Fiat 130 (1973) - Simple design, if you can't see it up close

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Fiat 130 (1973) - When Fiat was still in top form

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Fiat 130 (1973) - No breakthrough

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Fiat 130 (1973) - Along the vines

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Fiat 130 (1973) - On the move

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Fiat 130 (1973) - On the move

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Fiat 130 (1973) - Stylish, as you would expect from Italians

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Fiat 130 (1973) - Thin steering wheel

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Fiat 130 (1973) - Wood and velour dominate

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Fiat 130 (1973) - The executive chair

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Fiat 130 (1973) - Real wood and toggle switch

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Fiat 130 (1973) - Comfortable velour armchairs

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Fiat 130 (1973) - Chrome in all the right places

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Fiat 130 (1973) - The handbrake to the left of the driver's seat

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Fiat 130 (1973) - Beautifully decorated

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Fiat 130 (1973) - In love with detail

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Fiat 130 (1973) - Fiat-typical rims

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Fiat 130 (1973) - Thick door handles

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Fiat 130 (1973) - A lot of door for the money

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Fiat 130 (1973) - Pretty, but not a car for flower children

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Fiat 130 (1973) - Almost artistically shaped twin exhaust pipes

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Fiat 130 (1973) - Almost artistically shaped twin exhaust pipes

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Fiat 130 (1973) - Rectangles and chrome

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Fiat 130 (1973) - Trunk with spare wheel

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Fiat 130 (1973) - Trunk with spare wheel

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Fiat 130 (1973) - On the road in style

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Fiat 130 (1973) - Fiat's first and only luxury liner

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Opel Admiral (1974) - Big and simple

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Opel Admiral (1974) - With American influence

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Opel Admiral (1974) - The big Opel

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Opel Admiral (1974) - The rubber boot among luxury sedans

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Opel Admiral (1974) - The Admiral from the side

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Opel Admiral (1974) - No embellishment, just size

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Opel Admiral (1974) - The black roof provides a nice contrast

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Opel Admiral (1974) - Unadorned and honest

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Opel Admiral (1974) - Trimless

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Opel Admiral (1974) - The counterpart to the Fiat 130

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Opel Admiral (1974) - The interior is quite sporty for such a large sedan

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Opel Admiral (1974) - Sportier than the Fiat 130

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Opel Admiral (1974) - From the executive chair in the Opel

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Opel Admiral (1974) - Sporty steering wheel

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Opel Admiral (1974) - The gear selector lever

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Opel Admiral (1974) - The pedals

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Opel Admiral (1974) - Pedals with foot

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Opel Admiral (1974) - Long live the color brown

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Opel Admiral (1974) - Ashtray

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Opel Admiral (1974) - The ashtray was an important feature back then

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Opel Admiral (1974) - With sunroof

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Opel Admiral (1974) - Storage in the doors

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Opel Admiral (1974) - The six-cylinder

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Opel Admiral (1974) - Manufactured in Rüsselsheim

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Opel Admiral (1974) - With rally lights at the front

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Opel Admiral (1974) - Chrome strip between hood and windscreen

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Opel Admiral (1974) - Thin door handle

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Opel Admiral (1974) - The rims

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Opel Admiral (1974) - "Do not close"

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Opel Admiral (1974) - Rear with rounded edge

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Opel Admiral (1974) - Trunk with uncovered spare wheel

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Opel Admiral (1974) - One trunk

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Opel Admiral (1974) - Two rectangles on top of each other and a chrome bumper

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Opel Admiral (1974) - When Opel still built "big" cars

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Opel Admiral (1969) - with toe- and camber-neutral double-jointed rear axle, 0 - 100 km/h in 10.5 seconds

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Opel Admiral (1969) - plenty of driving safety for five people

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Opel Admiral B (1969) - elegant, recognizable by the wide headlights at the front

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Opel Admiral (1973) - the richly equipped luxury-class Opel is available in Switzerland for 24,000 francs - at the 1973 Geneva Motor Show

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Opel Diplomat at the 1972 Geneva Motor Show - the interior of the Admiral and Diplomat models shows minor retouches

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Opel Kapitän (1969) - Kapitän and Admiral largely identical, even inside - steering wheel and dashboard

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Opel Admiral (1969) - world premiere - safety-oriented interior - Geneva Motor Show 1969

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Opel Admiral (1969) - with 2.8-liter injection engine and DeDion rear axle - Geneva Motor Show 1969

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Opel Admiral (1969) - available with carburetor and injection engine

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Opel Diplomat (1969) - comparison with the Admiral, headlights once up, once across

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Fiat 130 (1970) - reminds the design critics a little of the earlier Chevy II - Geneva Motor Show 1970

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Fiat 130 (1970) - now with engine power increased to 160 DIN hp - Geneva Motor Show 1970

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Fiat 130 (1969) - available from summer, V6 engine with 140 DIN hp, Borg-Warner automatic transmission as standard - Geneva Motor Show 1969

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Fiat 130 (1971) - the sedan lacks the grace of the flatter coupé

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Fiat 130 (1971) - Limousine with large interior from Italy - shown at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show

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Fiat 130 (1973) - promises good driving comfort and generous space - at the 1973 Geneva Motor Show

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Fiat 130 (1972) - visually, the sedan was hardly changed with the installation of the 3.2-liter engine

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Fiat 130 (1969) - Interior of the sedan with safety-oriented design approach - Geneva Motor Show 1969

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Fiat 130 (1972) - Steering wheel and dashboard of the 3.2-liter sedan

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Fiat 130 (1972) - Interior of the 3.2-liter sedan

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Fiat 130 (1969) - Insight into the technology - V6 engine with Borg-Warner automatic transmission - Geneva Motor Show 1969

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Fiat 130 (1972) - the V6 engine from Lampredi

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Summary

With the Fiat 130 and the Opel Admiral, two limousines for the executive floor appeared in 1969. Both models have since become rarities, but when they are reunited, they reveal unexpected qualities, as this comparison drive shows. This article shows the two luxury limousines in many pictures and tells their story

This article contains the following chapters

Fiat on the road to success
Opel as a competitor
No breakthrough for Fiat
Late satisfaction
Greetings from America
Six right ones
Driving pleasure for the top ten thousand
Traveling in style
Technical data comparison

Estimated reading time: 11min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The year 1969 brought it to light. Humanity was striving for greater things. Not only was Neil Armstrong the first man to set foot on the moon on July 2 at 3:56 CET, but a new era was also dawning in Europe. After the student riots of the previous year, a spirit of optimism swept through Europe. Away with the old small car stink of the post-war era and finally show and enjoy some luxury. The middle class was well off and bosses were happy about good business. So the next company car was allowed to be a little bigger. The new prosperity was also the starting signal for Fiat to break into new classes. At the time, the Italians played a prominent role in the European automobile market. The Italians' micro and small cars sold well, the cars enjoyed a veritable reputation in export countries and models from Turin were repeatedly named Car of the Year. An award that once guaranteed high product quality and considerable increases in sales. However, it is small and mid-range cars that make the money. Not enough for the Group and not enough prestige for Fiat boss Agnelli. A luxury liner was needed. One that could compete with the German giants such as Mercedes and BMW and that would knock them off the target group's radar with Italian flair and technical extravagance.

Welcome to Zwischengas!

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