Opel Kadett - The buddy type

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Opel Kadett - The buddy type

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Created on September 12, 2022

Text:

Sven Jürisch

Photos:

Adam Opel AG / Werk

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Dani Heyne

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Sven Jürisch

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GM Corporation

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Opel/Stellantis

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Opel

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Archiv

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Opel Kadett L (1963) - in the color combination Chamonix white/Royal blue

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Opel Kadett (1963) - Production at the new Bochum plant

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Opel Kadett (1963) - early sedan in "caribbean green"

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Opel Kadett (1963) - the Beetle challenger

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Opel Kadett (1963) - the family and leisure vehicle

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Opel Kadett (1963) - in short okay - Advertisement

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Opel Kadett (1963) - A view through the compact Opel

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Opel Kadett Coupé (1963) - the coupé of the A series

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Opel Kadett Coupé (1963) - with two-tone paintwork in a contemporary advertising photograph

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Opel Kadett Italsuisse (1964) - pretty convertible with components of the Opel Kadett - Geneva Motor Show 1964

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Opel Caravan 1000 (1963) - the Kadett as a station wagon

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Opel Caravan 1000 (1962) - the Kadett for higher space requirements

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Opel Caravan 1000 (1962) - a tradesman's vehicle during the week, a family car at the weekend

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Opel Caravan 1000 (1962) - available in the station wagon with additional third bench seat

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Opel Kadett (1963) - after just three months, the 10,000th Kadett rolled off the production line

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Opel Kadett L (1965) - shortly before the model change, the Kadett A reached the half-million mark

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Opel Kadett Coupé (1966) - the one millionth Opel Kadett rolls off the production line at the Bochum plant on October 11, 1966

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Opel Kadett Coupé (1966) - longitudinal section through the "Kiemen-Coupé"

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Opel Kadett Coupé (1966) - early "Kiemen-Coupé" with upturn in the rear side window

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Opel Kadett Coupé (1966) - an early "Kiemen-Coupé" in a contemporary advertising photograph

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Opel Kadett L (1966) - as a four-door sedan

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Opel Kadett Caravan (1971) - practical and spacious

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Opel Kadett Coupé (1967) - The "Kiemen-Coupé" is not only more filigree, but also more aerodynamically favorable than the "Coupé F"

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Opel Kadett Coupé F (1972) - from August 1971, the normal Kadett Coupés also had the LS rear end

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Opel Olympia Coupé (1968) - Luxury Kadett with the front of the Kadett US version

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Opel Kadett (1972) - the two-door sedan in a contemporary advertising photo

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Opel Kadett (1971) - fun even in the rain

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Opel Kadett Coupé (1965) - Dieter Lambart and Hans Beck at the 1966 Monte-Carlo Rally

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Opel Kadett Coupé (1967) - Hans Vogt and Norbert Supper at the 1968 Monte-Carlo Rally

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Opel Kadett Rallye (1967) - at the AvD-Nürburg Cup for Opel vehicles in the early seventies

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Opel Kadett Rallye (1967) - sports model with 60 hp and black war paint

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Opel Kadett Rallye (1967) - sports model with 60 hp and black war paint

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Opel Kadett Rallye (1969) - in hard use - picture from a sales brochure

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Opel Kadett Rallye (1969) - Rev counter and additional instruments in the Rallye

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Opel Kadett Rallye (1967) - as an early "Kiemen-Coupé"

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Opel Kadett Rallye (1969) - how the marketing people saw it - picture from a sales brochure

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Opel Kadett Rallye (1971) - the rally at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show

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Opel Kadett Rallye (1971) - with slightly modified stripe graphics and "eyeliner" under the side window

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Opel Kadett Rallye (1971) - in the field of application implied by the name - Illustration from sales brochure

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Opel Kadett Rallye (1971) - the rally stripes look particularly impressive on bright colors

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Opel Kadett Rallye (1971) - the rally Kadett and its brothers

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Opel Kadett Rallye (1970) - the Rallye (front) and its brothers - illustration from the sales brochure

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Opel Kadett L (1963) - in the color combination Chamonix white/Royal blue

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Opel Kadett L (1963) - classic three-box design

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Opel Kadett L (1963) - the radiator grille anticipates the B-Kadett

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Opel Kadett L (1963) - "L" as in "luxury" or "tinsel"

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Opel Kadett L (1963) - Simple sheet metal dashboard, steering column and gearshift almost parallel

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Opel Kadett L Caravan (1968) - available with two or four doors

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Opel Kadett L Caravan (1968) - in elegant silver metallic

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Opel Kadett L Caravan (1968) - Reversing light under the bumper

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Opel Kadett L Caravan (1968) - elegant load compartment with red carpeting

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Opel Kadett L Caravan (1968) - well-known OHV "sewing machine" with 45 hp from just under 1.1 liters

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Opel Kadett L Caravan (1968) - Dashboards were always black

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Bild für Bildergalerie Opel Kadett L (1963)

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Bildergalerie Opel Kadett L (1963)

Bild für Bildergalerie Opel Kadett L Caravan (1968)

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Bildergalerie Opel Kadett L Caravan (1968)

Bild für Bildergalerie Opel Kadett L Caravan (1968)

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Bildergalerie Opel Kadett L Caravan (1968)

Summary

The Opel Kadett's first career ended in 1940 after the outbreak of war in Europe. It only returned in 1962 to become the most successful model in the brand's fleet for the next 30 years. This article is dedicated to the first two generations of the car, which despite its success never rose above the rank of officer's candidate, and shows it in current and historical images.

This article contains the following chapters

Large selection for little money
Quite simply as a coupé
Recommendation to the wife
Complete and sporty
Tough guy
New desire for the truck
Discover the possibilities
Everything as before
Suitable for everyday use to this day
Modesty at the beginning
Rüsselsheim rarity

Estimated reading time: 9min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Compact cars have a long tradition at Opel. However, younger generations will only be familiar with the Astra series, which has been available in Europe since 1991, and its recently presented sixth generation. However, Opel compact cars were already available from 1936 with the Kadett series, but the compact cars from Rüsselsheim only really took off after the war. From 1962, the Kadett A made small families mobile. This was followed by the Kadett B from 1965 to 1975 and three further generations until 1993. But it was above all the first model series that remained in the memories of classic car enthusiasts, as they embodied the new era in Germany. People could afford something. Buying a Kadett brought something of the big wide world into the rustic oak living room at home. Later, the first generations of Kadett were used as inexpensive second-hand cars to mobilize students. The Kadett was reliable and cheap to maintain - arguments for a long car life, which was often extended with nightly sweat marathons.

Welcome to Zwischengas!

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Bild für Bildergalerie Opel Kadett L (1963)

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Bildergalerie Opel Kadett L (1963)

Bild für Bildergalerie Opel Kadett L Caravan (1968)

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Bildergalerie Opel Kadett L Caravan (1968)

Bild für Bildergalerie Opel Kadett L Caravan (1968)

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Bildergalerie Opel Kadett L Caravan (1968)

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