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People's car - Opel Kadett in the (historic) test

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Created on September 12, 1962

Text:

Heinz Kranz

Photos:

GM Corporation

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Archiv

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GM Corporation

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Archiv

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Opel Kadett (1962) - straightforward and unadorned design

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Opel Kadett (1962) - model year 1963, a hit right from the start

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Opel Kadett (1963) - during the brake test

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Opel Kadett (1962) - functional interior

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Opel Kadett (1962) - relatively good space even in the rear

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Opel Kadett (1962) - the name "Kadett" had already been used earlier at Opel

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Opel Kadett (1962) - Tape speedometer and gearshift on the floor

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Opel Kadett (1962) - the spacious trunk

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Opel Kadett (1962) - lots of space in the trunk, especially compared to the Beetle

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Opel Kadett (1962) - one liter displacement had to be enough

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Opel Kadett (1963) - the chassis

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Opel Kadett (1963) - Rigid rear axle with leaf springs, a robust construction

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Opel Kadett (1963) - front axle and longitudinally mounted engine

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Opel Kadett (1963) - Front suspension

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Opel Kadett (1963) - Rear axle

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Opel Caravan 1000 (1962) - side view

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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 Coupé (1965) - International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt 1965 - Hatchback on short wheelbase

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Opel Kadett (1966) - International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt 1965 - new impetus through more powerful engines

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Opel Kadett (1963) - bright, pleasing interior

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Opel Kadett (1962) - strictly two-door and with a clear notchback body

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Opel Kadett (1963) - International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt 1963 - Side view of the coupé

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Opel Kadett Coupé (1966) - the Kiemencoupé was recognizable by the air vents behind the rear side windows

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Opel Kadett (1963) - one of the most important new releases, the new small car from GM

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Opel Kadett Caravan (1963) - now also useful as a station wagon

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Opel Kadett (1963) - Joakim Bonnier with his former racing manager Huschke v. Hanstein from Porsche

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Opel Kadett (1963) - the customer service booklet

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Opel Kadett (1963) - the family and leisure vehicle

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Opel Kadett (1963) - the Beetle challenger

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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 (1963) - light-flooded cabin

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Opel Kadett (1963) - box-like design for optimum use of space

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

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

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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 (1964) - higher engine output makes the Coupé sportier than the saloon - Geneva Motor Show 1964

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Opel Kadett (1964) - significantly more compact than its successor from 1965 onwards

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Opel Kadett (1966) - the two-door sedan in the unadorned standard version, but with whitewall tires

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Opel Kadett (1966) - bigger and more powerful than its predecessor

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Opel Kadett Caravan (1966) - with high utility value

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Opel Kadett Caravan (1966) - old-fashioned architecture, but youthful fashion from the "Corsa" collection by Gianni Baldini

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Opel Kadett L (1966) - Illustration of the new four-door sedan

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Opel Kadett Rallye (1966) - Rallye and fashion - model from the 'Corsa' series by Gianni Baldini

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Opel Kadett (1966) - Advertising end of 1965 - the new Kadett

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Summary

For Opel, the objective for the Kadett was clear: it was to become a people's car. At least it had the potential to be. With its unobtrusiveness, solid technology, good space, plenty of elasticity and moderate fuel consumption, it scored points, which was also confirmed by the trade press. The magazine 'hobby' had predicted the post-war Kadett early on and naturally devoted an extensive test to it, which is reproduced here in the original wording, supplemented with many historical photos of the car.

This article contains the following chapters

It's the inner values that count
Scores points without attracting attention
A cool breeze would be nice...
Does little to upset the balance
Between a lot of potential and competition that doesn't sleep
Technical profile

Estimated reading time: 5min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The Kadett is here! You, dear hobby reader, may be surprised or even disappointed at first glance. As far as we are concerned, we have already experienced the situation where we expected far more in terms of style from an announced car model than it ultimately delivered: namely the VW 1500. But you get used to everything. Today, the VW 1500 is almost a familiar sight for decades. This will certainly be the case with the Opel Kadett in a few months' time, once it has become a natural part of our street scene. It is not beautiful on the outside, at least not at first glance, but it has qualities that blossom in secret. Seven months ago, hobby tried to predict the Opel Kadett (see No. 6/1962), which was successfully guarded as a factory secret until the last day. Unfortunately, our ideas about the exterior did not quite come true; but as far as the "insides" are concerned, we were not mistaken! This is demonstrated by the following table comparing prediction and fact:

Welcome to Zwischengas!

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