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Reliable, comfortable, natural - Opel Kapitän 56 in the (historic) test

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Created on December 1, 1955

Text:

Joachim Fischer

Photos:

Archiv Opel / General Motors

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Archiv

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Archiv Opel / General Motors

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Archiv

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Opel Kapitän (1955) - International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt 1955 - Side view, left-front

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Opel Kapitän (1956) - with color-contrasting roof area

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Opel Kapitän (1956) - prestigious limousine

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Opel Kapitän (1956) - with panoramic rear window

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Opel Kapitän (1956) - the six-cylinder in-line model

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Opel Kapitän (1954) - Six-cylinder engine in longitudinal and side view

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Opel Kapitän (1956) - Dimensions

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Opel Kapitän (1956) - September 9, 1956: the two millionth Opel rolls off the assembly line in Rüsselsheim

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Opel Rekord (1956) - in a contemporary advertising image

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Opel Kapitän (1955) - spacious and comfortable sedan with four doors

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Opel Kapitän (1954) - the perfect embodiment of American ideas for European proportions - Geneva Motor Show 1954

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Summary

The Opel Kapitän 56 met all the criteria - comfortable, flexible handling and solid workmanship. But such a high standard also led to criticism at a high level. This article reproduces the wording of the 1955 Motor-Rundschau magazine test, in which the Kapitän was extensively tested for strengths and weaknesses.

This article contains the following chapters

Rating
Marking: Opel "Kapitän 56" 2.5 L
test

Estimated reading time: 11min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The self-supporting all-steel body, which is almost a matter of course in European car manufacturing today, has the advantage of high stability with moderate weight and offers the possibility of a spacious design. Opel had already done pioneering work in this area some 20 years earlier, and the completely redesigned self-supporting body of the "Kapitän" in 1954 showed the results of its extensive experience. For 1956, this body was made particularly beautiful and "fluid" in its lines through changes to details and was given an even clearer field of vision for all occupants. The "Kapitän" is not only one of the most highly regarded and largest "Europeans" with the best use of interior space, but is also very fast and spirited thanks to the reliable and mature 2.5-liter six-cylinder OHV short-stroke engine and is roadworthy for a car of the usual design (with engine mounted far forward and rigid rear axle). The space-saving 13" wheels, which result in a low center of gravity, prove their worth here.

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