Info für Besucher ohne Javascript

Premium

Opel Kapitän versus Chevrolet Corvair - reversed car world - Americans from Europe, Europeans from America

This article was auto-translated. We apologize if some words are confusing or simply amusing. Would you like to help us improve?

Created on December 1, 1959

Reading time 9min

Written by:

Werner Oswald

Photos:

Archiv Opel / General Motors

2

Archiv

29

Archiv Opel / General Motors

2

Archiv

29

Opel Kapitän (1959) - im Vergleich zum Chevrolet Corvair

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Opel Kapitän (1959) im Vergleich zum Chevrolet Corvair (1959) - Durchsichtszeichnungen

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Opel Kapitän P2 (1959) - setzte mit mancher Ausstattungsoption Trends

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Opel Kapitän P2 (1960) - elegant und luxuriös

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Opel Kapitän P2 (1959) - mit gradlinigem europäischem Design

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Opel Kapitän (1961) - grosse Limousine

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Opel Kapitän P2 (1960) - in einer damaligen Werbeaufnahme

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Opel Kapitän (1961) - Werbung - auch an Steigungen nicht schalten müssen - Hydramatic

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Opel Kapitän (1961) - Werbung - ein Wagen, der verwöhnt

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Opel Kapitän (1961) - Werbung - nicht mehr schalten, nicht mehr kuppeln - Hydramatic

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Opel Kapitän (1960) - Werbung von 1960

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair (1960) - Längenvergleich zwischen Corvair und Impala Sport Sedan

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair (1961) - alles offen bei diesem Testwagen

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair (1959) - die ersten Bilder der neuen Heckmotor-Limousine

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair (1960) - ein luftgekühlter Sechszylinder im Heck, das interessiert doch die gute Frau sicher

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair (1960) - Posieren vor dem Polizisten

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair (1960) - am Strand

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair (1960) - das Design fällt auch in den USA auf

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair (1960) - Lenkrad und Armaturenbrett

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair (1959) - Lenkrad und Armaturenbrett im aktuellen Zeitgeschmack

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair (1959) - Durchsichtszeichnung - Silhouette

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair (1960) - Durchsichtszeichnung von schräg oben

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair (1959) - Durchsichtszeichnung

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair (1959) - der Sechszylinder-Motor mit Boxer-Layout

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair (1959) - Instrumentenbrett mit Beschriftung

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair (1960) - Kofferraum

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair (1960) - grosser Kofferraum im Bug

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair (1961) - der Motor liegt tief, das Reserverad darüber

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair (1959) - grosse durch die Scheibenwischer bestrichene Fläche auf der Windschutzscheibe

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair (1959) - viel Fussraum dank Wegfall des Kardantunnels

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair (1959) - umklappbare Rückbank

You have only

1 out of 31

images seen in high resolution

Summary

When hobby-Auto editor Werner Oswald compared the new Chevrolet Corvair with the Opel Kapitän P2 in December 1959, the future of the rear-wheel-drive American with its air-cooled six-cylinder boxer engine was still written in the stars. Oswald believed that it would cause a similar revolution in the automobile market as Chevrolet had once triggered when the Chevy overtook the Ford Model T. Oswald was quite wrong with his speculation, as was already recognized in the mid-sixties. This article reproduces the original text from 1959 and shows the two rivals from the GM Group in many archive photos.

This article contains the following chapters

The American European - Opel Kapitän 1960
The European American - Chevrolet Corvair 1960
Who wins?
Technical data in comparison

Estimated reading time: 9min

Preview (beginning of the article)

How times are changing! While there is a clear trend towards large cars in Europe - with the exception of the small car market, which is pushing ahead - the American market for monstrous road cruisers is moving down a notch. While Europe's large cars are becoming increasingly American in size and style, so-called 'small cars' are being launched on the other side of the pond, the design of which is just as clearly oriented towards Europe. For the first time in automotive history, the large series model of European design has come into close proximity to the small series model 'made in the USA'. This makes for interesting comparisons, especially as the small American and the large European are two children of the same company, General Motors. How will the world market react?

Welcome to Zwischengas!

Continue reading this article for free?

Photos of this article

Source: