Opel Kadett A
(1962 - 1965)
Opel Kadett A: All models
Show all modelsCar articles about Opel Kadett A by year
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.
When Opel presented the second generation of the Kadett in 1962, critics had few words of praise for the car. It had to contend with strong competition in the form of the Beetle, which enjoyed incredible popularity. In addition, the rumor mill from the Volkswagen camp was buzzing. Nevertheless, the Kadett was able to assert itself. This article takes another look back at the Kadett of the early sixties, which paved the way for several model generations. Many pictures show the newcomer of the time.
In the early sixties, there was a lot of whispering in the Ruhr area. Between two highways, on the site of the closed Dannenbaum colliery, a large factory had been built in the east of Bochum. It was known that Opel wanted to launch a small car from here. And in view of the dimensions of the new building, it was assumed that the Rüsselsheim-based company had quietly and secretly launched an attack on the throne of the VW Beetle. When the production halls opened their doors and the first post-war Cadets were released onto the roads, the amazement was great... This article reproduces an original test report from 1963 and shows the compact car in historical photos.
Premium
Opel Kadett - The buddy type
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.
The Opel Kadett appeared in the fall of 1962 as a competitor to the VW Beetle. In addition to the standard version, there was also the luxury version shown here.
After a literally bumpy start, the Opel Kadett was hardly recognizable in the 1964 model year. Opel had improved the chassis set-up so that the Kadett now stayed on the road even in undulating bends. On top of that, they gave the sedan and Caravan the 48 hp "Super" engine from the coupé. The result was a veritable small sports saloon that was reminiscent of the Mini Cooper S, as this contemporary test report from the "Automobil-Illustrierte" magazine explains in detail.
In 1964, the Swiss company Italsuisse presented an Opel Kadett Spider at the Geneva Motor Show, which was positioned as a potential competitor to the VW Karmann Ghia. The car, designed and built by Pietro Frua in Turin, appealed to the Opel decision-makers at the time, but even after intensive testing, they were unable to bring themselves to produce it in series. One of the two cars built has survived to this day and impresses with its timeless elegance. This report portrays the surviving Opel Kadett A Italsuisse Spider from 1964 and describes its development and life story.
For most people, the VW Beetle is the Volkswagen par excellence, in every sense of the word. A car for the people, a people's car. And the Beetle was indeed an above-average success. But before it, Ford's Model T had already passed the 15 million mark, and in modern times the Toyota Corolla, VW Golf and Ford's F-series even managed to reach over 30 million, although they were not the only people's cars to do so. This report looks back at some selected production successes in car history and shows them in 200 pictures. A feast for the eyes!
Loading...
Loading more content ...
All Opel Kadett A models
Loading...