Opel is celebrating 125 years of automobile manufacturing this year under the motto "Forever Forward since 1899".
Opel's history began back in 1862, when Adam Opel assembled his first sewing machine in Rüsselsheim, laying the foundation for his company. With the production of the first penny-farthing bicycle in 1886, Opel was one of the first bicycle manufacturers in Germany and was at the forefront of production worldwide in the 1920s.
The fact that Opel also became one of the largest car manufacturers in Europe is thanks to Sophie Opel, who took over the management of the family business together with her five sons after the death of her husband Adam Opel in 1895.
They are also the ones who initiated Opel's transition to modern mobility with the automobile. On January 21, 1899, Wilhelm Opel signed a contract with the Dessau master locksmith Friedrich Lutzmann, who had been manufacturing motor cars since 1894 and therefore had sufficient experience. For 116,887 marks, he sold the Opel brothers the property, the halls and the machines, and the entire operation was relocated from Dessau to the Opel headquarters in Rüsselsheim. The takeover of the motor car factory marked the official start of automobile production at Opel.
Since then, 75 million Opel vehicles have left the factory halls throughout Europe, and even after 125 years, cars are still being built at the main factory in Rüsselsheim. Currently, for example, the latest generation of the Opel Astra.
