Opel at the 18th Classic Gala in Schwetzingen.
07-08-2022 16:06 - EVENTS
The Classic-Gala Schwetzingen is one of the top class among the historic automobile exhibitions that fascinate visitors every year. In keeping with this, Opel is presenting its luxury class from the 1960s at this year's Classic Gala from September 2nd to 4th - the KAD series, consisting of the Opel Kapitän, Admiral and Diplomat. Since more than 180 selected classic vehicles from all decades are on display in the picturesque baroque garden of Schwetzingen Castle, an automobile from the early days of motorized mobility and the 160-year history of Opel should not be missing. In addition to the Admiral V8 and Diplomat V8 Coupé presented by Opel Classic, the Opel 4/8 PS “Doktorwagen” from 1909 will also attract attention.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the captain, admiral and diplomat defined Opel's luxury car class as "the big three". All three are characterized by rich, comfortable equipment, a spacious interior and a representative, linear design based on American models. The structure of the stretched and progressive trio from Rüsselsheim is identical: At 4.95 meters long and 1.90 meters wide, the body of the Opel luxury class reaches a new dimension - Opel shows size. While the Kapitän is being relaunched as the best-selling German six-cylinder passenger car and the luxuriously equipped Admiral is building on the success of the well-known pre-war model of the same name, the Diplomat is the new top model. With the upward expansion, Opel is the only German manufacturer to offer its customers a complete range of products: from Kadett to Rekord, Kapitän and Admiral to Diplomat, every buyer will find the right vehicle. At this year's Classic Gala in Schwetzingen, Opel Classic is showing the Diplomat V8 Coupé from 1966 and the Admiral V8 from 1965. The Diplomat's 169 kW/230 hp, 5.4-liter V8 accelerates the four-seater Coupé from 0 to 0 in 9.5 seconds to 100 km/h, the maximum speed is over 200 km/h. Hardly any other car made in Germany was faster at this time, and no other Opel was more expensive at 25,500 marks. The Diplomat V8 Coupé is reserved for "classy travelers"; by 1967, 304 examples left the assembly halls of coachbuilder Karmann in Osnabrück.