Everything about Opel Kadett totally explained
The
Opel Kadett is a
small family car produced by the
German automaker
Opel between 1937 and 1940, then from 1962 to 1992.
Delta in
South Africa used the Opel Kadett name until 1999.
First generation (1937–1940)
In 1929, Adam Opel AG of
Rüsselsheim, Germany, was acquired by
General Motors. The Opel brand was maintained in various markets.
In 1937, the first Opel Kadett was added to the Opel range. Production was interrupted by
World War II.
Production facilities of the Kadett were transported to
Russia after the war, and thus this early Kadett formed the basis for the
Moskvitch 400/420.
Kadett A (1962–1965)
The first Opel Kadett after the war appeared in October 1962; 649,512 cars were built until July 1965. It was later called the Kadett A. In addition to the
sedan there was an L (luxury model), a
coupé, and a
station wagon (called Caravan). The new
Opel OHV engine was available as 1.0 with 40 hp (30 kW) and as 1.0 S with 48 hp (36 kW).
Richard Hammond bought a 1963
Botswanan Kadett on the BBC television show,
Top Gear for £1200, for a challenge. Richard immediately had a fondness for the car claiming it was 'the happiest car in the world,' naming it 'Oliver.' At one point the Kadett was flooded because Richard miscalculated the depth of a river he was driving across. The car was towed out and remarkably, after a night of work done by Richard and mechanics, 'Oliver' worked again.
It was revealed on the next episode of
Top Gear, Richard loved 'Oliver' so much, that he's imported Oliver to own. Richard claimed: "Oliver loves me so he's coming home,"
Jeremy Clarkson went on to say: "He only wants a British
passport". Oliver briefly appeared in the studio during the final episode of the tenth series.
Variations
| Model Type |
Engine |
Fuel |
Body Style |
Production |
Transmission |
| Kadett |
4 cyl 993cc |
Petrol |
2-door Saloon
3-door Estate |
1962–1965
1963–1965 |
Manual |
| Kadett L |
4 cyl 993cc |
Petrol |
2-door Saloon
2-door Coupé |
1963–1965
1963–1965 |
Manual |
Kadett B (1965–1973)
The Opel Kadett B was sold from 1966 to 1973, with two- and four-door sedans (the latter in notchback and, from 1967, also in fastback form), a three-door station wagon, and two coupés (regular and fastback, or Coupé F). There was a sporting Opel Kadett Rallye, with a 1.9 L engine. Additionally, the two-seat
Opel GT was heavily based on Kadett B components, its body made by a
French contractor,
Brissonneau & Lotz.
A "luxury" derivative of the Kadett B was sold as the
Opel Olympia A.
The Kadett was sold in the United States through
Buick dealers from 1967 till 1972 simply as the
Opel. US Kadetts were later granted the front end and trim of the new Opel Olympia, introduced in 1966 as an upscale-version of the Kadett. Kadett A and B were technically simple cars whose task was to compete with the market leader, VW's Beetle. This lack of sophistication caused the US car magazine
Car and Driver to publish an annihilating test of the Kadett in 1968 featuring photos of the car in a car junkyard. Reportedly, GM withdrew any ads from that magazine for several months as a consequence.
Variations
| Model Type |
Body Style |
Engine |
Transmission |
Production |
| Kadett |
2-door Saloon |
1100 |
Manual |
1965–1973 |
| Automatic |
1965–1973 |
| 1500 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| Automatic |
1967–1973 |
| 1700 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| Automatic |
1967–1973 |
| 1900 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| Kadett |
4-door Saloon |
1100 |
Manual |
1965–1973 |
| Automatic |
1965–1973 |
| 1500 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| Automatic |
1967–1973 |
| 1700 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| Automatic |
1967–1973 |
| 1900 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| Kadett |
3-door Estate |
1100 |
Manual |
1965–1973 |
| Automatic |
1965–1973 |
| 1500 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| Automatic |
1967–1973 |
| 1700 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| Automatic |
1967–1973 |
| 1900 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| Kadett |
5-door Estate |
1100 |
Manual |
1965–1973 |
| Automatic |
1965–1973 |
| 1500 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| Automatic |
1967–1973 |
| 1700 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| Automatic |
1967–1973 |
| 1900 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| Kadett L |
2-door Saloon |
1100 |
Manual |
1965–1973 |
| Automatic |
1965–1973 |
| 1500 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| Automatic |
1967–1973 |
| 1700 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| Automatic |
1967–1973 |
| 1900 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| Kadett L |
4-door Saloon |
1100 |
Manual |
1965–1973 |
| Automatic |
1965–1973 |
| 1500 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| Automatic |
1967–1973 |
| 1700 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| Automatic |
1967–1973 |
| 1900 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| Kadett L |
3-door Estate |
1100 |
Manual |
1965–1973 |
| Automatic |
1965–1973 |
| 1500 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| Automatic |
1967–1973 |
| 1700 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| Automatic |
1967–1973 |
| 1900 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| Kadett L |
5-door Estate |
1100 |
Manual |
1965–1973 |
| Automatic |
1965–1973 |
| 1500 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| Automatic |
1967–1973 |
| 1700 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| Automatic |
1967–1973 |
| 1900 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| Kadett Fastback LS |
2-door Fastback |
1100 |
Manual |
1965–1973 |
| Automatic |
1965–1973 |
| 1500 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| Automatic |
1967–1973 |
| 1700 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| Automatic |
1967–1973 |
| 1900 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| Kadett Fastback LS |
4-door Fastback |
1100 |
Manual |
1965–1973 |
| Automatic |
1965–1973 |
| 1500 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| Automatic |
1967–1973 |
| 1700 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| Automatic |
1967–1973 |
| 1900 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| Kadett Rallye |
2-door Coupé |
1100 |
Manual |
1965–1973 |
| 1500 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| 1700 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
| 1900 |
Manual |
1967–1973 |
Kadett C (1973–1979)
The Kadett C appeared in 1973, and was Opel's version of
GM's 'T-Car', also built in Japan by
Isuzu and sold as the
Isuzu Gemini in Asian markets and Australia and many other names. In
South Korea,
Daewoo Motors built a version known as the
Daewoo Maepsy.
The Kadett C formed the basis of the British
Vauxhall Chevette, which had a restyled front end, and used a 1256 cc OHV (over head valve) Vauxhall engine rather than the 1196 cc OHV Opel engine. It was notable for the inclusion of a hatchback version named City-Kadett, based on the UK
Vauxhall Chevette hatchback, which was a first for Opel. Although Kadett C production ended in 1979, the Chevette was produced until January 1984. Interestingly, the Vauxhall Chevette was imported to Germany starting in 1979 to satisfy the needs of the rear wheel drive traditionalists and was quite a success for a year or two.
The Kadett C today is a cult car in Germany, especially in fastback Coupe form. The most sought after versions of the Kadett C Coupe are the Rallye and GT/E models. These models were built first with the
Bosch fuel injected 1897 cc CIH (cam in head) Opel engine and followed by the updated 1998 cc CIH engine. Right hand drive (UK) versions of these sports models are now rarely seen.
A very rare version was the Aero-Kadett, an open-top Kadett with targa roll bar, detachable roof insert and a separate convertible top aft of the roll bar (like the contemporary Lancia Beta Spider (Lancia Zagato in the US). This car was built in very limited numbers by
Karosserie Baur in Stuttgart.
The Kadett C reached America as the
Buick–Opel. In reality, however, this was an
Isuzu Gemini; an updated version of this car was marketed in the USA as the Isuzu I-Mark in the early Eighties.
In
Brazil, the Kadett C was released six months before its European release as Chevrolet Chevette, and it was available with a choice of three gasoline engines, a 1.4 L, a 1.6 L and a 1.0 L (available only for 1992 and 1993 model year) and the 1.4 L and 1.6 L were also available on
ethanol. This Chevette went through several redesigns - first a front and rear fascia similar to the Opel version, then a look similar to the
British/
American Chevette, and finally a design reminiscent of the updated American version. It was available in several different bodies: Hatchback (1979-1987), Station Wagon (called
Chevrolet Marajó, 1980-1989), Pickup (Chevy 500, 1984-1995) and Sedan (1973-1993). The Chevette sold over 1.6 million units in Brazil, being replaced by the
Chevrolet Corsa.
Kadett D (1979–1984)
The fourth generation car, introduced in 1979 and known as the Kadett D. The British version of the Kadett D was known as the
Vauxhall Astra Mark 1, and was launched in April 1980, though the Opel version had gone on sale in Britain on
14 November 1979. All models were designed as three or five door
hatchbacks and estates or
station wagons. There were also two and four-door sedans, which used the same bodyshells as the hatchbacks, but these were soon dropped. That means that this car came in 2-3-4 or 5 door versions - utilizing an identical side body profile.
Technologically, the Kadett D was a major departure, as it was Opel and Vauxhall's first front wheel drive car. It also introduced the
Family II engine design with an
single overhead camshaft,
aluminium alloy cylinder head,
hydraulic valve lifters, with capacities of 1300 and 1600 cc, and had a unique transaxle design which allowed the clutch to be replaced without removing the transmission unit. Later, an 1800 cc version was introduced for the Kadett/Astra GTE model. This range of engines was also used for later models of the
Corsa/Nova, and the mid-sized
Cavalier/Ascona. The Kadett D was also equipped with a 1600 cc diesel engine that was possible to drive as cheap as 5.0 L/100 km.
Kadett E
The Kadett E was introduced in 1984, and was voted
Car of the Year in 1985, largely due to its advanced
aerodynamic body styling. The 1984 model was also developed into a more conventional "three box" design with a boot (trunk), badged as the
Vauxhall Belmont in the
UK and the
Opel Monza in
South Africa. A convertible version was also available, for the first time in 1987, built by Bertone of Torino/Italy. For the 1988 model, capacities were raised to 1400, 1800 and a new 2000 cc engine, again used on the GSi and Vauxhall Astra GTE. In 1988, a 16-valve twin-cam version was developed for a high performance GSi/GTE model, yielding 156 hp (115 kW) in manufactured form.
The Kadett E has been seen as a
grey import in the UK, however it isn't as popular as the
Vauxhall Astra. It was never officially sold in Britain, and by 1989
General Motors was only marketing the
Vauxhall brand in the UK, however the Opel brand is sold in Ireland.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, South African Kadett GSis were nicknamed the Superboss, equipped with a more powerful 2 L engine developing, and were successful in touring car competitions in that country.
The Kadett E was introduced in
Brazil as the
Chevrolet Kadett, but the three-door station wagon was called the
Chevrolet Ipanema.
It formed the basis of the
Daewoo Le Mans (later known as the
Daewoo Cielo, and
Nexia) in
South Korea, and also as
Heaven in Chile (
Nexia being the HB version), which was sold in the
United States and
New Zealand as the
Pontiac LeMans, and in
Canada (initially) as the Passport Optima. LeMans sales ended in 1993. The Nexia is still being produced at
UzDaewoo plant in Asaka,
Uzbekistan. The Cielo was last being produced at a semi-independent (from GM) plant in
Craiova,
Romania (the license expired in fall 2005).
Kadett F
In 1992, GM Europe decided to standardize model names across its two brands, and Opel adopted sister company
Vauxhall's name for the Kadett,
Astra, for the replacement car which débuted that year, for Europe. Only in South Africa did the Kadett name continue on the first Opel Astra hatchback, until 1999, when all models took the Astra name.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Opel Kadett'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://opel_kadett.totallyexplained.com">Opel Kadett Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
