Opel Kadett

Production of the first pre-war Kadett began in 1937 at the Adam Opel factory in Rüsselsheim . The model was created on the basis of 1935 Opel Olympia - a successful compact car with a supporting body and headlights integrated into the wings.

Kadett was positioned on the market as a "people's" car - a simplified Olympia - and sold at a fixed price of 2100 Reichsmarks . The more expensive Olympia with a 1.5-liter overhead valve engine cost between 2,500 and 2,950 Reichsmarks.

In 1940, after the release of 168,875 vehicles of the Olympia-Kadett family, including 107,000 under the Kadett brand, civilian production was curtailed and re-equipped to produce military models of Opel Blitz trucks.

In 1947-1956, on the basis of equipment and accessories partially exported from the Rüsselheim factory for reparations , partially recreated anew, the Soviet Small Car Plant in Moscow produced the Moskvich-400 family - originally a complete analogue of the four-door Cadet in the version with independent front suspension.

The Olympia edition in Rüsselsheim was restored in 1947; Before being discontinued in 1953, about 186,000 post-war Olympias of various modifications based on a pre-war prototype were produced. In 1953, a brand new car was launched under the Olympia brand name, significantly larger than the models of 1935-1953 (see Opel Rekord ), and the niche of small cars remained vacant until 1962.

In 1962 , the production of the new Opel Kadett A. began at the new Opel plant in Bochum , built on the 100th anniversary of the company.

A newly designed I4 engine with a working volume of 1.0 liters was installed on the car. The design was based on the latest model of the American Chevrolet Chevy II market at that time, although the back of the car still had the influence of earlier American car designs.

A characteristic technical feature was the front suspension on the transverse spring, which served as an elastic element (the guiding apparatus was made up of quite ordinary four transverse levers). Initially, the car was produced in the back of a “two-door sedan,” and in 1963 the production of a station wagon, called Car-A-Van, was launched. In 1964, they began to make coupes.

In total, 649.512 cars were manufactured until January 1965, of which Standard-Limousine 342.764, Standard-Limousine with sunroof 11.422, Coupé 53.468, Lux-Limousine 70.238, Luxus-Limousine with sunroof 45.004 and Caravan 126.616 cars. Price Opel Kadett A (1962): from 5.075 to 5.775 DM.

Kadett B was a deep modernization of the previous generation, retaining all the basic technical solutions, but received a updated body. The lineup included the most diverse types of bodies (in the figure).

Also, a version with an improved design was released, reviving the Olympia name - Opel Olympia A , however, its production was curtailed in 1970. The car received a bored version of the previous generation engine with a volume of 1.1 to 1.9 liters. and with a power from 45 to 106 l. with. They tried to sell this Cadett in the USA through the Buick dealer network (under the designation simply “Opel”), however, by American standards, the car was too small and uncomplicated, which caused devastating criticism of it.

A total of 2,649,501 Kadett B and 80,637 Olympia were released. Price Opel Kadett B (1967): from 5.480 to 7.385 DM. Price Opel Olympia (1967): from 6.835 to 7.215 DM. Price Opel Kadett B (1973): from 6.910 to 10.268 DM .

Kadett C was developed on the basis of the international platform GM T platform .

In addition to the German version, there were Japanese ( Isuzu Gemini ) and Korean ( Daewoo Maepsy ). In addition, on the basis of the T-Platform, a car was created for production in the UK ( Vauxhall Chevette ), Brazil ( Chevrolet Chevette ), etc. In the United States, Cadett was sold as a Buick-Opel, and the cars were Japanese-made.

The design differed from the previous generation in greater visual "sportiness". Engines had a volume of 993 cubic meters. cm, 1.2, 1.9 and 2.0 liters. In total, from 1973 to 1979, 1,701,075 Opel Kadett Cs were released, including: Kadett 1.0 Liter - 254.723, City - 263.090, Aero - 1.242, Rallye - 19.174, GT / E 1.9 Liter - 8.660, GT / E 2 .0 Liter - 8.549. Price Opel Kadett C (1973): from 7.125 to 8.425 DM. Price Opel Kadett C (1979): from 9.695 to 17.470 DM.

In 1979, Opel took a revolutionary step for itself - with Kadett D, the front wheels were made the leading ones. Cars of the D series were shorter than the C series, but the use of front-wheel drive allowed designers to increase the amount of interior space. The new model was equipped with gasoline engines with a volume of 1.0 1.2 1.3 1.6 1.8 liters, with capacities from 46 liters. s. (1.0) to 104 liters. s. (1.8) as well as a 1.6-liter diesel engine with a capacity of 55 liters. with. A total of 2,092,087 Opel Kadett Ds were produced from 1979 to 1984, including the Vauxhall Astra. Including: hatchbacks - 1,845,846, Station wagons - 210,925, Wagons - 35,316. Price Opel Kadett D (1979): from 10.745 to 13.190 DM.

Model Opel Kadett E (Opel Kadett E) replaced the Opel Kadett D. 1984-1991 was produced, of which the convertible version until 1993.

• 1984, September - production of 3- and 5-door hatchbacks Opel Kadett E;
• 1985 - the first production Opel Kadett E sedans go off the assembly line;
• 1985 - the beginning of the production of the convertible version;
• 1991, August - the production of the Opel Cadett E (with the exception of the convertible version) was curtailed in favor of the Opel Astra F model;
• 1993, February - discontinued convertible Opel Kadett E.

Opel Kadett E won the title " 1985 Car in Europe ." Body modifications 4-door sedan; 3- and 5-door station wagon (also known as the Opel Kadett Caravan); 3- and 5-door hatchback; 2-door convertible; minivan of the "heel" type. In 1987, the Korean company Daewoo began production under the license of the model Opel Kadett E under the name Daewoo Racer , which lasted on the conveyor until 1995. Subsequently, on the basis of the Opel Kadett E, a new model was developed - Daewoo Nexia .

In 1992, GM decided to unify the designations of models of the European market, so the historical name Kadett for the next generation (Kadett F) was replaced by the Opel Astra , borrowed from the similar British model Vauxhall Astra . A total of 3,779,282 vehicles were produced, excluding Vauxhall. Price Opel Kadett E (1985): from 14.320 to 23.340 DM.