THE OPEL KADETT A AT SIXTY

The original A-series Kadett was not exactly a common sight in this country; many Britons would only be familiar with the model via Richard Hammond’s ‘Oliver’. Yet, sixty years ago, it marked a radical departure for Opel, as their first post-war compact saloon – and their first collaboration with Vauxhall.

By 1959, Opel was eager to construct a rival to the Beetle. Volkswagen’s CEO Heinrich Nordhoff informed the world their staple product would only remain affordable and successful if it never radically changed. “Offering people an honest value appealed to me more than being driven around by a bunch of hysterical stylists trying to sell people something they really don’t want to have”.

However, as the 1950s progressed, it became apparent that many affluent German drivers favoured quasi-American looks. Opel decided their latest model would resemble a scaled-down version of the Rekord and use the revived name of ‘Kadett’, which they last used in 1940. In May of 1960, General Motors announced a $250 million expansion plan for Opel.

The Kadett debuted in 1962, with this delightful cinema sales campaign fronted by a German Tony Hancock-a-like:

The brochure also made several unsubtle references to VW – “The engine is in the front, where it belongs, between the front wheels!”. Furthermore, “Our engines are water-cooled, which means a long service life as well as a quiet interior and wonderful warmth, even in the coldest winter months!”. The Kadett development plan was known as “einen perfekten Anti-VW” – the perfect anti-Volkswagen.

The new Opel was powered by an OHV ‘over-square’ one-litre engine in either standard ‘1000N’ or high-performance ‘1000S’ forms. The four-speed all-synchromesh transmission was a significant sales advantage as was the price tag. One German car magazine noted the Kadett did not cost much more than a Volkswagen yet was cheaper than a Ford Taunus 12 M.

The German motoring journal Auto motor und sport believed the Kadett represented a very conservative blend of the design traditions of Opel and their Detroit owners:

When designing this car, Adam Opel AG wanted to avoid taking any risks. She avoided any experiment; the result is accordingly not a sensational or avant-garde car, but a solid piece of automotive engineering, a flawless constructive and industrial achievement - no more, but also no less.

And for those seeking a compact four-seater, the Opel was indeed a worthwhile choice. Meanwhile, Vauxhall’s management planned a 1963 launch of their own small car in 1963. At that time, the two GM marques were separate entities and Opels would not be sold in the UK until 1967. What your friendly Home Counties dealer would not tell you was the Viva HA shared the Kadett’s wheelbase, floorpan and much of its inner body structure. Luton did create the bodywork, but the family resemblance with the Opel was unmistakable

1963 also saw the launches of the Kadett Coupé and the ‘Car-A-Van’ estate. The ‘B’ series debuted in July of 1965, and today you would be hard-pressed to find any example of the A on the road. But those 649,512 Kadetts changed Opel’s image – and foreshadowed the marque’s future relationship with Vauxhall.