The Opel Admiral is a luxury car made by the German car manufacturer Opel from 1937 to 1939 and again from 1964 to 1977.
Admiral (1937–1939)
The first Admiral was introduced early in 1937 at the Berlin Motor Show, although production did not begin until the end of the year, with just eight being produced in 1937. The model was an attempt to challenge luxury cars in the growing 3.5-litre class from Horch, Mercedes-Benz and Maybach. However, it came with a substantially lower price than the similarly sized and powered cars from these premium manufacturers, which combined with its generously proportioned but technically straightforward chassis to make it a favorite with builders of specialist car bodies. Unlike the slightly smaller unitary bodied Opel Kapitän introduced at the end of 1938, the Admiral used a traditional separate chassis. It turned up with several different bespoke cabriolet and limousine bodies, and also provided the chassis, engine and running gear for various substantial ambulances.
Engines
The car was powered by a newly developed 3,626 cc straight-six engine for which a maximum output of 75 PS (55 kW; 74 hp) was quoted, along with a claimed top speed for the standard bodied cars of 132 km/h (82 mph). The engine was shared with the 3.5 ton Opel Blitz truck produced at the manufacturer's recently opened commercial vehicle plant at Brandenburg an der Havel southwest of Berlin, and similar enough to the Chevrolet and Vauxhall/Bedford straight-sixes of the time that many service parts interchanged – something that was discovered when the Germans and Allies captured each other's vehicles during World War II.
Bodies
The basic Admiral was offered as a four-door "Limousine" (sedan/saloon) with a manufacturer's listed price of 6,500 Reichmarks which was considered very competitive. There was also a four-door cabriolet listed at 7,000 Reichsmarks. Customers wishing to spend more money for more style could choose a 2 + 2 seater cabriolet bodied Admiral from the coach builder Hebmüller of Wuppertal, listed at 8,450 Marks. Hebmüller also offered an imposing six-seater "Pullman-Limousine" bodied Admiral with a lengthened passenger cabin (in return for a shortened luggage locker) listed at 8,580 Marks. Other coach-built versions included a 2+2 seater cabriolet bodied by Gläser of Dresden, a car described by one commentator as "dignified".
Commercial
The Admiral's introduction coincided with Germany’s first Autobahn construction boom. Its 70-litre fuel tank allowed for a range between refuelling stops of nearly 400 km (250 miles) despite the car consuming fuel at the rate of 18 l/100 km (16 mpg‑imp; 13 mpg‑US). The Admiral could be presented as a comfortable and rapid autobahn cruiser.
Between 1937 and 1939, Opel produced 6,404 Admirals, split between 3,500 "Limousine" bodied sedan/saloon bodied cars, 2,314 cabriolets and 590 bare chassis supplied for completion to independent coach builders. By one reckoning, the Admiral had captured approximately 25% of the German luxury car market.
Discontinuation
Production ended in October 1939, more abruptly than for some smaller Opel passenger cars, with the outbreak of the war. The military insisted that every 3,626 cc engine that Opel could produce should be fitted in an Opel 3.5 ton Blitz truck for military use.
The army also requisitioned many Admirals directly before the outbreak of war, either in order to use them as officers' "staff cars", or in order to cut away the back portion of the car body directly behind the B-pillar and modify them for use as ambulances or light trucks.
Source: Wikipedia
Reply With Quote
