Kadett Chronicles 5: A brief jaunt through time

So I figure that in order to know where this little Kadett is going, it would be nice to know where it came from. Toward that end, I give you a small chunk of Opel history. There will not be a test later, but I could get some questions probing into my knowledge of this car at the show, so this was a great excuse for a little R&D for my world. Although just for the record, I am not above simply telling people that I have no idea and offering to discuss the intricacies of our paint job and matching door panel fabric instead. Have I mentioned that I’m just along for the ride here, people?

Did you know that Opels originated in Germany at the turn of the century? This is significant to me since half my ancestors hailed from Deutschland. Hmm. It could be possible that my great-great-great grandfather worked in an Opel factory.

Did you know that the founder, Adam Opel, actually started out making sewing machines? Soon after his business boomed, he got into making bicycles. His sons all joined the business and they started dabbling in automobiles in 1899. Fifteen years later, they were the largest German manufacturer of motor vehicles.

By the late 1920s, Opel had become part of GM and received a cool $33 million for the transaction. Not too shabby for the Depression era. Incidentally, 33 is my favorite number and I feel compelled to share that with you at this juncture in our relationship.

By the 1940s, Opel had tried their hand at airplane engines. World War II really threw the Opel company for a loop and they never did fully recover. Between the strains of being associated with GM at that time and their factories being targeted for bombings due to their aero technologies, it was just too much to handle. I can relate to that kind of stress.

So they took a few years to let the chips fall, get their courage back and make some plans. By 1959, Opel rolled out their new Kadett model (among others over the coming years) and the rest is history as they say.

As a sidebar, another interesting thing to note is that in the 1980s, Opel came out with a couple of cars that were low exhaust emission gasoline and diesel engines. It’s kind of cool that these green strategic pioneers were way ahead of their time.

You can still buy Opels…they are just different models than the one we are restoring. So after this travel back in time, I think our project has taken on some higher meaning. Allow me to wax nostalgic for a moment...our little Kadett is a part of a legacy that has endured for over 100 years. To restore this car to its former glory elevates the idea that we are in awe of all the twists and turns of fate that had to take place to get it into our hands and hearts. I think I can appreciate the appeal even more now.