The German automotive company Opel blows out a very important candle on its birthday cake.

There are not many companies that can boast such a long history, and it is certainly not normal to find an automotive house with a history of over a hundred years.

In the world of sustainable mobility, in fact, we see many companies that are born from startups and young entrepreneurs. Just think of Tesla and its cars that are revolutionizing the Automotive market.

An automotive house, however, known all over the world and which has also characterized our Italian market, is definitely Opel. These days, the 160th birthday of a story has arrived, exceptional in several respects.

Many models have been real legends of mobility, such as Opel Kadett, but also Opel Astra, Corsa and Vectra.

Different types of cars, for different types of customers that are still accumulated in the build quality and in the logo. This lightning bolt, which is now well rooted in the minds of all of us, conveys sensations and details of absolute quality, and the absolute definition of an excellent value for money.

To blow out these very important candles, Opel has decided to organize a month of celebrations. A story born in 1862 in a small German town called Rüsselsheim.

We were therefore in an era where people moved on foot and the richest were aboard horse-drawn carriages. Bicycles weren't in circulation yet, but a certain Adam Opel set up his company at the age of 25.

Adam had achieved excellent results in the textile industry and had therefore decided to open up to new industrial frontiers. He was the son of an expert blacksmith, and it is not known if this descent of his allowed him to have careful eyes regarding the construction quality and the solidity that means of transport must have.

Within a town of about 2000 inhabitants, this boy has decided to revolutionize the world, with a series of small achievements. In the early years, objects were made that are not exactly related to our imagination immediately to the Opel concept, such as sewing machines.

Around 1890 he began the production of bicycles and in just one year, he sold 2200. Clearly they could seem very few, but if compared in a very different context from today, the success was truly sensational. This road is growing more and more and in the 1920s of our last century, Opel was the largest bicycle manufacturer in the world.

To see the first car instead, we have to go back to 1899. It was January 21, the same days as the start of Fiat. Adam had been dead for a few years, precisely in 1895, and the company was owned by his children, who had begun to think about this aspect.

The original assembly line was to build a small car just over 2 meters long, and powered by a small 1500 cubic centimeter Otto cycle engine with just 3 and a half horsepower.

The number 1000, of this production, arrived in 1906. Since then, an exponential growth was born that brought all Opel projects to be famous in the world. The fundamental imprint of this car manufacturer has always been in the creation of democratic mobility for all.

In about 1910, the Germans moved with the 4 horses, a real revolution for the time. Then came the two wars and the postwar period did nothing but consolidate the German imprint in terms of quality and attention to detail for this exceptional car manufacturer. The future is now well defined and is under the umbrella of stellantis destined to be 100% electric.

It is a bit strange, however, to consider an important car manufacturer, such as Opel, to have its birthplace within the production of sewing machines. Right from the start, Adam Opel had to contend with social issues with local tailors. The latter were afraid that the sewing machine could replace their manufacturing knowledge.

The online chronicles also tell us of a brawl between tailors, where Adam was beaten up. For this reason, he decided to deliver his products in great secrecy by carrying out promotional campaigns in areas other than the usual ones in Germany.

From the small workshop to the large multinational company, years and revolutions have passed. First the bike and then the car, they want to underline how an automatic company can progressively revolutionize itself over time.

A tragic event like the First World War, however, obtained great benefits in terms of orders for Opel. Especially popular with some 1.5 ton models. The great depression of the thirties was, after all, overcome in good condition by Opel, for a gradual relaunch after the war. Clearly, Germany was defeated by the Second World War, but nonetheless Opel has always managed to progressively assert its manufacturing quality.

After 1960 there was a diversification of the range, which allowed, between the energy crisis and the new technologies of the 70s, to be the company we all know. The diversification led to cover many sectors, with cars that touched the most disparate areas. We remember, for example, an Opel Calibra, but also the very first Opel Corsa with truly square lines, which, however, achieved great success.

Opel Tigra was the small two-door Coupe, which allowed young boys to feel like they were in a big Coupe.

It also changed hands from General Motor to the Stellantis group in order to grow more and more with a good corporate base. Opel car production sites are currently located in Germany, England, Poland, Spain, Russia and France. The transmissions are also made in Hungary, without forgetting Austria where small-displacement petrol engines are made.

A 160-year-long story, which is difficult to summarize in an article, but which definitely had to be told for its goodness and quality of construction.

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Credit photo STELLANTIS media press
https://www.media.stellantis.com/