Now part of General Motors, Opel GmbH is a German car manufacturer of long tradition, being founded in 1863 by Adam Opel. Like many other manufacturers, Opel started out with something other than cars, in this case sewing machines and then bicycles. In 1899 he had already bought a car manufacturing plant that belonged to Friedrich Lutzman. When Adam passed away, his two sons dedicated themselves to building cars for two more years with Lutzman before setting out on their own.
Their next partner in 1902 was the French carriage maker Darracq, with Opel providing the bodies. This partnership too came to an end in 1906 when Opel had enough expertise to make their own cars. The first model had been introduced at the Hamburg Motor Show in 1902. Cars were made at the Opel plant starting with 1907, in parallel with sewing machines, until 1911 when a devastating fire burned down the factory almost completely.
Opel has made a point in staying ahead of the game and in bringing quality to the masses at affordable prices. Lately though, it seems that Opel might be trying to break into a whole new class, one with the other German heavy contenders, Mercedes, BMW and Porsche, where luxury is paramount, with the introduction of the 2008 Insignia. |
