It’s an accepted fact (or should be) that Opel’s from the late 1950’s through to the mid 1980’s are unquestionably cool – everyone knows this. The Opel Rekord P2, the Opel Kapitän – a car I remember seeing in Germany as a small child and being impressed by not only it’s size but the important-sounding name – the gorgeous Opel Manta A (subject of a separate piece to come) and it’s B successor; the mini-Corvette Opel GT, the Opel Admiral, Opel Monza, Kadett Coupé, to name just some of Opel’s greatest hits. It all got a bit dull and worthy from the Opel Rekord E onwards, but for about 30 years, while never having the cachet of their more prestigious German rivals in Stuttgart and Munich, the Russelsheim factory produced some lovely cars, and none were lovelier – not even the Manta A – than the Commodore B Coupé, and we’ve managed to find a really superb example for sale in the northern German state of Lower Saxony for our Prime Find this week. It’s so good I’m tempted to go over there and buy it…
Opel had long made large saloons and coupés that could be considered as alternatives to Mercedes-Benz and BMW, but at a more affordable price. The Rekord, Kapitän, Admiral and Diplomat sat very comfortably in the medium and executive saloon sector, and the introduction of the Commodore in February 1967 consolidated that place. Notice that none of the ranks chosen by Opel are lower than Kapitän (or Captain), giving the cars an air of aspiration and the owners a sense of achievement, of status.
Some of Opel’s Greatest Hits
Effectively an upmarket Opel Rekord C but with 6-cylinder engines, the Commodore A came in 2 and 4-door saloon and 2-door coupé forms – the coupé is particularly imposing, with a long fastback that makes it look not unlike a smaller Dodge Charger (not a bad thing), especially in profile – and with 2.2 and 2.5-litre engines to start with. Within a couple of years the 2.2 was dropped, and the 2.5 given a power boost from 115 to 120bhp, with a sportier GS-badged version that pumped out 130bhp launched later the same year.
More power was brought to the range in 1970 with a 2.8-litre, fuel-injected 150bhp six for the GS/E that could push this large 4.574m (15 feet) long car to almost 200km/h, but they were only produced in small numbers.
The Commodore A was well received and sold in healthy volumes – 156,330 were built between 1967 and 1971, but in 1972, with introduction of the Rekord D, a new Commodore was also due, the Commodore B, and it’s one of these that is the subject of our Prime Find this week.
The Commodore B was made available as a 4-door saloon and 2-door coupé, though without the long sweeping fastback of the Commodore A. Nevertheless, while I like the A, the B coupé is to my eyes one of the best-looking cars of the era. Less physically imposing than its predecessor but with more elegant and restrained styling, four versions were on offer – 2500S and GS, and 2800GS and GS/E, with power outputs ranging from 115 to 160bhp in the case of the range-topping, fuel-injected GS/E.
Performance was little different to the Commodore A, as the B was pretty much the same size – even though it looks more compact – and was in fact slightly heavier. Nevertheless, it was still a pretty brisk car, especially with the 2.8-litre six powering it along to a maximum speed of 195km/h.
In keeping with its rivals from Mercedes-Benz (the W123 coupé) and BMW (the glorious E9), it was a very practical coupé, with room for four plus luggage – a fine way to travel long distances. All three have elegant pillarless styling and while the E9 is for me one of the most beautiful cars ever made, the Commodore (and the Benz) are both exceptionally handsome cars too. The motorist looking for an elegant autobahn cruiser was spoilt for choice in the 1970’s, especially when you throw in Coventry’s Jaguar XJC, another exceptionally good-looking pillarless coupé.
Choices, choices…
The same isn’t quite true for the classic car enthusiast – while the E9 has risen steadily in price beyond the reach of the average classic fan, with the Jaguar starting to follow it, the W123 and Commodore have for the most part stayed well under our self-imposed £20,000 budget, The difficulty is in finding one, especially a Commodore – very few survive, perhaps a by-product of the car’s perceived lack of status compared to the other two, which have been more treasured and therefore more likely to be kept in good order and restored? In any case, choices are now very limited indeed.
I was therefore very excited to discover this week’s Prime Find during one of my fairly random internet searches. It’s not quite perfect – it’s a GS and it’s automatic – but in every other respect it would fit my bill perfectly.
Our Prime Find is a Signalblau (Signal Blue) 1975 2.8GS Coupé, with black vinyl roof and black velour upholstery – I have to say it looks stunning in this colour combination. It comes with what were optional extras at the time in the form of front fogs, manual sunroof, power steering, and passenger door mirror – particularly useful if it was being driven in the UK. It’s had only three owners in it’s 45-year life, and the odometer reads just 66,900 kilometres (not warranted but would be a welcome bonus if true).
According to the dealer, this lovely car has been the subject of a full restoration including a complete respray in its original colour, full mechanical overhaul and the underside has been given protective treatment. It also has the GS/E’s front spoiler, which I think enhances the look. The wheels look like the original sports steelies with chrome rings, but I’m prepared to be wrong about that.
Being both an automatic and with the 140bhp carburettor engine rather than the GS/E’s injected 160bhp will mean it’s probably only a moderate performer but when it looks this cool, who cares?
There’s no mention of a history file or documentation of the restoration, but I would be surprised if there was nothing, since a photographic record would obviously enhance the value – no doubt the dealer has more information.
While 140, 827 Commodore B’s were built, it’s believed fewer than 40 survive. Certainly in the UK, Opel Commodore GS or GS/E’s are extremely uncommon – howmanyleft.com shows just four, and doesn’t differentiate between A or B. I know of one very fine A in red that has shown up at Bicester Heritage a few times (pictured above), but I literally can’t recall the last time I saw a B, saloon or coupé.
This super car is being offered for sale at €18,999 (currently just under £17,200) and based on the photos – as is our custom, we’ve borrowed a few from the dealer’s website; unfortunately they are watermarked across the middle – and dealer description you’d be hard pushed to find a better one. A BMW 2800CS in this condition would likely be twice the price, although a W123 280CE would probably be only a little more. However, your money will buy you a car more exclusive than either of those, and whoever acquires it will certainly stand out at any show or event they go to. Yes, it’s “just” an Opel, but it’s not any old Opel. Tempted? You can see the dealer advert here, and as always, prior inspection is strongly recommended.
With our Saturday instalment of Prime Find of the Week, we’re offering our services to the classic car community, by passing on our favourite classic car for sale from the week that passed. This top-tip might help a first-time-buyer to own his first classic, or it could even be the perfect motivation for a multiple-classic-car-owner to expand his garage with something different. We’ll let us be inspired by anything from a cheap project to a stunning concours exotic, and hope that you will do the same.
Just remember – Any Classic is Better than No Classic! We obviously invite our readers to help prospective buyers with your views and maybe even experiences of any given model we feature. Further to that, if you stumble across a classic which you feel we ought to feature as Prime Find of the Week, then please send us a link to primefindoftheweek@viaretro.co.uk