Opel

Founder Adam Opel

© photo courtesy of: Opel

Opel entered the automobile business in 1899, selling Opel-LutzmannOpel Patent Motorwagen Sy...Germany, 1899 > 19012 photos
cars, the first of them being the “Patent Motor Car”. Partnership between Opel and Lutzman was terminated in 1901 and Adam Opel’s son initiated a new contract with the French carmaker DarracqDarracqFrance, 1895 > 19199 models
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that allowed the German company to built Opel-Darracq cars. These cars received their chassis from Darracq and their bodies from Opel.

In 1907 the Opel-Darracq agreement came to and end and Opel began producing its cars by its own matters.

From 1911 on, Opel was a manufacturer of cars, bicycles and motorcycles. The American car group General MotorsGMUnited States of America, 1998 > present8 models
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bought 80% of the German carmaker in 1929, acquiring the 20% left in 1931, and still remains its full holder to this day.

In 1940, however, the German Nazis took over Opel’s manufacturing plants, which were also heavily bombed by the Allies in 1944. Opel resumed the automobile production in 1947.

The German brand expanded to the Asian market in 1971, although more recently Opel Japan has been closed (December 2006).

The logo that Opel cars carry on their grilles is the representation of a lightning bolt, which is a reminiscence from the “historic” Opel Blitz truck, given that ‘blitz’ means ‘lightning’ or ‘flash’ in German.
Until 1964, however, Opel’s symbol consisted on a Zeppelin – the “Z” eventually was stylised into a lightning bolt.