German brand Opel will on June 8 celebrate the 125th year anniversary of its automobile business with an open day at its Rüsselsheim, Germany headquarters. However, the company founded by Adam Opel is 162 years old. The German entrepreneur started his sewing machine business in 1862. In 1886 he began to manufacture and sell high-wheel bicycles, also known as penny farthings.
Adam Opel died in 1895, sadly missing out on experiencing any of the vehicles bearing his name. Manufacture of Opel cars began in 1899 and the car business was driven by his five sons.
Customers, employees and the public, as well as guests of honour, attending the festivities will discover Opel's rich car making history through a factory tour.
The journey through the decades of design will include the 1965 Experimental GT and Opel studies from the 1980s to innovative concepts such as the GT X Experimental and the Manta GSe.
A pop-up exhibition in another building will have exhibits including the Opel-Patent-Motorwagen System Lutzmann, the first Opel car, and other legends such as the Opel Kapitän, GT, Manta and Calibra, including the new electric Opel Ampera. In addition, the public can experience the recently shown Opel Frontera and Opel Grandland, soon available to order, up close for the first time.
The Opel Corsa Rally Electric from the world's first electric one-make rally cup will be doing laps in the car park, where visitors can sign to be in the co-driver’s seat. On another test track set up by Opel, visitors aged 15 and above can experience the Opel Rocks Electric car while younger visitors will find plenty of entertainment at the “Kids Corner”
An additional area reserved exclusively for Opel vintage cars, where visitors who arrive in a vintage Opel vehicle can park their car and expand a spontaneous open-air pop-up exhibition of historic Opel cars, is planned.
The first Opel models arrived in South Africa in 1964, and the brand has built a solid fan base with cars such as the large Rekord and Senator sedans from the 1970s and 1980s, through to the Kadette and Corsa hatchbacks. The latest and enhanced Opel Corsa model is launching in South Africa in a few days' time.
Opel CEO Florian Huettl said: “125 years of automobile production at Opel — we not only want to celebrate this anniversary with our visitors, but also show how Opel has always helped shape the constant change in the automotive industry and is positioned for the future. All this reflects our anniversary motto 'Forever forward since 1899'.”
Local Opel fanatics wanting to be part of the activities can live stream the event on: https://stellantis.qumucloud.com/view/125years
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