Opel Kadett B
| Opel Kadett B | |
|---|---|
Opel Kadett B 2-door Limousine
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| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Opel (General Motors) |
| Production | 1965–1973 |
| Assembly |
Bochum, Germany Johor Bahru, Malaysia |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Small family car (C) |
| Body style |
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| Related | Opel Olympia A |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 1972-73: 993 cc 40/48 PS ohv I4 (export) 1965-73: 1078 cc 45/50/55/60 PS ohv I4 1971-73: 1196 cc 60 PS ohv I4 1967-70: 1492 cc 65 PS I4 (export) 1967-70: 1698 cc 75 PS I4 1967-73: 1897 cc 90/106 PS I4 (petrol/gasoline engines) |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,416 mm (95.1 in) |
| Length |
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| Width | 1,573 mm (61.9 in) |
| Height | 1,274 mm (50.2 in) to 1,405 mm (55.3 in) (according to wheel size and body type) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Opel Kadett A |
| Successor | Opel Kadett C |
The Opel Kadett B is a car that was launched by Opel at the Frankfurt Motor Show in late summer 1965. The Kadett B was larger all-round than the Kadett A: 5% longer both overall and in terms of the wheelbase, 7% wider and 9% heavier (unladen weight), albeit 10 mm (0.39 in) lower in basic standard "Limousine" (sedan/saloon) form. Production ended in July 1973, with the successor model introduced a month later following the summer shut-down, in August.
Opel had built a reputation for providing stylish cars, and the simple well balanced proportions of the recently introduced Opel Rekord Series A had continued the tradition. The unapologetic slab-sided functionalism of the Kadett B disappointed some commentators. However, customers were not deterred, possibly because the simple car body enabled the car to provide an aggressively priced practical and modern car with far more interior space than the Volkswagen which hitherto had dominated the German small car market without serious challenge for more than a decade.
The range of bodies was widened with the Kadett B. The entry level model, priced in September 1965 at 5,175 Marks, was the two-door "Limousine" (sedan/saloon). In addition, for the first time since 1940, it was again possible to buy a four-door Kadett "Limousine". In September 1967 a fast back "Limousine" model, designated as the "Kadett LS" and offered with two or four doors, joined the range.
A three-door "Car-A-Van" (kombi/estate/station wagon) was offered from the 1965 launch, with a five-door "Car-A-Van" added to the range in 1967.
Opel also offered a two-door Kadett coupé with reduced headroom for the passengers in the rear. The coupé body introduced in 1965 included a thick C-pillar with reduced side-windows between the C-pillar and the B-pillar. The thick C-pillar incorporated three prominent air extractor slots reminiscent of the gills on a fish, as a result of which this coupé acquired the soubriquet "Kiemencoupé" (gills coupé). A coupé body with larger side windows for the passengers in the back appeared in 1967 identified as the "Coupé F", initially only on the more lavishly equipped cars, but from 1971 all Kadett B coupés used the newer body. The newer Coupé, with an increased quantity of glass, was slightly heavier than the "gills-coupé" as well as being less aerodynamically efficient, leading to a small reduction in claimed top speed.
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Wikipedia