Opel CEO Karl-Thomas Neumann Goes On A Trip In The Legacy Kapitän, Admiral, Diplomat Models
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In August, Opel CEO Karl-Thomas Neumann stepped foot into Opel’s heritage garage and decided to go on an excursion through the scenic Rheingau and Taunus regions in Opel’s legendary “KAD” models — Kapitän, Admiral and Diplomat.
Those who remember Opel’s KAD models might also recall that the vehicles served as the brand’s flagships, defining the automotive premium class from 1964 to 1977. The models were known for their luxurious equipment, adept handling, and powerful and gurgling six- and eight-cylinder engines. Even today, the large Opels continue to exude dignity and elegance.
“For me it is always very special and inspiring to drive the models from our Opel Classic collection. That is where we keep the treasures from Opel’s long history, that remind us again and again what a great heritage the brand has and what fantastic cars Opel has built and is again building today,” said the Opel boss enthusiastically, talking about the impeccably maintained classic cars in Rüsselsheim.
The heritage Opel fleet drove through the German back-country with enchanting timber-framed homes and beautiful vineyard valley roads and onto romantic Rhine ferry, with Mr. Neumannn, aka Captain Neumann, demonstrating driving finesse, having already displayed his driving élan at the Old-timer Grand Prix on the Nürburgring with the Rekord C “Black Widow”, a special touring car from the 1960s.
Captain Neumann took the liners from Rüsselsheim to Schloss Westerhaus, the former summer residence of the Opel family, where he was greeted by Countess Ivonne von Schönburg-Glauchau — a descendant of Adam Opel AG founder Adam Opel, and her husband Johannes. The tour continued on its elite course along the north bank of the Rhine, with stops at Schloss Johannesberg and Biebricher Schloss. Finally, the high-class fleet arrived at its home port, docking on the bank of the Main River in Rüsselsheim. There, Captain Neumann admired the body lines of Kapitän and company one last time before heading to the Restaurant Opelvilla to end the day, enjoying the impressions of the passing day.
| MODEL | YEAR BUILT | ENGINE | POWER | NOTABLE FEATURES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OPEL KAPITÄN | 1969 | 2.8L V6 | 132 HP | DEDION REAR AXLE |
| OPEL ADMIRAL A | 1965 | 4.6L V8 | 190 HP | 3-SPEED AUTO TRANSMISSION |
| OPEL DIPLOMAT B LONG | 1976 | 5.4L V8 | 230 HP | TOP SPEED 205 KM/H |
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Those Opel descendants at Schloß Westerhaus also offer two Opel branded sparkling wines, Opel Five and Opel Sekt trocken The number five refers to the five sons of Opel company founder Adam Opel.
These KAD models, especially the V8 brethren, upset the folks in Munich and Stuttgart because of their superior autobahn performance. This prompted an unofficial 6.3 engine transplant into an S-class Benz that gained production,
The KAD A series had the distinction of being Europe’s widest car at the time. The De Dion rear suspension of the KAD B complied with the Detroit directive of a solid back axle according to some sources. Up to that time GM had only sanctioned the Corvair and first generation Tempest to have an independent rear suspension. Opel engineer Helmut Zincke justified the De Dion suspension for its low unsprung weight and constant camber, rather than pulling the wool over his master’s eyes in GM.
Working in engineering for a major supplier to GM in the 1960s and into the 1980s, I saw these “big” Opels at the GM Technical Center in Warren, Michigan at the Chevrolet Engineering Building. They are very impressively handsome cars, distinctive for their non-circular headlamps, such being not permitted on U.S. cars at that time. They appeared to be about the size of their contemporary GM “A” body cars, Skylarks, Cutlasses, Le Mans, and Chevelles. I assume their engines were essentially the same as our domestic Chevrolet small-block V-8s. I have never seen dimensional or performance data for these cars; it would be interesting.
If you ” have never seen dimensional or performance data for these cars”, you might want to look them up in the Wikipedia articles on them. Here is the link to the one on the Opel Kapitän from the earliest model of that nameplate of 1939 to the latest (1969–1970), the one which K.T. Neumann used. From there you will find the other “KAD”s via the links under “see also”.