Opel · 1937–1977

Opel Admiral

The Opel Admiral is a luxury car made by the German car manufacturer Opel from 1937 until 1939 and again from 1964 until 1977.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Opel Super 6 · Successor: Opel Kapitän

All Opel Admiral data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

Admiral (1937–1939)

The first Admiral was introduced at the Berlin Motor Show in early 1937, although production did not begin until the end of the year, with only eight units produced in 1937. The model was an attempt to challenge luxury cars in the growing 3.5-litre class from Horch, Mercedes-Benz and Maybach. However, it came with a substantially lower price than the similarly sized and powered cars from these premium manufacturers, which combined with its generously proportioned but technically straightforward chassis to make it a favorite with builders of specialist car bodies. Unlike the slightly smaller unitary bodied Opel Kapitän introduced at the end of 1938, the Admiral used a traditional separate chassis. It turned up with several different bespoke cabriolet and limousine bodies, and also provided the chassis, engine and running gear for various substantial ambulances. Engines. The car was powered by a newly developed 3,626 cc straight-six engine for which a maximum output of 75 PS (55 kW; 74 hp) was quoted, along with a claimed top speed for the standard bodied cars of 132 km/h (82 mph). The engine was shared with the 3.5-ton Opel Blitz truck produced at the manufacturer's recently opened commercial vehicle plant at Brandenburg an der Havel southwest of Berlin, and similar enough to the Chevrolet and Vauxhall/Bedford straight-sixes of the time that many service parts interchanged – something that was discovered when the Germans and Allies captured each other's vehicles during World War II. Bodies. The basic Admiral was offered as a four-door "Limousine" (sedan/saloon) with a manufacturer's listed price of 6,500 Reichsmark which was considered very competitive. There was also a four-door cabriolet listed at 7,000 Reichsmark. Customers wishing to spend more money for more style c

Admiral A (1964–1968)

In 1964, Opel introduced its KAD (Kapitän, Admiral, Diplomat) "A" series models. The Admiral "A" was the middle model in this three-car range. The cars were first presented in February 1964, but volume production of the Admiral began only in May 1964: Chevrolet powered V8 Diplomats started rolling off the production line three months later, in August 1964. Engines. The 1964 Admiral was equipped with a 2,605cc straight-6 OHV of 100 PS (74 kW; 99 hp) providing a top speed of 158 km/h (98 mph). An unusual feature of this engine was the incorporation of self-adjusting hydraulic tappets. This engine was offered on the Admiral only for its first year. From September 1965 Opel fitted the newly developed 2,784 cc straight-six Opel cam-in-head engine (CIH) of 125 PS (92 kW; 123 hp), that enabled the car to reach a top speed of 170 km/h (106 mph). This unit was developed in parallel with a four-cylinder CIH which debuted in an upgraded Opel Rekord at the same time. Several manufacturers replaced pre-war side-valve engines with new overhead camshaft power-plants during this decade; the new Opel also carried its camshaft directly above the cylinders. The chain-driven camshaft still operated the valves using rocker arms because the camshaft itself was not positioned a sufficient distance above the cylinders to permit direct action from the camshaft on the valves. The configuration had been developed by General Motors in Detroit and was known as the cam-in-head (CIH) configuration. One reason for the CIH engine architecture may have been cosmetic. Other automakers such as BMW with their 1500 (launched in 1962) and Volkswagen with their NSU designed K70 (which finally entered the showrooms in 1970), squeezed vital centimeters off the height of the engine unit by canting it over at an

Admiral B (1969–1977)

The Admiral B was introduced just in time for the Geneva Motor Show in March 1969 together with the new Kapitän and Diplomat. While the Kapitän was discontinued after May 1970, the Admiral and Diplomat survived until 1977. They were replaced by the smaller Opel Senator in 1978. New look. The new model shared its 2,845 mm (112.0 in) wheelbase with the previous Admiral, but the Admiral "B"'s overall length of 4,907 mm (193.2 in) was 31 mm (1.2 in) shorter than that of the Admiral A. The stylish body came with American flair both on the outside and on the interior but this, especially in respect of the dashboard that confronted the driver, was at the cost of functionality. The design which could be presented in 1969 as flamboyant and futuristic was not in keeping with the more restrained mood that took hold in Germany in the mid-1970s as fuel costs rose following the 1973 oil price shocks. Chassis upgrade. The Admiral "B" was fitted with a De Dion rear-axle which greatly improved road holding, but made the cars costly to manufacture when compared with the simpler suspension arrangements on the previous model. It also greatly reduced the space available in the boot/trunk, which was something customers might notice even before asking for a test drive. The manual 4-speed transmission was carried over from the previous model, but customers opting for automatic transmission no longer had to contend with the General Motors 2-speed Powerglide system which had originally been conceived for cars with much larger and less stressed US style engines. The Admiral B was offered with a 3-speed "Strasburg" automatic transmission. From January 1972 the manual option was no longer available with the Admiral E, leaving the automatic as the only choice for customers specifying fuel injection.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Opel Admiral
Manufacturer: Opel (General Motors)
Production: 1937–1939, 1964–1977
Class: Full-size luxury car (F-segment)
Successor: Opel Senator

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q657450CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opel_AdmiralCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1376170748 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Opel_Admiral6.JPGPublic domain · Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Gryffindor assumed (based on copyright claims). · retrieved 2026-10-01
Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.