Let’s look again at the big Opels. Because they are awesome! The KAD series: Kapitän, Admiral and Diplomat. And that began in 1964, when Opel introduced the KAD series. KAD for Kapitän, Admiral and Diplomat. Got it? Okay…
For years at the top of all Opel models, the Kapitän was suddenly demoted to the entry-level model of the KAD range. Instead, the new Admiral and Diplomat now ranked above it. Formally, it was even more dramatic. Large Opels already had a distinctly American flavour in previous years. The design of the new one came from Leo Pruneau and Dan Laski, who took particular styling cues from the Chevy Nova II. Angular, trapezoidal, even the headlights rectangular – the window and roof sections, the so-called “greenhouse”, with the front and rear windows at almost the same angles.
Behind this design was the view that round shapes convey emotionality, while angular ones stand more for rationality and reason. And this rationality was countered by the size of the car. In his book about the great Opels, Alexander F. Storz hits the nail on the head: Opel confused size with prestige. A #Mercedes of the W108/109 series was pure understatement compared to the massive KAD. The first generation is called the KAD-A. In the picture an Admiral from the collection of the PS-Speicher in Einbeck/Germany, where there are lots of interesting Opels. The Admiral was basically an upgraded Kapitän. The engines were in-line six-cylinder 2.6-2.8 litre displacements. The top of the range were 4.6 and 5.4 litre Chevrolet V8 engines. As a 5.4, a Diplomat could chase Porsches on the Autobahn – in 1969, that was the end. The new KAD-B was much more European, but still very big.
Now, let’s end this feature with a special treat. The insane car chase from the 1972 movie The Master Touch. A Opel Admiral and a 1957 (?) Plymouth chasing through Hamburg, involving a poor Citroen ID estate. One of my favourite details in this scene is, that the 2-door Plymouth transformes into a 4-door Dodge from one moment to the other. Enjoy as the ladies in the video!
Only Fans is in the making. Literally great content!
A website? So I have to follow you on IG, TikTok, Youtube and here.. please don’t tell me you have…
Absolutely, but when I look at all the Pike-Cars, the Pao remains my abolute favourite :)
The Nissan S-Cargo was also quite a neat design from the 90s. 😊