Opel Commodore

The Opel Commodore was an executive car produced by General Motors German subsidiary Opel. It is the six-cylinder variant of the Rekord with styling differences. The Commodore nameplate was used by Opel from 1967 to 1982. However, its lineage continues with the Australian Holden Commodore. The last generation was sold in the United Kingdom primarily as the Vauxhall Viceroy although Opel models were also sold.

Commodore A (1967–1971)

Commodore A
1970 Opel Commodore A Coupé
Overview
Production	1967–1971
Powertrain
Engine	2.2 L-I6: Template:Auto PS 2.5 L-I6: Template:Auto PS, Template:Auto PS Template:Auto PS Template:Auto PS 2.8 L-I6: Template:Auto PS
Transmission	4-speed manual 2- or 3-speed-automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	Template:Auto mm
Length	Template:Auto mm
Width	Template:Auto mm
Height	Template:Auto mm
Curb weight	Template:Auto kg-Template:Auto kg

The Opel Commodore A was manufactured from 1967 to 1971, based on the Rekord C. After having offered a Rekord-6 powered by a 2.2 L engine since 1963, Opel in 1967 launched the Commodore as a more up-scale version of the Rekord. The Commodore was initially available with the known 2.2 L-six or a larger 2.5 L engine developing Template:Auto PS with single carburettor. Body styles comprised a two-door or four-door sedan and a two-door hardtop coupé. In September 1967 the sporty Commodore GS offering 130 hp (96 kW) from a double-carburettor 2.5 L-six was introduced.

For model year 1969, the 2.2 L-six was dropped and the optional 2-speed Powerglide automatic was abandoned in favor of Opel's new 3-speed automatic transmission.

From September 1969, the base 2.5 L-engine was pumped up to Template:Auto PS; at the same time, both remaining engines received hydraulic lifters for smoother running, a new exhaust system und six crankshaft bearings. The handbrake lever was moved from its position under the dash to a location between the front seats and the fuel tank was enlarged from formerly 55 to 70 litres.

An even more sporty model than the GS, the Commodore GS/E, debuted in March 1970. It had a 2.5 L engine equipped with Bosch D-jetronic fuel injection system developing 150 PS (110 kW), which gave the car a top speed of 197 km/h (123 mph). The Commodore GS/E also had a career in motorsports, with a car prepared by Steinmetz. In April 1970 a Commodore with a detuned and carburetted 2.8 L-six giving Template:Auto PS followed (GS 2800).

156,330 Commodore As were built, including 2,574 GS and GS/E variants.

Commodore B (1972–1977)

Commodore B
Opel Commodore B
Overview
Production	1972–1977
Powertrain
Engine	2.5 L-I6: Template:Auto PS, Template:Auto PS 2.8 L-I6: Template:Auto PS Template:Auto PS Template:Auto PS
Transmission	4-speed manual 3-speed-automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	Template:Auto mm
Length	Template:Auto mm
Width	Template:Auto mm
Height	Template:Auto mm - Template:Auto mm
Curb weight	Template:Auto kg-Template:Auto kg

The Commodore B was based on the Rekord D, and launched in 1972. As in the previous generation, four models were offered: 2500 S, 2500 GS, 2800 GS and 2800 GS/E, as a four-door saloon and two-door hardtop coupé (although the fastback design was replaced by a more conventional three-box design). Power ranged from 115 to 160 PS (84.5 to 118 kW).

The Rekord and Commodore were also assembled as CKD kits in Switzerland in the 1970s. These cars carried the name Ranger and differed from the originals in having different grilles and trim. These cars were exported to various countries.

Opel Commodores were also build in Iran in the 1970s under the name Chevrolet Iran with both 2.5 L and 2.8 L engines

In 1974, due to new regulations regarding pollutant emissions, the 2.5 L base models were dropped and the 2.8 L was detuned to 129/140/155 PS (127/138/153 hp). Commodore B production ended in 1977.

The Commodore B series where as the A series briefly used in Motorsports, and the extreme "Jumbo" Commodore raced the 1974 "interserie". It used a 6,0 litre V8 engine and had large wings which almost made it unrecognizable as a Opel. It never enjoyed much success despite of its massive powerplant and impressive output.

Commodore C (1977–1982)

Commodore C
Opel Commodore C
Overview
Production	1977–1982
Powertrain
Engine	2.5 L-I6: Template:Auto PS, Template:Auto PS
Transmission	4-speed manual 3-speed-automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	Template:Auto mm
Length	Template:Auto mm
Width	Template:Auto mm
Height	Template:Auto mm
Curb weight	Template:Auto kg-Template:Auto kg

The Commodore C was introduced in late 1977, at the same time as the Rekord E. The Commodore continued to be a larger and more luxurious version of the Rekord, but was available only as a saloon with a more conservative and boxy design, following the European trend of the time. There was no coupé version of the Commodore C, as it was replaced by the Opel Monza, the coupé version of the Opel Senator. The single engine used by the Commodore was the straight-6 2.5 L.

The new model featured a similar front end to the larger Senator. It was sold in the UK under the name Vauxhall Carlton & Viceroy, with the viceroy being a slightly more luxurious version of the Carlton. It was the Opel Commodore and Vauxhall Viceroy that formed the basis for the first Holden Commodore in Australia, and was sold in South Africa as the Chevrolet Commodore until 1982, when it was rebadged as an Opel. There was an estate version (dubbed the "Voyage" in Germany) offered in the Opel range from 1979 to 1982, which became a mainstay in the Holden range in Australia, and was also available in the Chevrolet range in South Africa. It was never offered in the UK as a Vauxhall Viceroy, although a one-off estate car was built in 1981 for Queen Elizabeth II, for her to carry her Corgi dogs. The car still survives today, one of only 15 Vauxhall Viceroys left registered in the UK, as of 2006.

The Commodore was dropped by GM in Europe and absorbed into the Opel Rekord range of 1983. However, in South Africa, Delta (formerly General Motors South Africa) offered a revised version of the Commodore until the early 1990s, again combining the bodyshell of the Rekord with the front end of the revised Senator, which was not sold in that country. A similar model, the Royale, was also produced by Daewoo in South Korea.

It is this model which the early Holden Commodore models were based on, introduced in late 1978, and eventually replaced (after several facelifts) in 1988, with a model based on the Senator and Omega.

Sources

• Werner Oswald, Deutsche Autos 1945-1975. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1975. ISBN 3-87943-371-8. (For Commodore A)

External links

• Vauxhall Motors UK website
• Opel Commodore history (in Russian)
• Opel Commodore A technical information (in Finnish)
• Opel technical specifications at Histomobile
• Classic Opel Parts database
• Opel Commodore C (in Polish and English soon)