The Alt-Opel interest group (AOIG) celebrated its 50th birthday last year with a big meeting in the Allgäu – 400 Opel classics drove up to the tranquil little town of Altusried. In the Rüsselsheim “Motorworld”, just a stone’s throw away from the monument to the company founder Adam Opel, those responsible met again in a smaller circle. The occasion: the presentation of the book “Alt-Opel-IG … Nie mehr Alone”, which retells the history of the first German brand club of its kind on 272 pages and classifies and analyzes its importance.
Captain as the initial spark
Eckhart Bartels, one of the founding fathers of the AOIG and one of the most renowned publicists on the classic car scene, is responsible as editor and lead author. “Even the trunk of his 1951 captain would probably be too small for the wealth of adventures and experiences that Eckhart Bartels was able to draw from for this book,” said Harald Hamprecht, Opel Vice President Communications, when welcoming the guests in the premises of the former Opel -Headquarters. It was this captain who gave the initial impetus for founding the brand club.
“The book is a declaration of love to the friends of Alt-Opel IG, whose service to maintaining tradition cannot be praised enough.”
– Harald Hamprecht –
Eckhart Bartels was 22 years old when he bought an 18-year-old Opel Kapitän in 1969, and Hans-Martin Weber did the same shortly. Between 1969 and 1971, the two had been looking for like-minded people to realize their idea of a “community of interests”. “Without the Internet, but consistently through cleverly placed search ads,” as Heiner Schnorrenberg, today chairman of the AOIG, recalled. And so they came together, “a couple of young men who wanted to see more in a working car than a proclaimed product that would eventually be scrapped.” The result: today the AOIG has 2,800 members worldwide.
Always an open ear
The first big meeting took place in 1972, on the club’s 1st birthday, on a green meadow in Oberursel. The same year that Leif Rohwedder was born. Today he is the head of Opel Classic and a member of the AOIG, along with numerous current and former Opel employees, although the association has always been organized outside of the company. “The rapid development of the last 50 years has changed a lot, including aspects of our hobby,” said Leif Rohwedder in his welcoming speech. “But one thing remains: the love of old cars.” No wonder that over the years AOIG has always found contacts in Rüsselsheim who had an open ear for their concerns.
“A lot is changing, but one thing remains: the love for old cars.”
– Leif Rohwedder –
The book vividly traces the development of the world’s largest brand club.
“Treasure trove for generations”
The book speaks of this love above all else. The fact that it turned out to be so powerful is due to the fact that he took a lot of photos for every occasion right from the start – without even suspecting that he would one day need the material for such an extensive documentation, the author reported. He was supported by photographer Ben de Wilde, who is also an AOIG member.
Nevertheless, the book is not an illustrated book, it contains a wealth of information that one should take the time to discover. “There are 272 pages that you can flip through quickly – but it takes a year to read them carefully,” says Heiner Schnorrenberg with certainty. For Harald Hamprecht, the work is “a treasure trove for future generations. And a declaration of love to the friends of Alt-Opel IG, whose contribution to maintaining the tradition of our brand cannot be praised enough.”
“Alt-Opel-IG … Never Alone” was published by Precht Media and costs 35 euros (ISBN: 978-3-949025-32-7). A few copies are stored in Rüsselsheim across from “Motorworld” in the bookshop “Kapitel 43” for quick purchases.
July 2023
Text: Eric Scherer; Photos: Alt Opel IG/Ben de Wilde, Leif Rohwedder