It is January 21, 1899. Wilhelm Opel, second eldest son of the company founder Adam Opel, signs the crucial contract. The document that turns the previously successful Rüsselsheim company, which produces sewing machines and bicycles, into a car manufacturer. For the purchase price of 116,887 marks, not only the Anhaltische Motorenwagenfabrik becomes the property of Opel. The entire operation is quickly relocated from Dessau to Rüsselsheim – including employees and machines.
The previous owner Friedrich Lutzmann receives a two-year contract as “Operations Manager of the Adam Opel Motor Vehicle Factory”. This happened in quick succession: in the spring of 1899, the Opel patent motor car System Lutzmann was the first automobile produced in Rüsselsheim to leave the yard. The maximum speed of the motor carriage is around 20 km/h. After a few months, stronger and faster versions will be added. Even a delivery van is available. Advertisements proclaim: “Opel motor cars are the best.”
The era of Opel automobiles began in 1899 with the Opel patent motor car system Lutzmann. Heinrich Opel is behind the wheel, with Opel foreman Sedlazcek sitting next to him.
The maximum speed of the motor carriage is around 20 km/h. After a few months, stronger and faster versions will be added. Even a delivery van (photo) is available.
Technical details
The Opel sponsored motor car System Lutzmann (1899): The horizontal 1,545 cm3 single-cylinder engine with a bore of 122 and a stroke of 132 millimeters achieved a maximum output of 3.5 hp at 650 rpm. This is brought to the rear axle via a two-speed transmission with a drive belt. The maximum speed of the motor carriage is around 20 km/h.
But despite all the euphoria of the Rüsselsheim car pioneers, the Opel designed by Friedrich Lutzmann was no longer technically up to date after the turn of the century. Although Lutzmann designed improvements in cooling and power transmission, the desired production figures were not achieved. The time of designs based on carriage building is over.
The focus is on France
Friedrich Lutzmann does not see himself in a position to design a modern automobile based on the latest technical findings and customer requirements. His era at Opel ended in the summer of 1901. The Opel brothers instead turned their attention to France – the center of technical progress at the time. You come into contact with Alexandre Darracq. The enterprising car pioneer is already enjoying initial success with the idea of light and relatively affordable cars.
The group photo shows the first automobile manufacturers in Rüsselsheim: The photo of the employees of the Opel motor car department was taken in 1899.
This 1899 advertisement promotes bicycles and the automobile.
Thanks to support from France, a modern automobile came onto the market in 1902 with the Darracq 9 HP system.
This Opel advertisement was printed in 1904 in the Allgemeine Automobil-Zeitung, a magazine that has been published weekly since 1900.
As early as the fall of 1902, Opel presented its first in-house design, the 10/12 HP, at the Hamburg Motor Show.
And the Frenchman showed himself to be extremely willing to cooperate: with the arrival of the first Darracq chassis and vehicles in the winter of 1901/1902, the people of Rüsselsheim finally had access to the advanced material that gave them the chance to gain a permanent foothold in automobile production. At the same time, Opel engineers began to master the art of engine and car construction themselves. Dependence on a single person should no longer be repeated in the future. As early as the fall of 1902, Opel showed the 10/12 HP, Opel’s first in-house design, at the Hamburg Motor Show.
From the construction kit to the wedding
1906 will be the 1,000th. Vehicle built. The Rüsselsheim car manufacturer achieved its final breakthrough in 1909 with the legendary 4/8 HP “Doktorwagen”. At 3,950 marks, it costs half as much as the luxurious competing models – it paves the way for a broader section of the population to have their own automobile. The introduction of the modular system in 1910 also contributed significantly to this.
Opel is the first German manufacturer to introduce large-scale production using assembly line technology. The first car to roll off the assembly line in Germany in 1924 was the 4/12 hp “Laubfrosch”, which was always painted green. Just three years later, the Opel 4 PS, with a base price of just 2,980 marks, is no longer an expensive luxury item. Rational production makes the car more affordable from year to year – while performance increases. The demand for Opel models is increasing. In 1931, the successor model “1.2 liter” became the first real “people’s car”.
Opel achieved its breakthrough in 1909 with the legendary 4/8 HP “Doktorwagen”. It costs just half as much as the competing models.
Not a luxury item: The 4/12 hp “Laubfrosch” from 1924, always painted green, is no longer reserved only for rich people with a basic price of 2,980 marks.
The next revolution in production followed: In 1935, the new Olympia model was the first German mass-produced vehicle to have a self-supporting all-steel body. The effect: low weight, better performance and lower fuel consumption. The new design enables the “marriage” between body and assemblies for the first time. The entire production process becomes faster and more efficient.
Consistent pioneering spirit
From this point on, it will only be a year before Opel becomes the first German manufacturer to bring a family-friendly, affordable car onto the market for customers: the Kadett. It is no coincidence that the bestsellers “Kadett” and “Astra” are still synonymous with a compact class that makes innovations affordable for everyone. As Astra Electric, the current compact model is consistent in the tradition of the pioneering spirit typical of Opel – a company that is currently consistently pursuing the path to electromobility.
The “glass” Opel Olympia served as a display model at the IAA in 1937 to demonstrate the self-supporting all-steel body.
April 2024
Photos: Opel, Opel archive