Opel Commodore

{{Distinguish|Holden Commodore}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox automobile | name = Opel Commodore | image = MHV_Opel_Commodore_A_Coup%C3%A9_01.jpg | caption = Opel Commodore A Coupé | manufacturer = [[Opel]] ([[General Motors]]) | production = 1967–1986 | related = [[Holden Commodore]] | predecessor = | successor = [[Opel Omega]] | class = [[Executive car]] ([[E-segment|E]]) | platform = [[GM V platform (1966)|V body]] }}

The '''Opel Commodore''' is an [[executive car]] ([[E-segment]]) produced by [[Opel]] from 1967 to 1986. It is the six-cylinder variant of the [[Opel Rekord|Rekord]] with styling differences. The Commodore nameplate was used by Opel from 1967 to 1982 in [[Europe]] and to 1986 in [[South Africa]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://senatorman.de/Rekord_e2.htm | title=Opel Rekord E2 }}</ref> The Commodore [[Nameplate (automotive)|nameplate]] was adopted by Holden in Australia, where it continued until 2020.<ref name=endcommodore>{{cite news | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200224155352/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-10/holden-announces-end-of-commodore-from-2020/11786056 | archive-date = 2020-02-24 | url = https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-10/holden-announces-end-of-commodore-from-2020/11786056 | date = 2019-12-10 | title = Holden axes Commodore range to focus on SUVs and utes as sedan sales dwindle | newspaper = ABC News | access-date = 2020-04-25 | url-status = live }}</ref> The last generation was sold in the United Kingdom primarily as the '''Vauxhall Viceroy''' although Opel-badged models were also sold there, and the '''Chevrolet Commodore''' in South Africa from 1978 to 1982, when it was renamed the Opel Commodore.

==Commodore A (1967–1971)== {{Infobox automobile | name = Commodore A | image = Opel Commodore3.JPG | caption = 1970 Opel Commodore A Coupé | production = 1967–1971 | assembly = Germany: [[Rüsselsheim]] | body_style = 2-door [[Sedan (automobile)#Notchback sedans|saloon]] 4-door [[Sedan (automobile)#Notchback sedans|saloon]] 2-door [[fastback]] [[coupé]] | related = [[Opel Rekord Series C|Opel Rekord C]] [[Chevrolet Opala]] [[Ranger (automobile)|Ranger]] | engine = 2.2 L-[[Inline 6|I6]]: {{convert|95|PS|kW hp|0|abbr=on}} 2.5 L-[[Inline 6|I6]]: {{convert|115|PS|kW hp|0|abbr=on}}, {{convert|120|PS|kW hp|0|abbr=on}} {{convert|130|PS|kW hp|0|abbr=on}} {{convert|150|PS|kW hp|0|abbr=on}} 2.8 L-I6: {{convert|145|PS|kW hp|0|abbr=on}} | transmission = 4-speed [[Manual transmission|manual]] 2- or 3-speed-[[automatic transmission|automatic]] | wheelbase = {{cvt|2668|mm|in|1}} | length = {{cvt|4574|mm|in|1}} | width = {{cvt|1754|mm|in|1}} | height = {{cvt|1445|mm|in|1}} | weight = {{cvt|1130|-|1270|kg|lb|0}} }}

The Opel Commodore A was manufactured from 1967 to 1971, based on the Rekord C. After having offered a Rekord-6 powered by a 2.6 L 6-cylinder engine (which originated in the [[Opel Kapitän]], [[Opel Admiral|Admiral]] and [[Opel Diplomat|Diplomat]]) since March 1964,<ref name=OldtimerKatalogNr23>{{cite book| first = Günther | last = Zink | title = Oldtimer Katalog | volume = 23| pages = 262–263 | year = 2009 | isbn = 978-3-86852-067-5 | publisher = HEEL Verlag GmbH | location = Königswinter | language = de }}</ref> Opel in February 1967 launched the Commodore as a faster up-market version of the [[Opel Rekord|Rekord]]. The Commodore was initially available with the proven 2.2-litre six and a larger 2.5 L engine developing {{cvt|115|PS|kW|0}} with a single carburettor. The 2239 cc engine with which the Commodore was launched shared its 82.5 x 69.8 mm cylinder dimensions with the four-cylinder 1492 cc Rekord engine on which it was based. The unit was first seen in the short-lived six-cylinder version of the Opel Rekord towards the end of 1966, but ceased to be offered in the Rekord after July 1967 when it became the entry level power unit for the newly introduced Opel Commodore. Body styles comprised a two-door or four-door [[notchback]] [[Sedan (automobile)#Notchback sedans|saloon]] and a two-door [[hardtop]]/[[fastback]] [[coupé]]. In September 1967 the sporty '''Commodore GS''' offering {{cvt|130|PS|kW|0}} from a dual-carburettor 2.5-litre six was introduced.

For the 1969 model year, the carryover 2.2-litre 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 {{cvt|120|PS|kW|0}}; at the same time, both remaining engines received hydraulic lifters for smoother running, a new exhaust system and six camshaft 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 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 [[Robert Bosch GmbH|Bosch]] D-jetronic [[fuel injection]] system developing {{cvt|150|PS|kW|0}}, which gave the car a top speed of {{convert|197|km/h|mph||abbr=on}}. The Commodore GS/E also had a career in [[motorsports]], with a car prepared by [[Steinmetz Opel Tuning|Steinmetz]]. In April 1970 a Commodore with a detuned and carburetted 2.8 L-six giving {{cvt|145|PS|kW|0}} followed (GS 2800).

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

The Rekord C/Commodore A "V body" platform was used by GM to produce other models in many markets, these include the [[Ranger (automobile)|Ranger]] sold in mainland [[Europe]] and also in [[South Africa]], as well as the [[Chevrolet Opala|GM Opala]] which was built and sold in [[South America]] from 1968 through to 1992. Ranger and Opala production commenced two years after the Commodore A's debut in 1966.

<gallery widths="200" heights="125"> File:Opel Commodore (4654095929).jpg|Opel Commodore A sedan File:MHV Opel Commodore A Coupé 02.jpg|Opel Commodore A coupe rear Opel Commodore interior.JPG|Interior </gallery>

'''GS/E History'''

All engines for the Commodore were 12 valve, CIH straight-six engines ranging from 2.2 to 2.8 litres. All but one engine option had single-barrel (2.2) or double-barrel (2.5; 2.8) downdraught carburetor. in 1970 the GS/E model was introduced which as its badge implies did not utilise carburetors, the "E" meaning ''Einspritzung'' or fuel injection in English.

Opels didn't have the reputation for performance cars in the period and they had seen the positive impact on sales for other race winning manufacturers on having performance models in their range of cars. Opel wanted to be in this area of the market and the results of this desire was the Commodore GS/E.

The carburettors were ditched in favour of a [[ Jetronic|Bosch D-Jetronic]], Bosch's first commercially produced electronic fuel injection system. Bosch D-Jetronic was a very early version of multi-point EFI, the “D” stood for “drucksensorgesteuert” (pressure sensor regulated). Unlike later Bosch fuel injection system, the injection was direct to the cylinder instead of via the Plenum inlets, which meant the a specific cylinder head was manufactured specifically for the engine, making this model unique and expensive to produce and purchase. Different from older mechanical injection systems, it incorporated taking input from the pressure inside the intake manifold. This is known as the Air Mass Sensor or in modern terms this would be known as the MAP-sensor (manifold absolute pressure), a part that's commonly found in more modern vehicles.

Bosch sold the patent to Japanese companies that continue to produce injection systems based on D-Jetronic.

D-Jetronic fuel injection was installed onto the 2.5 litre engine with the modified cylinder head, increasing power by {{cvt|20|PS|kW|0}}, making it more powerful than the larger, 2.8-litre engine. The fuel injected engine, named 2500 E, now produced {{cvt|150|PS|kW hp|0}} at 5,800 rpm and {{cvt|196|Nm|lbft|0}} of torque at 4,500 rpm with an unchanged compression ratio of 9.5:1. For comparison, the base model [[Porsche 911#2.2-litre / C and D series (1969–1971)|Porsche 911T]] in 1970 had {{cvt|25|PS|kW hp|0}} less, but was more expensive{{Citation needed|date=September 2018}}. The GS/E could accelerate from 0–100 km/h (62 mph) in 9.5 seconds, a similar value to the same period Porsche 911.{{Citation needed|date=September 2018}} It could also reach a top speed of {{cvt|192|km/h|mph|0}}.

The GS/E Coupe model is known affectionately as the "German Charger".<ref>{{cite web |title=1970 Opel Commodore 2500 GS/E Coupé |url=https://www.classicdriver.com/de/car/opel/commodore/1970/867324 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220724034251/https://www.classicdriver.com/de/car/opel/commodore/1970/867324 |archive-date=2022-07-24 |website=Classic Driver}}</ref>

=={{anchor|B}}Commodore B (1972–1977)== {{Infobox automobile | image = Opel Commodore B IMG 5497.jpg | name = Commodore B | production = {{ubl | 1972–1977 | 1973–1978 (South Africa) | 1974–1976 (Iran) }} | assembly = Germany: [[Rüsselsheim]] Iran: [[Tehran]] ([[Pars Khodro|GM Iran]]) South Africa: [[Port Elizabeth]] ([[General Motors South Africa|GMSA]]) | body_style = 4-door [[Sedan (automobile)#Notchback sedans|saloon]] 2-door [[coupé]] | engine = {{ubl | 2490 cc ''[[Opel cam-in-head engine#2.5 litre I6|25S/H CIH]]'' [[Straight-six engine|I6]] | 2784 cc ''[[Opel cam-in-head engine#2.8 litre I6|28S/H/E CIH]]'' I6 }} | transmission = {{ubl | 4-speed [[Manual transmission|manual]] | 3-speed [[Automatic transmission|automatic]] }} | length = {{convert|4607|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} | width = {{convert|1728|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} | height = {{convert|1380|-|1415|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} | weight = {{convert|1210|-|1305|kg|lb|1|abbr=on}} | wheelbase = {{convert|2668|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} | related = [[Opel Rekord D]] | designer = [[Chuck Jordan (automobile designer)|Chuck Jordan]] }}

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 [[Sedan (automobile)|saloon]] and two-door [[hardtop]] [[coupé]] (although the [[fastback]] design was replaced by a more conventional [[Three-box styling|three-box design]]). Power of the 2.5-litre engine was {{cvt|115|or|130|PS|kW|0}} depending on the specifications (25S/25H), while carburetted 2.8-liters had {{cvt|130|or|142|PS|kW|0}}. The fuel injected 2.8 used in the GS/E has {{cvt|160|PS|kW|0}}.

The Rekord and Commodore were also assembled as [[Complete knock down|CKD]] kits in [[Belgium]] and [[Switzerland]] in the 1970s. These cars carried the name '''[[Ranger (car)|Ranger]]''' and differed from the originals in having different grilles and trim. These cars were exported to various countries.

In 1974, due to new regulations regarding pollutant emissions, the 2.5-litre models were dropped and the 2.8 L models were detuned to {{cvt|129|/|140|/|155|PS|kW|0}}. Commodore B production ended in 1977.

The Commodore B series was like the A series briefly used in motorsports, and the extreme "Jumbo" Commodore raced in the 1974 "interserie". It used a [[Chevrolet big-block engine#366|6.0-litre V8 engine]] and had large wings which almost made it unrecognizable as an Opel. It never enjoyed much success despite its massive powerplant and impressive output.

<gallery widths="200" heights="125"> File:Opel Commodore B rear 20071004.jpg|Opel Commodore GS File:Opel Commodore GS coupe at Schaffen-Diest 2018.jpg|Opel Commodore GS Coupé File:Opel Rekord D GS Coupé, Heck (2017-06-11 Sp).JPG|Opel Commodore GS Coupé (rear view) </gallery>

===Foreign assembly=== Opel Commodores were also built in [[Iran]] between 1974 and 1976 under the name '''Chevrolet Iran''' 2800, 2500, Royal and Custom with both 2.5 L and 2.8 L engines by [[Pars Khodro]] (General Motors Iran).<ref>{{citation | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=KCmuCwAAQBAJ&q=chevrolet+royal+iran&pg=PA6 | title = The Economies of the Middle East | first = Rodney | last = Wilson | publisher = MacMillan Press Ltd. | location = London | date = 1979 | page = 6 | isbn = 9781349034215 }}</ref><ref name=SS03>{{cite journal | ref = SS03 | title = Katalog Samochody Świata 2003 | journal = Samochody Świata | trans-title = World Car Catalogue 2003 | editor-first = Eligiusz | editor-last = Mazur | publisher = Print Shops Prego - Polska Sp. z o.o. | location = Warsaw, Poland | page = 226 | date = 2002 | issn = 1234-8198 }}</ref> The first Royale, also the first Chevrolet car built in Iran, left the production line on 15 January 1974. The Royale sold well initially, but the car had not been re-engineered for Iranian conditions and the low ground clearance coupled with carburettor troubles led to its reputation quickly being tarnished. The car was withdrawn by early 1977, replaced by the locally-built versions of the [[Buick Skylark]], [[Chevrolet Chevy II / Nova|Chevrolet Nova]], and [[Cadillac Seville]] (American origins).<ref name=jamejam>{{cite web | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180502075010/http://jamejamonline.ir/online/2569013432729587656 | archive-date = 2018-05-02 | url = http://jamejamonline.ir/online/2569013432729587656 | date = 2016-10-05 | first = S.M. | last = Qasemi | title = شورولت رویال؛ خودرویی که از آغاز به پایان رسید! | trans-title = The Chevrolet Royale: A car that was finished from the beginning! | language = fa | work = jamejamonline }}</ref>

It was also assembled in South Africa, where it was called the [[Opel Rekord Series D#ZA|Chevrolet 2500, 3800, and 4100]], and was a top seller in that market. These received inline-four or -six engines of Chevrolet origins, built locally. {{clear|right}}

==Commodore C (1978–1986)== {{Infobox automobile | image = 1979 Opel Commodore 2.5S Automatic (52833134080).jpg | name = Commodore C | production = 1978–1986 | assembly = Germany: [[Rüsselsheim]] South Africa: [[Port Elizabeth]] ([[General Motors South Africa|GMSA]]) | body_style = 2/4-door [[Sedan (automobile)#Notchback sedans|saloon]] 5-door [[station wagon|estate]] | successor = [[Opel Omega]] A | engine = {{ubl | 2.5 L ''[[Opel cam-in-head engine|Opel CIH]]'' [[Straight-six engine|I6]] | 3.0 L ''[[Opel cam-in-head engine|Opel CIH]]'' I6 | 3.8 L [[Chevrolet Turbo-Thrift engine#230|''Chevrolet 230'']] I6 (ZA) | 4.1 L [[Chevrolet Turbo-Thrift engine#250|''Chevrolet 250'']] I6 (ZA) }} | transmission = {{ubl |4-speed manual |3-speed [[automatic transmission|automatic]]}} | length = {{convert|4732|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} | width = {{convert|1722|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} | height = {{convert|1415|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} | weight = {{convert|1200|-|1310|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}} | wheelbase = {{convert|2668|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} | related = {{ubl | [[Opel Rekord E]] | [[Opel Senator]] A | [[Holden Commodore (VB)]] }} | aka = Chevrolet Commodore (South Africa) Vauxhall Viceroy (United Kingdom) }}

The Commodore C was first shown in late 1977, at the same time as the Rekord E. It only entered series production in October the following year, however. The South African version of this car, the '''Chevrolet Commodore''',<ref>[https://www.flickr.com/photos/hugo90/4387543017 Chevrolet Commodore], South Africa</ref> was actually ahead of the European original model to enter production, in September 1978.<ref name=CarZA0778>{{cite magazine | magazine = CAR (South Africa) | title = New models: Chevrolet Commodore on its way | editor-last = Wright | editor-first = Cedric | volume = 22 | number = 7 | date = August 1978 | ref = DNLCV | page = 14 | publisher = Ramsay, Son & Parker (Pty) ltd. }}</ref> The Commodore continued to be a larger and more luxurious version of the Rekord. There was no [[coupé]] version of the Commodore C, as it was replaced by the [[Opel Monza]], the [[coupé]] version of the [[Opel Senator]], but a two-door [[notchback]] [[Sedan (automobile)#Notchback sedans|saloon]] was available until June 1981. The single engine used by the Commodore in Europe was the well-known [[Straight-six engine|straight-six]] 2.5-litre unit with {{convert|115|PS|kW hp|0|abbr=on}} or {{convert|130|PS|kW hp|0|abbr=on}} when fitted with fuel injection. It followed [[Holden]]'s lead with the [[Holden Commodore (VB)]], which also combined the body of the Rekord with the front-end of the Senator.<ref>{{cite book |last=Tuckey |first=Bill |title=Commodore Lion King: Celebrating 21 Years |year=1999 |location=[[Middle Park, Victoria]] |publisher=Quil Visual Communications |isbn=0-646-38231-4 |ref=Tuckey (1999) | page = 33 | quote = The Rekord with the Senator nose job [...] was so well proportioned that Opel later picked up the bastard child to fit between its Rekord and Senator on the European market...}}</ref>

The Commodore C was never a success, occupying an uncomfortably narrow niche between the Rekord and Senator. Another concern was the fuel mileage, with a fuel injected Commodore taking considerably more fuel than the larger three-liter Senator.<ref name=TV382>{{cite magazine | title = Ljuva livet på vägen |trans-title=Life of delight on the road | ref = TVn3 | language = sv | journal = [[Teknikens Värld]] | publisher = Specialtidningsförlaget AB | location = Stockholm, Sweden | pages = 16–17 | date = 1982-01-13 | issue = 3 | volume = 34 | first = Björn | last = Sundfeldt }}</ref> The outdated engine also had little torque available at lower engine speeds, and was noisy.<ref name=TV2p18>[[#TVn3|Sundfeldt]], p. 18</ref>

The new model featured a similar front end to the larger Senator. It was sold in the UK under the name '''Vauxhall Viceroy''', with the Viceroy being a slightly more luxurious version of the [[Vauxhall Carlton|Carlton]]. There was an [[station wagon|estate]] version (dubbed the "Voyage" in Germany) offered in the Opel range from April 1981 until the end of production in 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 by [[Vauxhall Motors|Vauxhall]] in the UK as a Viceroy, although a one-off estate car was built in 1981 for [[Queen Elizabeth II]], for her to carry her [[Welsh Corgi|Corgi]] dogs. The car still survives today, one of only 15 Vauxhall Viceroys left registered in the UK, as of 2006.{{Citation needed|date=May 2008}}

The Commodore was dropped by [[Opel]] in Europe in 1982.

===Manufacture elsewhere=== It was the Opel Commodore and Vauxhall Viceroy was sold in [[South Africa]] as the '''Chevrolet Commodore''' until 1982, when it was rebadged as an Opel. The South African Commodore was introduced in July 1978, at the same time as the Rekord E went on sale there.<ref>[https://www.flickr.com/photos/hugo90/4387543017/in/gallery-40382690@N05-72157623402790525/ Chevrolet Commodore]</ref> These originally had [[Chevrolet Turbo-Thrift engine|Chevrolet engines]], pushrod inline-sixes of 3.8 or 4.1 liters.<ref name=TAM85>{{Cite book | title = Quattroruote: Tutte le Auto del Mondo 1985 | editor = Mastrostefano, Raffaele | publisher = Editoriale Domus S.p.A | ref = TAM90 | year = 1985 | pages = 186–187 | language = it | location = Milano | isbn = 88-7212-012-8 }}</ref> Sold as a standard or a GL (with the 4.1 only available as a sedan with automatic transmission), the South African version replaced the earlier [[#Foreign assembly|Chevrolet 3800 and 4100]], also based on the Commodore.<ref name=CarZA0778/>

However, in South Africa, [[General Motors South Africa]] (later [[Delta Motor Corporation|Delta]]) offered a revised version of the Commodore until 1986, again combining the bodyshell of the Rekord with the front end of the revised Senator.<ref>[https://www.flickr.com/photos/ifhp97/29714189272 1984 Opel Commodore 3.0 E (South Africa)]</ref> It was also sold there with the same 3-litre inline-six, producing {{convert|180|PS|kW|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="WC85">{{Cite book | title = World Cars 1985 | publisher = The Automobile Club of Italy/Herald Books | editor-last = Lösch | editor-first = Annamaria | location = Pelham, NY | page = 332 | year = 1985 | isbn = 0-910714-17-7 }}</ref>

<gallery widths=200px heights=130px> File:Commo voyage.jpg|Opel Commodore C Voyage (1981–1982) File:Opel Commodore C rear three quarters at Schaffen-Diest in 2014.JPG|Opel Commodore C (1978–1982) File:1981 Vauxhall Viceroy Automatic 2.5.jpg|In the UK, the Opel Commodore C was also sold as the Vauxhall Viceroy File:Opel Commodore (4947492161).jpg|Opel Commodore C two-door; only about 5400 of this bodystyle were built (1978–1981) </gallery>

==Sources== *Werner Oswald, ''Deutsche Autos 1945–1975''. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1975. {{ISBN|978-3-87943-391-9}}. (For Commodore A)

==External links== {{Commons category}} *[http://www.opel6070club.com/Historiaa/commodorea/commoa.htm Opel Commodore A technical information (in Finnish)] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20060720015046/http://www.histomobile.com/histomob/internet/62/somm1.htm Opel technical specifications at Histomobile] *[http://www.classicopelparts.com/ Classic Opel Parts database] *[http://www.opelcommodore.pl/ Opel Commodore C (in Polish and English soon)]

{{Opel}} {{Classic Opel timeline}} {{Vauxhall Motors}} {{Vauxhall timeline 1945 to 1979}} {{Vauxhall timeline 1980 to present}} {{Chevrolet vehicles}}

[[Category:Opel vehicles|Commodore]] [[Category:Rear-wheel-drive vehicles]] [[Category:Executive cars]] [[Category:Coupés]] [[Category:Sedans]] [[Category:Station wagons]] [[Category:Cars introduced in 1967]] [[Category:1970s cars]] [[Category:1980s cars]] [[Category:Cars discontinued in 1982]]