Opel Olympia Cabriolet

The American-style versions of this Opel Olympia clearly show the influence of General Motors, which in the early 1930s acquired one hundred percent of the shares in the German factory.

The car’s gear lever is located on the steering column rather than on the floor, which is a typically American detail. Many more American-looking Opels were to follow, easily recognisable by their large size, the abundance of chrome and the use of fins and other flashy exterior details. The Opel Olympia was introduced in 1935, one year prior to the Olympic Games in Berlin, hence the car’s name. This model was produced for a couple of years after the war but by 1950 it was time for a new version, or rather a ‘facelift’, as the basic technology remained the same as that of the pre-war model: a 1.5-litre, 37 hp, four-cylinder engine that gave the Olympia a top speed of approximately 110 km/h. The ‘cabrio coach’ version of this car cost 6,600 Deutsche Marks, which was 200 DM more than the saloon. Only the estate, at 7,350 DM, was more expensive.