Kadett B sedan
When Opel showed the way
I wish today's Opel designers could take a look back at their American GM era. The Opels from the 60s and 70s looked fantastic. Take for example the Kadett B. Small, cheap cars that were used as family cars. The model appeared as in 1965 and was produced until model year 1973. It could be delivered in many variants, such as 2- and 4-door sedan, 3- and 5-door Caravan (station wagon), 2- and 4-door Fastback and the Coupé models described earlier.
"Straw Cadet"
Engine-wise, most of the Kadetts went with an 1100 S engine that produced 55 HP. We called the Kadett B the "straw Kadett" because the exhaust pipe was thin and straight, like a straw, and could make a straw sound when walking. Kadett are simple cars. Inexpensive to produce, and inexpensive to maintain. It's been a long time since I last drove a Kadett B, but I remember that the seating comfort was OK, and I found the 1100 engine to be "perfectly fine" - for its time, you might say.
1900 with frieze
There is plenty of space in the engine compartment of the Kadett B. You could get it with all Opels 4-cylinder engines at the time. The best was the 1900 engine with 90 horses. If you find a Coupé with a 1900 S engine, you have a dream car from this period.
About the images of the Kadett Sedan
The two green cars are different cars. One was photographed in Årnes on the occasion of "Motordilla" 2022 - the other was photographed in Pyrenees-Orientales, France. The light-beige car was on display at the Oslo Motor Show in 2025. The red one was photographed on the occasion of a car meet at Nebbenes on the E6 through Eidsvoll.
Kadett B Coupé
With and without gills
The Opel Kadett Coupé is available in 2 variants. In Germany, the coupé variant was nicknamed the "Kiemen-coupé" (Kiemen = gills) because of the air vents behind the side windows that looked like fish gills. You can see clear connections to the American coupés of the 60s here. After 1970, the Kadett Coupé was upgraded with a 70s design, - tough too, - and clearly in line with American 70s cars. When the new model came out, I thought the was tougher than the Kiemen coupé, - but now in retrospect I'm no longer sure. One oozes 60s style - the other 70s - both inspired by American GM.
The Opel Kadett was widely used in rallying. These were cars that were converted and rigged for motor racing, but Opel also made its own variant which they called the Kadett Rallye. According to advertising at the time, it had dual Solex carburetors, thousand-meter gauges, radial tires, perforated rims, tachometer, ammeter, oil pressure gauge and sports exhaust system.
About the images of the Kadett Coupé
The photos of the red car with "gills" were taken at a car rally at Canet-en-Roussillon in the South of France. The orange Kadett Rallye was taken at the Øvrevoll gallop track outside Oslo. The red Series 2 coupé edition is photographed outside a car workshop in Øyer.
Suspension Variflex
As a small curiosity, it can be mentioned that the red Kadett Coupe with French plates was equipped with Variflex. French car buyers preferred cars with soft suspension. Early versions (before the 1968 model) had leaf springs at the rear. At that time, the washboards were quite noticeable on bad roads. So French Kadetts could then have coil springs installed in the rear suspension – called Suspension Variflex. After 1968, all new Kadett cars got better rear suspension.
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