Opel traces its roots to a sewing machine manufacturer founded by Adam Opel in 1862 in Rüsselsheim am Main. The company began manufacturing bicycles in 1886 and produced its first automobile in 1899.
After listing on the stock market in 1929, General Motors took a majority stake in Opel and then full control in 1931, establishing an American ownership of the German automaker for nearly 90 years.
In March 2017, Groupe PSA agreed to acquire Opel from General Motors for €2.2 billion, making the French automaker the second biggest in Europe, after Volkswagen.
Opel is headquartered in Rüsselsheim am Main, Hesse, Germany. The company designs, engineers, manufactures and distributes Opel-branded passenger vehicles, light commercial vehicles, and vehicle parts and together with its English sister marque Vauxhall they are present in over 60 countries around the world.
Here below is a set of vintage ad photos of Opel cars in the 1950s.
1951 Opel Olympia |
1951-1953 Opel Kapitän |
1951-1953 Opel Kapitän |
1951-1953 Opel Kapitän |
1951-1953 Opel Kapitän |
1951-1953 Opel Olympia Cabriolet |
1951-1953 Opel Olympia |
1951-1953 Opel Olympia |
1951-1953 Opel Olympia |
1952 Opel Olympia cabriolet |
1953 Opel Olympia Rekord |
1953-1954 Opel Olympia Rekord |
1953-1954 Opel Olympia Rekord |
1953-1954 Opel Olympia Rekord |
1953-1955 Opel Kapitän |
1953-1955 Opel Kapitän |
1953-1955 Opel Kapitän |
1953-1955 Opel Kapitän |
1954 Opel Olympia |
1954 Opel Olympia |
1955 Opel Olympia Rekord at the Ramsau church |
1955 Opel Olympia Rekord |
1955 Opel Olympia Rekord |
1955-1958 Opel Kapitän |
1955-1958 Opel Kapitän |
1956 Opel Olympia Rekord Caravan |
1956 Opel Olympia Rekord Caravan |
1956 Opel Olympia Rekord |
1956 Opel Olympia Rekord |
1957 Opel Olympia Rekord Caravan |
1957 Opel Olympia Rekord |
1957-1959 Opel Rekord Caravan |
1957-1960 Opel Olympia Rekord CarAvan P1 |
1957-1960 Opel Olympia Rekord P1. |
1957-1960 Opel Olympia Rekord P1 |
1957-1960 Opel Olympia Rekord |
1957-1960 Opel Olympia Rekord |
1957-1960 Opel Rekord Olympia P1 |
1957-1960 USA Opel Rekord |
1958 Opel Kapitän |
1958 Opel Kapitän |
1958 Opel Olympia Rekord |
1958-1960 Opel Rekord P1 |
1959 Opel Kapitän |
1959 Opel Rekord |