Could there be a better place for a flagship parade than the Bodensee – or rather around it in this specific case. Opel will send no less than six of its historic flagship models to the 6th Bodensee Klassik. The classic car rally through Germany, Switzerland and Austria (May 4 to 6) will start in Bregenz before taking the teams to Memmingen in the north and Brand in the south. Each day’s leg ends at the festival hall in Bregenz, where fans can also enjoy the best view of the treasures on wheels. This year, Opel will participate with a well-known sextet:
- Number 11, 1976 Opel Diplomat B V8 extended wheelbase
- Number 12, 1966 Opel Kapitän A V8
- Number 13, 1956 Opel Kapitän
- Number 14, 1991 Lotus Omega
- Number 15, 1966 Opel Admiral A V8
- Number 16, 1972 Opel Commodore B GS/E
There is a lot to be admired and said about the cars. Number 11 is an Opel Diplomat with an extended wheelbase. It was used as one of the presidential limousines when US President Gerald Ford visited Germany in 1976. Just over three decades later, the Diplomat will be driven by Opel Vice President Sales & Aftersales Peter Küspert and actor Roman Knižka. The Kapitän V8 with number 12 is the most sought after model of the A series. Only 130 vehicles with the eight-cyclinder engine were produced. The car will be driven by Opel brand ambassador Joachim Winkelhock and TV star Tim Wilde. This engine was normally reserved for the Admiral and Diplomat. Number 13 is the two-millionth Opel built – a gilded and partially gold painted Kapitän A from the Opel Classic pool. Number 14 is the fastest street-legal Omega – a 377 hp sports sedan made by Lotus. And finally Number 16, a 190 hp Commodore GS/E in the look of the 1972 coupe tuned by Irmscher and in which Walter Röhrl and Jochen Berger celebrated a class win at the Rallye Monte Carlo. All participating cars create a link to Opel’s most recent flagship, the new Insignia Grand Sport, which will be on show in front of the festival hall. “GS” or “Grand Sport” is a traditional Opel label for sporty variants, which has been revived with the new Insignia and matches the athletic attributes of the newcomer. The Insignia Grand Sport is lighter than before, comes with a driver-oriented cockpit, low center of gravity and a high level of driving dynamics making it the ideal successor of famous predecessors such as the Lotus Omega and the Commodore.
However, the second generation Insignia not only impresses with its sporting attributes, it dynamic lines and the feel-good atmosphere inside – it also offers a wider range of intelligent technologies than any other vehicle in its segment. The offer ranging from the trendsetting Opel IntelliLux LED matrix headlights and the state-of-the-art all-wheel drive system with torque vectoring, to the innovative driver assistance systems and the head up display. In addition, the new Insignia also comes with Opel-typical first-class connectivity with smartphone integration and Opel OnStar, which has now been extended by the hotel room booking service and parking spot search[2]. Overall, the Rüsselsheim-built flagship impresses with a high level of agility and driving precision, more space along with outstanding value-for-money, making it a serious alternative even to premium class vehicles.
