On the other side of the town from the Bonneville-hosting junkyard, I found this black Opel Omega. A-body Omegas have been vanishing for a long time, as the B-bodies have fared better – though not without their share of rusty body panels. This wasn’t even a completely ordinary Omega, but a high-spec Omega 3000, meaning that it came with a three-liter straight six.
The Omega was Opel’s E34. It discarded any grandfatherly feeling the Rekord predecessors might have had, and was clad in aerodynamic, sharp bodywork that was extremely correct for the mid-1980s.
The 12-valve Omega 3000 version, which this seems to be, produced 177 horsepower. Later on, from 1989 there was the 24-valve version which upped the reading to more than 200 horsepower – partially thanks to the variable Dual Ram intake. Neither matched the Lotus Omega, but there was still plenty of power for the era.
This one is partially rattlecan black and seems to have done beater duty for a while. Its saving grace is that it’s parked at a local Opel garage, so it might still receive attention on a regular basis.
Frozen Wastes Weekend Edition: Opel Omega 3000
About
8 responses to “Frozen Wastes Weekend Edition: Opel Omega 3000”
-
Everyone seems to know about the European engines for these cars and those doors were used on the 2 inch wider Holden Commodore,(VN,VP,VR,VS) with it’s Buick V6 and locally made Holden V8s but no-one seems to remember the Brazilian version which mated the standard, unaltered Omega bodyshell with the ancient Chevrolet 250ci ‘Stovebolt’ all iron ohv straight six. Lotus was commissioned to update this with EFI and came up with a 24v DOHC head for it as well, which wasn’t proceeded with. The addition of EFI was considered enough. And there was a wagon too.
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/1e/61/2b/1e612b03c0bbb50cfc3c78d29ffca62e.jpg
http://hanabi.autoweek.com/sites/default/files/styles/gen-738-415/public/8040502238_023267fb3d_o.jpg?itok=z335l4y1
https://assets.hemmings.com/blog/wp-content/uploads//2010/02/ChevroletOmega250_01_resized.jpg
http://hanabi.autoweek.com/sites/default/files/styles/gen-738-415/public/omega.jpg?itok=_kipL904
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/18/1988_Holden_Calais_%28VN%29_sedan_%282015-07-14%29_01.jpg/1280px-1988_Holden_Calais_%28VN%29_sedan_%282015-07-14%29_01.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/1994-1995_Holden_Berlina_%28VR_II%29_sedan_%282009-09-04%29.jpg/1280px-1994-1995_Holden_Berlina_%28VR_II%29_sedan_%282009-09-04%29.jpg-
It is very rare to see the 88-91 VN model now, not only because of age but they weren’t a very good car. Cheap and flimsy.
The 3800 was rated at 125kW/168hp but was more about low down torque and had a very fast opening throttle to make it seem powerful.
The 1993 VR model where they fixed the front suspension geometry and made IRS standard on sedans was much better.
-
-
In the UK these cars (the ‘Vauxhall Carlton’) — and even moreso the follow-up model — had a long afterlife in police fleets. Roomy interiors, RWD and a relatively understressed engine initially made them a popular choice for motorway patrol duties and then as the other mainstream ‘UK’ manufacturers (Ford, Rover etc.) switched to FWD architecture they became almost the only choice remaining for forces which resisted switching to SUVs or moving to what were seen as ‘premium’ cars (BMW etc.).
-
Weren’t they eventually replaced by Volvo 850 turbo wagons?
-
-
Such an under-rated car, they lost value quicker than the equivalent BMW in Ireland so mostly ended their lives in the hands of the “welded diff brigade”, very few left on the roads sadly.
-
The tail lights remind me of my 9000. But, that’s about it.
-
A timely post, the era of the GM Opel is at an end, it’s now officially part of PSA
http://www.pistonheads.com/news/general-pistonheads/psa-acquires-opel-vauxhall/35869-
…and a rather jaded view of this from Sniff Petrol;
http://sniffpetrol.com/2017/02/15/psa-looks-forward-to-buying-identical-company/#.WL1jKFWLTDB
-
Leave a Reply