The Opel Commodore was an executive car produced by German automaker Opel. It is the six-cylinder variant of the Rekord with styling differences. The Commodore nameplate was used by Opel from 1967 to 1982. However, its lineage continues with the Australian model Holden Commodore.
Opel Commodore A (1967-1972)
The Opel Commodore A was manufactured from 1967 to 1972, based on the Rekord C. It was originally called Rekord-6 and was powered by 2.2 L engines, but given larger 2.5 and 2.8 L engines in 1969, when it was rebranded as the Commodore.
It was available as a two-door hardtop coupé or four-door sedan. A sporty model, the Commodore GS/E, debuted in 1970. It had a 2.8 L engine equipped with Bosch D-jetronic fuel injection system developing 160 PS (118 kW), which gave the car a top speed of 197 km/h. The Commodore GS/E also had a career in motorsports, with a car prepared by Steinmetz.
Opel Commodore B (1972-1977)
The Commodore B was based on the Rekord D, and launched in 1972, two years after the base model. As in the previous generation, four models were offered: 2500 S, 2500 GS, 2800 GS and 2800 GS/E, as a four-door saloon and two-door hardtop coupé (although the fastback design was replaced by a more conventional three-box design). Power ranged from 115 to 160 PS (84.5 to 118 kW).
The Rekord and Commodore were also assembled as CKD kits in Switzerland in the early to late 1970s. These cars carried the name "Ranger" and differed from the originals in having different grilles and trim. These cars were exported to various countries.
In 1974, due to new regulations regarding polutant emissions, the 2.5 L base models were dropped and the 2.8 L was detuned. The Commodore B's production ended in 1977.
Opel Commodore C (1977-1982)
The Commodore C was introduced in late 1977, at the same time as the Rekord E. The Commodore continued to be a larger and more luxurious version of the Rekord, but was available only as a saloon with a more conservative and boxy design, following the European trend of the time. The coupé was spun off into its own nameplate, and branded as the Monza.
The new model, which featured a similar front end to the larger Senator, was sold by Vauxhall in the UK as the Vauxhall Viceroy. This model formed the basis of the first Holden Commodore in Australia, and was also sold in South Africa as a Chevrolet until 1982, when it was rebadged as an Opel.
An estate variant, (dubbed 'Voyage' in Germany) was offered in the Opel range from 1979 to 1982, and was not offered by Vauxhall in the UK as a Viceroy, but it became a mainstay in the Holden one, and was also available as a Chevrolet in South Africa. The coupé was not offered in the Commodore C range, its role taken up by the larger Opel Monza. The single engine was the straight-6 2.5 L.
The Commodore (or Viceroy) was dropped by GM in Europe, absorbed into the revised Opel Rekord range of 1983. However, in South Africa, Delta (formerly General Motors South Africa) offered a revised version of the Commodore until the early 1990s, again combining the bodyshell of the Rekord with the front end of the revised Senator, which was not sold in that country. A similar model, the Royale, was also produced by Daewoo in South Korea.
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