From the legendary Ascona 400 to the Corsa Cup
The Bodensee Klassik 2019 started on the afternoon of May 2 in Friedrichshafen. On Friday (Leg 1, Bregenz-Reutte-Bregenz) and Saturday (Leg 2, Bregenz-Ravensburg-Bregenz), 180 classic cars in perfect condition drive a total of 530 km through the regions of Vorarlberg, Tirol, Allgäu and Upper Swabia. This year, legendary Opel names from rally racing are present. The Ascona B 400 - the model driven by Walter Röhrl and Christian Geistdörfer when they became World Champions in 1982 - is flanked by classics such as the "Kulläng" Kadett and Irmscher Commodore. The cockpits are manned by famous names: Opel ambassador and Le Mans winner Jockel Winkelhock will drive a Kadett C GT/E, actor Florian Bartholomäi respectively a 1983 Corsa A Cup, and Opel's Vice President Communications Harald Hamprecht will sit behind the wheel of a 190 hp Commodore B GS/E.
The following classic Opel cars are participating:
Opel Kadett B "Kulläng" (106hp), model year 1971
Opel Commodore B GS/E (190hp), model year 1972
Opel Kadett C GT/E (160hp), model year 1978
Opel Ascona B 400 (240hp), model year 1981
Opel Corsa A Cup (83hp), model year 1983
Opel Kadett E GSi (115hp), model year 1985
In addition, a 1903 Opel racing car, a long-distance touring car version of the Manta A and a 210hp Opel Insignia Grand Sport 4×4 will be on display in front of the Bregenz Festspielhaus conference center. The exclusive model of the current Opel flagship is painted in the yellow racing color of the legendary models from Rüsselsheim.
"The Bodensee Klassik is always an important event for Opel - all the more so this year as we celebrate 120 years of car production. In May 1899, Opel's rich tradition in motorsport began. With the Opel Patentmotorwagen 'System Lutzmann', the first Opel participated in a car rally," said Hamprecht.
In 1966, Opel introduced the rally version of the Kadett. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Kadett B was the most popular car in rally racing. Opel Motorsport made its debut as a factory team at the "Monte" in 1969 - 50 years ago. A Kadett B 1900 won in Group 1. In 1973, the young talent of the time, Walter Röhrl, took part in the Monte Carlo Rally for the first time in an Irmscher Commodore B GS/E. Just one year later, with Jochen Berger as co-driver, Röhrl won the European Rally Championship title in an Ascona A. In 1975 they won their first World Championship race in the Acropolis Rally in the same car. In 1979, Jochi Kleint and Gunter Wanger became European Rally Champions. Their car was a 186 hp Ascona B, on which the Ascona 400 was developed. In 1982, Walter Röhrl won the World Championship with Christian Geistdörfer as co-driver in the cockpit of an Opel Ascona B 400. Since 2015, Opel Motorsport has won the Junior European Rally Championship four times with the 190hp ADAM R2. This year, the ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team will be aiming for a fifth consecutive FIA ERC3 Junior Championship title.
Big names, notable successes, legendary performances
The oldest Opel participating in the Bodensee Klassik is the 1971 Kadett B 1900 Rallye, a former company car of Swedish Opel factory driver Anders Kulläng. In the 106hp "Sprint" version, the Kadett was ideal for amateur racing. The 1972 Commodore B GS/E was completely different: because the top model of the Commodore series had not yet received type approval at the time of the Monte Carlo Rally, Walter Röhrl and Jochen Berger raced in a special group of touring cars. The 1978 Kadett C GT/E (160hp), the most successful Group 1 rally car of its time, was driven by a true professional, touring car star and Opel ambassador Jockel Winkelhock. But in addition to the participation of professional drivers, young talent should also be promoted. Already 40 years ago, Opel created the Kadett Cup for amateur drivers. After the Kadett C and D, in 1983 came the 83hp Corsa A as part of the ONS Opel Junior Cup programme for rally and track racing. Bigger and more powerful: the Opel Kadett E GSi. Sepp Haider and his co-driver Ferdi Hinterleitner won the German Rally Championship in 1989 with the Group A Kadett.
Opel is currently promoting young drivers in the ADAC Rallye Cup, which is run with the 140hp Cup version of the ADAM. In addition to the attractive prize money, the winner has the tempting prospect of securing an ADAM R2 with a spare parts package for the coming season. Opel also offers Cup participants on-site technical and management support, as well as a starter package for newcomers to the event.
Ahead of the 2021 season, Opel will develop a new R2 model based on the upcoming Corsa, which will be used in both the European Championship and international privateer races. The manufacturer has a long tradition and remains fully committed to motorsport for the future.
