The unique Olympia Rally '72 Revival has been attracting the interest of spectators since last Monday, which is to be expected thanks to the participation of almost 200 teams from 9 countries and the presence of legendary racing cars and many more historic models. The warm weather in the heart of summer accompanied the drivers, the organisers and the public throughout the week on this journey from north to south, raising the thermometer even higher. At the heart of the whole event is Opel and the veteran rally driver Walter Röhrl: the 75-year-old did not miss the opportunity to take part in the Rally Revival. Yesterday, the two-time world champion completed the day's special stage from Cologne to Speyer in two Opel models - as befits the 160th anniversary of Opel.
Yesterday morning, Röhrl started the special in an Opel Kadett GT/E Coupé. After a stop for lunch in Pferdsfeld, he changed vehicles and sat in the cockpit of a 1982 Opel Ascona 400 - a car in which he celebrated numerous successes, most notably victory in the Monte Carlo Rally in 1982. Röhrl then drove in style to the Technik Museum in Speyer, where the day's special concluded.
Along the route and at the end of the special routes, spectators had the opportunity to admire even more models with the characteristic Opel "Blitz". Having given its name to the rally, the Opel Olympia could not go unnoticed. The model that attracted the attention was a 1967 Olympia 1100 SR with an output of 44 kW/60 hp. Finally, an equally legendary Rallye Kadett, driven in the 1970s by Swedish rally ace Anders Kulläng with Bruno Berglund as co-driver, showed its timeless beauty. The crew of the Kadett at the Olympia Rally Revival consisted of ADAC Honorary Sports President Hermann Tomczyk and motorsport veteran Günther Holzer.
Opel proves that even in Germany's largest classic car rally revival, it's not just the historic vehicles that are the inspiration. In particular, it has made available to the organisers a new Astra plug-in hybrid, which will act as navigator until the end of the rally on Saturday. The latest generation of the compact bestseller not only catches the eye with the Opel Vizor, the digital Pure Panel and state-of-the-art technologies, but also harmonizes with the rally's climate-neutral philosophy. The electric Opel delivers a combined power of 180 hp and a maximum torque of 360 Nm. In the all-electric program, the five-door compact can cover up to 60 km with zero emissions (WLTP).
