Opel Kapitän
Car-ID: XT0046
Vehicle Description
Sometimes, a collector of classic cars just absolutely has to have a certain model. And then he realizes, time and space are limited… so some other vehicle needs to go, never mind the thousands spent on it over the years. Here we have such a case: Not a snow-white ’51 Kapitän, as in singer-songwriter Reinhard Mey’s lyrics, but a wine red one. The consignor held it since 2011 and invested over € 15,000 in it. And that was, nota bene, after the car had been taxed at € 28,500 by a Classic Data expert.
This Opel Kapitän comes with a complete history since 1993, comprising a copious amount of repair receipts as well as the original owner’s manual. The car is said to be in technically excellent condition, and optically it has just the right degree of patina. The body is in a healthy, yet not unwelded state. The paintwork dates back to 1995 with slight traces of use and small-scale touch ups. All chrome parts are complete, either original or replaced. The interior was refurbished in the 1990s with great emphasis on originality. Over the past years, the straight-six cylinder engine with 2,456 cc of displacement has been overhauled and clutch, fuel tank, dampers, wheel bearings, radiator, alternator and the front axle all either replaced or refurbished. A 12 V electric system has been installed, with halogen headlights, electric windscreen wiper and fuel pump.
A well-maintained historic Opel from the “economic miracle” era.
In 1931, General Motors had assumed full control of the Opel company. It comes as no surprise that henceforth, many Opel models appeared with distinctly American styling cues. This is particularly true for Opel’s last pre-war development, the Kapitän. With its unitary body and independent front wheel suspension, it was a truly modern motorcar. By the time civilian car production was halted in 1940, over 25,000 units had been built. In 1948, production was resumed, making it Germany’s first post-war six-cylinder model. Initially only available to the occupying powers, the basically unchanged Opel was sold as of 1949 to private customers. It became the transport of choice for company directors, politicians and head physicians. Of this version of Kapitän, over 30,000 vehicles were built.
The 1951 Kapitän brought a facelift, with this came a modified radiator grille and an abundance of chrome. The engine’s power output rose slightly from 40 kW (55 hp) to 43 kW (57 hp). This model became the most popular full-sized car of early postwar Germany. It remained in production until 1953, by which time over 48,500 cars had been built in the course of only three years, pushing the total number of units made with this particularly body shape past the 100,000 mark.
