The Opel Commodore was an intermediate-sized car from Opel of Germany, originally positioned between the mid-sized Rekord and the large Admiral . It was built from 1967 to the early 1990s, though German production ceased in 1982. Its lineage continues with the Australian Holden Commodore today.

The Opel Commodore A was built from 1967 to 1971 and was powered by 2·2 and 2·5 L engines. It was available as a two-door hardtop coupé or four-door sedan. A sporty model, the GS/E, débuted in 1970, with the larger engine developing 150 PS, with a top speed of 197 km/h. This began a line of cult Opels in the 1970s. (The current Opel Vectra C GTS five-door is meant to recall the spirit of the Commodore GS/E.)

A larger Commodore B was launched in 1972, now with 2·5 and 2·8 L engines. Four models were offered: 2500 S, 2500 GS, 2800 GS and 2800 GS/E. Again, two- and four-door variants were available. The top engine now produced 160 PS, but 190 km/h was quoted as its top speed.

In 1978, with the Commodore C, it became a version of Opel's Rekord, featuring larger engines and styling differences, most notably a longer front end.

The 1978 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.

A station wagon (dubbed 'Caravan' in Germany) was only briefly offered in the Opel range, 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 Commodore (or Viceroy) was dropped by GM in Europe, absorbed into the revised Opel Rekord range of 1983. A revised version of the Commodore remained in production in South Africa 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.)

External link

• Opel Commodore history (in Russian)