1932 Opel 18C Regent

1932 Opel 18C Regent

As the 1920s were coming to a close, and on the brink of the stock market crash and economic uncertainty, General Motors made several decisive business decisions, including the formation of the LaSalle Marque as a companion to Cadillac and to bridge the price gap between Buick and Cadillac. They launched a model known as the Cadillac V16 that was both extremely expensive and exclusive. Cadillac also sought to expand its business and market share in Europe by acquired a controlling stake in Opel (80 percent of the share capital of Adam Opel AG) in March of 1929 and full ownership by 1931. While the V16 Cadillac would see very few examples produced and the LaSalle marque was out of business by 1940, Opel prospered and by 1938 was Germany and Europe's biggest motor manufacturer. Its success was attributed to the technical innovations first applied to GM's U.S.-built products then implemented into Opel vehicles. The list of innovations includes the 'knee action' independent front suspension, and the unitary construction of the chassis/body used in 1936 on the 'Olympia' model. Throughout the 1930s, the Opels began to resemble its American cousins, ending with the firm's final pre-war offering, the Kapitan. Like the Olympia, it used unitary construction and was powered by a 2.5-liter overhead-valve six-cylinder engine and had an independent front suspension which was augmented by an anti-roll bar.

The Opel 1.8 Liter Regent (also known as the 18B) was the second time Opel used the name 'Regent.' The first had been in 1928 on an eight-cylinder model with a 6-liter capacity, and a length of 212.6 inches. Bodystyles included a four-door limousine and a two-door coupe. The official name was Opel 24/110. The Opel Regent of the 1930s used a side-valve six-cylinder engine of 1790cc and initially backed by a three-speed manual transmission that was later replaced by a four-speed manual. Production began in January of 1931 and continued until November of 1933. This was the first new Opel to be built following General Motor's majority share acquisition in the company. It was also the first Opel to have been designed and developed by G.M. in North America.

First-year sales of the 1.8 Liter Series 18B reached 15,739 cars with the total German passenger car sales of 56,039 in 1931. Near the end of 1931, Opel introduced the Series 18C which had a broader range of body styles and few cosmetic changes including the prior two-piece bumper being replaced by a single-piece unit. Many of the prices were lower in reflection of price deflation in the German economy.

In mid-1932, an all-steel bodied 'Limousine' was added to the Regent lineup, and the following year came a four-door Series 18N six-light limousine.

Descriptions & pictures by conceptcarz & bonhams & hymanltd