Opel Ascona
In the fall of 1970, Opel presented its completely new vehicle range in Rüsselsheim (internal project code 1.450). The Opel Manta coupé was launched on September 9, followed by the Opel Ascona on October 28 in two and four-door sedan forms, plus a three-door station wagon, called the Caravan or Voyage. These models were positioned between the existing Opel Kadett and the Opel Rekord.
The Ascona was developed as a competitor to the successful Ford mid-sized cars, the Ford Taunus/Ford Cortina. The Opel Ascona A stayed in production until 1975. By that time, almost 692,000 vehicles of the first series had been produced.
It was replaced by the Opel Ascona B.
The range featured petrol engines from 1.2 L to 1.9 L, with power between 60 PS (44 kW) and 90 PS (66 kW). The 1.2 L had an overhead valve (OHV) head, while the 1.6 L and 1.9 L featured a camshaft-in-head (CIH) type of engine. The CIH was a compromise effort, with the camshaft mounted next to the valves rather than above them. All used a single barrel carburetor. Even with this simple design, the Ascona 1.9 SR had a successful career in motorsports, with Walter Röhrl winning the European Rally Championship in 1974. Tuner Steinmetz developed a special version of the Ascona SR, with two single-barrel Solex carburettors, lifting power to 125 PS (92 kW).
From 1971–75, the 1.9-liter Ascona was exported to the United States as the "Opel 1900" sold through Buick-Opel dealerships. All three body styles were offered at first, but the four-door sedan was dropped after 1972. In 1974, heavy rubber-clad impact bumpers were added in response to Federal regulations. All Opels sold in the US in 1975 were equipped with Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection, which was not available on the European versions. The fuel injection was added because of the more strict emissions requirements that were in force that year. Due to the unfavorable DMark/U.S. Dollar exchange rate, after 1975, all Opels in Buick showrooms were replaced by Isuzu Gemini models wearing Opel badges.
Engines
- 1.2 S – 1,196 cc, 60 PS (44 kW)
- 1.6 N – 1,584 cc, 60–68 PS (44–50 kW)
- 1.6 S – 1,584 cc, 75–80 PS (55–59 kW)
- 1.9 S – 1,897 cc, 88–90 PS (65–66 kW)
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