Opel Kadett Roadster (1938)
With Opel’s 110-year history of making automobiles, it is inevitable that some vehicles are simply forgotten along the way. In preparing for its next generation Astra, the design team unearthed a creation from the 1930s that never made it to production. The Opel Kadett’s first model year was 1937, and marked the start of compact, two-seat cars from the German marque. Production was halted in 1940 by the second World War, and the Kadett name was not seen again until the mid 60s. The Kadett Roadster, nicknamed Strolch (translated as vagabond), was intended to be powered by a 1.1 liter engine that would ultimately supply 23bhp to a three-speed transmission. While the project was never ultimately pursued (due to a shortage of steel and a wariness to produce vehicles in such a limited market segment), the execs at Opel did produce some brochures that served as the basis for this modern recreation. Using a 1938 Opel Kadett for spare parts, a few pictures for reference, and a lot of ingenuitity fabricating their own parts, the engineers at Russelsheim put together a spot-on replica of the should-have-been roadster, right down to the color.
See more of the Kadett Roadster after the jump.
Source: Net Car Show
