Opel Ascona A.

Opel
Opel Ascona (1970–1973)
Ascona A
Production period:	1970-1975
Class :	Middle class
Body versions :	Limousine , station wagon
Engines:	Petrol engines : 1.2–1.9 liters (44–66 kW)
Length:	4124-4180 mm
Width:	1630 mm
Height:	1385-1400 mm
Wheelbase :	2430 mm
Empty weight :	870-1025 kg
Previous model	Opel Olympia A
successor	Opel Ascona B.

The Opel Ascona A is a mid-range vehicle built by Opel from November 1970 to July 1975 . It was positioned between the Kadett and Rekord in the manufacturer's program and replaced the Opel Olympia A built from August 1967 to July 1970 . The car has its own body and is equipped with Kadett or record-breaking engines.

A total of around 690,000 cars of the Ascona A were built in five years. The Ascona A rolled off the assembly line at the Opel plant in Bochum . GM chief designer Charles “Chuck” Jordan was responsible for the straightforward, no-frills design . Successor was the Ascona B .

The Opel Manta A presented in September 1970 is the coupé version of the Ascona on the same platform .

Model history

General

At the end of the 1960s, Opel developed a competing model for the Ford Capri introduced at the end of 1968 under the working title “Project 1450” . This resulted in the Opel Manta coupé presented in Timmendorfer Strand in September 1970 , the limousine version of which Ascona was presented two months later in November 1970 in Turin .

Originally, the Ascona A was supposed to become a Kadett C - but GM and Opel decided differently and presented the car as a completely new model series. In advertising, the new Ascona was featured with the slogan: “Opel Ascona. Friendship grows with every kilometer. ”And“ Opel Ascona. The outsider ”provided.

From the start, the Ascona was available as a two- and four-door sedan , as a standard or luxury version and as a three-door station wagon . Its luxurious version, "Voyage", had wood decor glued to the side of the vehicle. The standard model of the station wagon was called Opel CarAVan, a traditional name for the station wagon, which was used to distinguish it from other manufacturers in other Opel models such as the Rekord .

From March 1971 the Ascona A was also available in a sporty SR version with a stiffer chassis and 1.6-liter S engine with 80 hp (59 kW) or 1.9-liter S engine with 90 hp ( 66 kW). They were equipped with a sports steering wheel, rev counter, wood veneer on the dashboard, a console for additional instruments with clock, ammeter and oil pressure indicator, double side stripes on the body flanks, chrome-plated tailpipes and steel sports bikes without hubcaps. In March 1972, the 1.2-liter engine with 60 hp (44 kW) was introduced as the new cheapest variant.

The first models had an aluminum radiator grille, the square headlight trims were made of polished aluminum, only a washer nozzle was integrated into the bonnet and the dashboard had two air nozzles. From August 1971, the headlight trim was black. The radiator grille was also painted black, but retained an aluminum-colored frame and an aluminum-colored central bar.

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  Opel Ascona A 16S (1970–1973), right-hand drive

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  Opel Ascona A 16S as a four-door

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  Opel Ascona CarAvan (1970–1973)

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  Cockpit view (not standard steering wheel)

Facelift

In August 1973 the Ascona A was slightly redesigned. It received a black plastic grill with a large Opel emblem. Instead of the previously round exterior mirrors, square ones have now been installed. All vehicles got windshield wiper switches on the turn signal lever, a new center console and two additional fresh air nozzles, two windshield washer nozzles on the bonnet and an instrument panel with wooden decor. Three-point seat belts in the front were now part of the standard scope of delivery. A headlight wiper and washer system was available for an additional charge.

At the beginning of 1975 the second stage of the lead gasoline law came into force, the lead content in fuel was limited to 0.15 g / l (see: Tetraethyl lead ). Opel was the first German manufacturer to adapt its engines to the new directive. The output of the 1.6-liter N was reduced from 68 PS (50 kW) to 60 PS, the 1.6-liter S from 80 to 75 PS (55 kW), and the 1.9-liter engine from 90 PS to 88 PS (65 kW). The 1.2-liter engine retained its previous performance. From June 1975, however, the output of the 1.9 liter engine was increased again to 90 hp with a Zenith INAT 35/40 downdraft register carburetor . In the older, higher-powered engines, a lead substitute additive had to be added with each tank of fuel to avoid damaging knocking at high speeds .

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  Opel Ascona (1973–1975), front view

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  Opel Ascona (1973–1975), rear view

variants

Body styles

The Ascona was available in three different body versions:

• two-door notchback sedan
• four-door notchback sedan
• three-door station wagon

Line illustration of the body variants of the Ascona A.

Engine variants

Motors used as the Opel proven line four-cylinder:
The 1.2-liter engine based on the Kadett B with side camshaft and the larger on the CIH -Motor of the record C .
The following types were available for introduction:

• 1.2-liter S with 44 kW (60 PS)
• 1.6-liter N with 50 kW (68 PS)
• 1.6-liter S with 59 kW (80 PS)
• 1.9-liter S with 66 kW (90 PS)

Special models

• Holiday: Luxury equipment, 1.6-liter S-engine (80 HP), heated rear window, 35-ampere alternator, halogen fog lights and rear fog light, radial tires 165 SR 13, sports bikes, wheel rings, headrests, 3-point seat belts at the front .
• Summer Bazaar: Standard equipment, 1.2-liter S-engine (60 HP), various signal colors, sports rims, headrests and, for vehicles with side stripes, a sports exterior mirror
• Swinger: Standard equipment, 1.2-liter S-Motor (60 HP), various signal colors or polar white with red stripes on the side, steel belt tires, sports steering wheel, heated rear window, reinforced alternator. Sports rims in body color were only available with an exterior paint job in polar white.
• Plus: standard equipment, 1.6-liter N-engine (68 hp), various signal colors, sports bikes, radial tires 165 SR 13, reinforced alternator with 45 amps and headrests.

From October 1970 to July 1975 the Ascona was also sold in the USA under the name Opel 1900. On offer were two- and four-door sedans (the latter only available until autumn 1973) and the three-door station wagon, each powered by the 1.9-liter four-cylinder, which here with a compression of 7.6: 1 76 DIN PS (56 kW) performed. A total of around 170,000 of the 1900 series (including the Manta A) were sold in the USA.

Technical specifications

Technical data Opel Ascona A (1970–1975)
Opel Ascona:	12 S (1972-1975)	16 (1970-1975)	16 S (1970-1975)	19 S (1971-1975)
Engine:	4-cylinder in-line engine (four-stroke)
Displacement:	1196 cc	1584 cc		1897 cc
Bore × stroke:	79 mm × 61 mm	85 mm x 69.8 mm		93 mm × 69.8 mm
Performance at 1 / min:	44 kW (60 hp) at 5400	44–50 kW (60–68 hp) at 5000–5200	55–59 kW (75–80 hp) with 5000–5200	65–66 kW (88–90 hp) in the 4800–5100
Max. Torque at 1 / min:	88 Nm at 3000	102-108 Nm at 3200-3400	114–118 Nm at 3800	142–145 Nm at 2800-3600
Compression:	9.2, later 9.0: 1	8.2, later 8.0: 1	9.5, later 8.8: 1	9.0, later 8.8: 1
Mixture preparation:	1 downdraft carburetor		1 register downdraft carburetor
Valve control:	OHV valve control (side camshaft driven by a single roller chain)	CIH valve control with camshaft in the cylinder head, driven by a duplex roller chain
Cooling:	Water cooling
Transmission:	4-speed gearbox, stick shift (a. W. for 16 S and 19 S three-stage automatic (Opel))
Front suspension:	Independent suspension on double wishbones , coil springs
Rear suspension:	Central joint axle (rigid axle with drawbar, trailing arms and Panhard rod ), coil springs
Steering:	Rack and pinion steering
Brakes:	Hydraulic dual-circuit brake system with brake booster, front disc brakes, rear drum brakes
Body:	Sheet steel, self-supporting
Track width front / rear:	1329/1320 mm
Wheelbase:	2430 mm
Length:	4124 mm (caravan: 4180 mm)
Empty weight:	870-1025 kg
Top speed:	137 km / h	140-145 km / h	148–155 km / h	155-160 km / h
0-100 km / h:	19 s	18-21 p	14.5-19.5 s	13-14.5 s
Consumption (liters / 100 kilometers):	10.0 S.	12.0 N	12.0-13.0 S.	12.5-13.5 S.

Motorsport

Ascona A rally

In 1974 Walter Röhrl and co-driver Jochen Berger became European rally champion in an Ascona A. In 1975 Ari Vatanen and Anders Kulläng drove the Ascona rally, but were unable to match the previous year's success. The sporting career of the Ascona A ended with the Acropolis Rally in 1975 - Walter Röhrl was behind the wheel with a victory. The successor was the Opel Kadett C GT / E Coupe.

The vehicle was built by the tuner Irmscher according to the regulations of Group II (special touring cars ). The engine, which had been bored out to 2.0 liters, developed approx. 206 hp (151 kW).

It still exists today and is owned by Opel Automobile GmbH. She uses it at classic car events.

literature

• Werner Oswald : German Cars 1945–1990. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-613-02116-1 , pp. 244-251.
• Rainer Manthey: Opel classic Ascona A. All models 1970–1975. Development, technology, production. Model upgrade, export, data, motorsport, tuning. Schneider Media UK Ltd., 2012, ISBN 978-3-7688-5800-7 .
• Martin-Paul Roland: Opel - Kadett, Manta, Ascona 1962–1991. A documentation. 1st edition, Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-613-02757-2

Web links

Commons : Opel Ascona A  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Bernd Tuchen: Opel the reliable, three decades of Opel advertising. Heel Verlag GmbH, Königswinter 2005, ISBN 3-89880-426-7 , p. 9.
2. ↑ Bernd Tuchen: Opel the reliable, three decades of Opel advertising. Heel Verlag GmbH, Königswinter 2005, ISBN 3-89880-426-7 , p. 122.