Opel Monza

Opel Monza
Production period:	1978-1986
Class :	upper middle class
Body versions :	Combi coupe

The Opel Monza is a sports coupé from the car manufacturer Opel , which was built from February 1978 to June 1986. It was derived as a three-door coupé from the Opel Senator A and also underwent the same model updates.

The Senator is a notchback sedan with four doors, while the Monza is a three-door coupé with a large tailgate, based on a floor assembly with a 25 mm shorter wheelbase , which comes from the smaller model series Rekord E and Commodore C. The striking B-pillar of the Monza is designed as a roll bar.

Model history

Monza A1 (1978-1982)

1st generation
Opel Monza (1978–1982)
Production period:	02 / 1978-10 / 1982
Body versions :	Combi coupe
Engines:	Gasoline engines : 2.5-3.0 liters (100-132 kW)
Length:	4692 mm
Width:	1734 mm
Height:	1380 mm
Wheelbase :	2668 mm
Empty weight :	1375-1420 kg

In September 1977, Opel presented the Senator and Monza models at the IAA in Frankfurt, which were then launched on the market in April 1978. Initially, the 2.8-liter carburettor and 3.0-liter injection engines were available, followed by a 3.0-liter carburettor engine in the summer of 1978.

The first version of the Monza A1 was built almost unchanged until April 1981. Then from May 1981 (as at the same time with the Senator), the intermediate model A1 + was delivered with more aerodynamic exterior mirrors, a modified dashboard and new fabric covers, but which was still provided with bumpers made of chrome-plated sheet steel.

The Monza also received the 2.5-liter injection engine of the Commodore C, which here had an output of 100 kW (136 hp) (for the Commodore: 96 kW / 130 hp) and replaced the 2.8 S. The 3.0 S remained in the program until July 1982. Until the revision in November 1982 only in-line six-cylinder engines were installed.

For the British market:
Vauxhall Royale Coupé (1979)

Monza A2 (1982-1986)

1st generation (facelift)
Opel Monza (1982–1986)
Production period:	11 / 1982-06 / 1986
Body versions :	Combi coupe
Engines:	Petrol engines : 2.0-3.0 liters (85-132 kW)
Length:	4720 mm
Width:	1722 mm
Height:	1380 mm
Wheelbase :	2668 mm
Empty weight :	1335-1370 kg

In November 1982, like the Senator A and Rekord E, the major facelift was carried out, which brought changes to the bonnet, headlights, bumpers and other parts.

From March 1983, Opel offered both the Monza and Senator with a four-cylinder engine as the 2.0 E with 85 kW (115 hp), which was replaced in November 1984 by the 2.2 i with the same power.

The dashboard, the instruments themselves and the installation depth of the radio slot have also been revised. Overall, the equipment has been significantly upgraded.

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  Rear view

Monza GSE and latest model changes

In August 1983 the highest equipment line of the Opel Monza appeared with the designation GSE . It differed significantly from the equipment variants of the Opel Senator. The Monza GSE was only available with the 3.0-liter six-cylinder injection engine with 132 kW (180 hp). As standard there was a sporty interior with Recaro seats, a leather steering wheel and, among other things, an on-board computer.

No seat heating was available for the GSE in conjunction with the Recaro seats, unlike the comparable Senator CD . There was also a sporty chassis and additional plastic strips in black. The three-stage automatic system, available at an additional cost, has been replaced by a four-stage automatic system.

From the end of 1983, Opel offered digital display instruments from VDO Automotive in the Monza GSE for the first time . These could (unofficially) be canceled. Later these were used in series in the Kadett GSI in the same form, but with smaller housing dimensions. The otherwise usual chrome strips on the GSE were black and anthracite.

In the summer of 1985, the last chrome-plated cladding elements in the interior of the Monza C and GSE (door handles or openers) were replaced by color-coordinated plastic elements. A slight modification of the interior light followed, which was replaced by a larger one (from the Opel Kadett E or Opel Ascona C ).

From autumn 1985 the Monza could also be ordered with a regulated catalytic converter and a revised 3.0-liter engine. However, this made instead of the usual 132 kW (180 hp) only 115 kW (156 hp) and found in modified form in the Opel Omega A or Opel Senator B still use.

In a small series of 144 copies, the Opel Monza A2 was converted into a convertible by the company Keinath under the designation KC 5 . 22 copies of these vehicles served as the basis for the Bitter SC convertible .

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  Opel Monza GSE (1983–1986)

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  Convertible conversion of the Opel Monza:
  Keinath C5

Others

More information about the Opel Monza can be found in the articles on the Opel Senator and Opel Rekord E models . There was also an Opel Monza in South Africa. This is how the notchback and convertible versions of the Kadett of the E series were named.

From 1974 to 1980 the unrelated Chevrolet Monza (originated from the Chevrolet Vega ) was sold in the USA .

Engines

The engine program was the same as that of the Senator, with the exception that no diesel engines were offered for the Monza.

Monza
model	Engine type	Displacement	power	Torque	construction time
2.0 E.	In-line four-cylinder	1979 cc	85 kW (115 PS) at 5600 rpm	160 at 4200 rpm	11 / 1982-10 / 1984
2.2 i	In-line four-cylinder	2197 cc	85 kW (115 PS) at 4800 rpm	182 at 2600 rpm	10 / 1984-06 / 1986
2.5 E.	Inline six-cylinder	2490 cc	100 kW (136 hp) at 5600 rpm	185 at 4600 rpm	05 / 1981-10 / 1984
2.5 i	Inline six-cylinder	2490 cc	103 kW (140 PS) at 5200 rpm	205 at 4000 rpm	10 / 1984-06 / 1986
2.8 p	Inline six-cylinder	2784 cc	103 kW (140 PS) at 5200 rpm	218 at 3500 rpm	02 / 1978-04 / 1981
3.0 p	Inline six-cylinder	2969 cc	110 kW (150 PS) at 5200 rpm	230 at 3400 rpm	02 / 1978-07 / 1982
3.0 E	Inline six-cylinder	2969 cc	132 kW (180 PS) at 5800 rpm	243 at 4500 rpm	02 / 1978-06 / 1986
3.0 i	Inline six-cylinder	2969 cc	115 kW (156 hp) at 5600 rpm	225 at 4200 rpm	09 / 1985-06 / 1986

• Other engines were also offered by tuners, e.g. B. from the companies Mantzel (3.0 Turbo with 176 kW / 240 PS) and Irmscher (3.6 E with 147 kW / 200 PS).

Monza Concept (2013)

At the IAA in September 2013, Opel presented the Monza Concept . This 4.69 m long vehicle is intended to give an outlook on the future of the Opel brand.

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  Monza Concept at the IAA 2013

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  Rear view

Web links

Commons : Opel Monza  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Keinath's Monza convertible ( memento from September 19, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) on the Bitter website .
• Technology page for Senator A / B / Monza
• Info page for the model series Rekord E, Commodore C, Senator Monza A

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b c d} Eckhart Bartels, Rainer Manthey: Opel: Vehicle Chronicle Volume 2: 1952–1990. Podszun, Brilon 2012, ISBN 978-3861336204 , pp. 71/72, 81 and 97.
2. ↑ The vision of the future of Opel. auto-motor-und-sport.de, August 21, 2013, accessed on February 12, 2018 .