The
Opel Senator was a large
automobileAn automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
, two generations of which were sold in
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
by
OpelAdam Opel AG, generally shortened to Opel, is a German automobile company founded by Adam Opel in 1862. Opel has been building automobiles since 1899, and became an Aktiengesellschaft in 1929...
, from 1978 until 1993. A saloon, its first incarnation was also available with a
fastbackA fastback is a car body style whose roofline slopes continuously down at the back. The word can also designate the car itself. The style is seen on two-door coupés as well as four-door sedans.-History:...
coupéA coupé or coupe is a closed car body style , the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...
body as the
Opel Monza and
Vauxhall Royale Coupe.
Through the international divisions of General Motors, it was also known in various markets as the
Chevrolet Senator,
Daewoo Imperial (in South Korea),
Vauxhall Royale (until 1983) and
Vauxhall Senator (which took the place of the Royale on Vauxhall models when the Opel brand was phased out from 1983).
The original Senator shared its
platformAn automobile platform is a shared set of common design, engineering, and production efforts, as well as major components over a number of outwardly distinct models and even types of automobiles, often from different, but related marques...
with the smaller
Opel RekordThe Opel Rekord was a large family car/executive car which was built in several generations by the German car manufacturer Opel.-Naming:The Rekord name evolved into the main name of the model; at first the name was used in close relationship with the Opel Olympia name, which pre-dated the Rekord...
, the latter being lengthened to make the Senator.
The later car, from 1987, shared its base with the
Opel OmegaThe Opel Omega was an executive car marketed by the German automaker Opel between 1986 and 2003 in two generations, both manufactured at Opel's Rüsselsheim, Germany plant. The first generation, the Omega A , superseded the Opel Rekord, was voted European Car of the Year for 1987, and was available...
, which was again lengthened to produce the Senator.
Senator A
The
Senator A (the "A" being used for differentiation here, but not a marketed name) was a lengthened version of the
Opel RekordThe Opel Rekord was a large family car/executive car which was built in several generations by the German car manufacturer Opel.-Naming:The Rekord name evolved into the main name of the model; at first the name was used in close relationship with the Opel Olympia name, which pre-dated the Rekord...
E, complemented by a three-door fastback coupé version on the same platform called the Opel Monza, which was planned as a successor for the
Opel CommodoreThe Opel Commodore is an executive car produced by Opel. It is the six-cylinder variant of the Rekord with styling differences. The Commodore nameplate was used by Opel from 1967 to 1982. However, its lineage continues with the Australian Holden Commodore...
coupé.
Different market names
The Senator A and Monza were initially sold in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
as the Vauxhall Royale (and Vauxhall Royale Coupé), because the Opel marque was not so well established, but they were also under their Opel names. The vehicle was also available in
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
as the
Chevrolet Senator until 1982, when it was re-badged as an Opel. All year models were available in
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, as the
Holden CommodoreThe Holden Commodore is an automobile manufactured since 1978 by the Holden subsidiary of General Motors in Australia, and, formerly, in New Zealand. In the mid-1970s, Holden established proposals to replace the long-serving Kingswood nameplate with a smaller, Opel-based model...
in Sedan and Wagon variants, though the
Monza Coupe was not available. Local racing legend,
Peter BrockPeter Geoffrey Brock, AM otherwise known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain" or simply as "Brocky" was one of Australia's best-known and most successful motor racing drivers. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, although he raced vehicles of other...
, had plans to import, modify and market the Opel Monza Coupe as Holden Monza Coupe with the Holden 5 Litre V8 fitted, through his own
HDT (
Holden Dealer TeamThe Holden Dealer Team was Holden’s semi-official racing team from 1969 until 1987, primarily contesting Australian Touring Car events but also rallying, rallycross and sports sedans during the 1970s...
) business, but the plans eventually fell through. The Holden models, which were built locally, had different front, rear and interior treatments, with local drivetrain options, including Holden's 3.3 Inline 6 cyl, 4.2 Litre and 5.0 Litre V8 engine options. Holden still markets the Commodore, but on their own Zeta Platform, which the new
Camaro is also based upon. Commodore has been Australia's best selling car for the past 16 years.
Engines
The engine range for the first phase of the model's life included the 2.0E, 2.5S (and later the fuel-injected E), the 2.8S and the new developed 3.0E, which had 180 PS and 248 newton metre with fuel injection. The 3-speed
BorgWarnerBorgWarner Inc. is a United States-based worldwide automotive industry components and parts supplier. It is primarily known for its powertrain products, which include manual and automatic transmissions and transmission components, , turbochargers, engine valve timing system...
automatic transmissionAn automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
from the Commodore range needed to be modified to cope with the new and improved power outputs. Opel's own 4-speed
manual transmissionA manual transmission, also known as a manual gearbox or standard transmission is a type of transmission used in motor vehicle applications...
was not up to the job and, instead of putting in a more modern 5-speed manual gearbox, Opel turned to transmission producer
GetragGetrag is a leading manufacturer of automobile manual transmissions. The company was founded on 1 May 1935, in Ludwigsburg, Germany, by Hermann Hagenmeyer; as the Getriebe und Zahnradfabrik Hermann Hagenmeyer GmbH & Cie KG...
, and installed their 264 4-speed manual gearbox in the early Monzas. This was soon replaced with the Getrag 240 for the 2.5 and 2.8 engines, and the Getrag 265 for the 3.0E; both 5-speed manual gearboxes.
The straight-six engines were all of the CIH (camshaft in head) same design earlier used in the Commodore models. The CIH configuration is originated from the 1,7 and 1,9 litre straight 4 engines that was first used in the Opel Kadett and Rekord models in 1966, and subsequently was an engine layout that stayed in the Opel cars up until 1993 (the last CIH engine factory mounted was a 2,4 litre straight 4 CIH used in the Opel Frontera).
With the 3.0 litre engine, the Monza was the fastest car Opel had built up until then, capable of speeds of 215 km/h (134 mph), and 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) in 9.5 seconds.
1982 facelift
The original Senator and Monza were face-lifted in the end of 1982. In the UK, the Senator "A2" (as it is sometimes referred to) initially sold only as an Opel, before being re-badged for the UK (as a Vauxhall) in 1984. The A2 Monza was only sold as an Opel.
The facelifted car looked similar to its predecessor, with relatively minor changes: headlights increased in size, and chrome parts were changed to a matt black or colour-coded finish.
Interiors were improved, and engines changed. Now, straight-4 CIH 2.0E and 2.2E engines from the Rekord E2 were available. The 2.5E was given a new
BoschRobert Bosch GmbH is a multinational engineering and electronics company headquartered in Gerlingen, near Stuttgart, Germany. It is the world's largest supplier of automotive components...
fuel injectionFuel injection is a system for admitting fuel into an internal combustion engine. It has become the primary fuel delivery system used in automotive petrol engines, having almost completely replaced carburetors in the late 1980s....
system. The 2.8S was taken out of production, and the 3.0E and a new 3.0H engines were at the top of the range. The 3.0E received upgraded Bosch fuel injection. A 2.3-litre turbodiesel (shared with the Rekord) became available in 1984, and the next year a rare supercharged version (
ComprexA pressure wave supercharger is a type of supercharger technology that harnesses the pressure waves produced by an internal combustion engine exhaust gas pulses to compress the intake air. Its automotive use is not widespread; the most widely used example is the Comprex, developed by Brown Boveri...
) was made available. These were officially built by Irmscher rather than Opel. From September 1985 until the end of production in late summer 1987 a catalyzed version of the 3.0E was available, with power down to 156 PS.
Monza GSE
The last incarnation of the Monza was the GSE edition in 1983; basically the A2 car, but a high-specification model which had
RecaroRECARO GmbH & Co. KG, commonly known as Recaro, is a German company based in Kirchheim unter Teck in the vicinity of Stuttgart, known for their automobile bucket seats...
sports seats, digital
LCDA liquid crystal display is a flat panel display, electronic visual display, or video display that uses the light modulating properties of liquid crystals . LCs do not emit light directly....
instruments, and an enhanced all-black interior. It also featured a large rear spoiler on the boot. Also GS/E models are equipped with a 40% limited slip differential, an addition that had to be ordered separately on earlier 3,0E cars when purchasing.
By the time the Senator was updated to the new Senator B, and the Monza canceled, 47,008 Monzas had been built. There was no direct Monza replacement, although the idea of a large Opel/Vauxhall sporting car was also seen in the
Lotus CarltonThe Lotus Carlton was a Vauxhall Carlton saloon upgraded by Lotus Cars to be a 177 mph sports sedan with acceleration to equal contemporary supercars. Like all Lotus vehicles, it was given a type designation — Type 104 in this case...
/ Lotus Omega saloon.
Variants
In the UK, a
four-wheel driveFour-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
conversion was available, engineered by
FergusonHarry Ferguson Research Limited was a British company founded by Harry Ferguson who was mostly known as "the father of the modern farm tractor"...
, who had previously provided similar modifications for the
Jensen FFThe Jensen FF was a four-wheel drive Grand Tourer car produced by the British manufacturer Jensen Motors between 1966 and 1971. It was the first non all-terrain production car equipped with 4WD and an anti-lock braking system — the Dunlop Maxaret mechanical system used hitherto only on...
. These were used by
British Forces GermanyBritish Forces Germany , is the name for British Armed Forces service personnel and civilians based in Germany. It was first established following the Second World War as the British Army of the Rhine ....
under the
BRIXMISThe British Commanders'-in-Chief Mission to the Soviet Forces in Germany was set up on 16 September 1946 under the Robertson-Malinin Agreement between the chiefs of staff of the British and Soviet forces in occupied Germany....
(British Commanders'-in-Chief Mission to the Soviet Forces in Germany) operations for the collection of technical intelligence.
A limited edition convertible edition was also available in Germany, where the company "Keinath" reinforced the car heavily, and this added to the all round weight to the car. The Convertible edition is very rare, and are easily recognized by being an all white A2 model, with white or red leather interior.
German tuner and manufacturer Irmscher also made a special "irmscher" version of the Monza, and added small sideskirts and frontspoiler. The engine gained a considerable upgrade: The 3.0 engine got a reshaped crankshaft and different pistons and rods increasing the capacity to 3.6 litres. A remapped ECU was added to the Bosch injection system giving the car 206PS, and extra torque.
Other uses of the Monza name
This Monza should not be confused with the South African Opel Monza, which was a saloon version of the smaller
Opel KadettThe Opel Kadett is a small family car produced by the German automobile manufacturer Opel between 1937 and 1940, and then again from 1962 until 1991 , when it was replaced by the Opel Astra.-Original model :...
. To complicate things further, there also was a Chevrolet Monza in
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, which was a version of the 1981 German
Opel AsconaThe Opel Ascona was a mid-sized car produced by Opel. It had three generations produced from 1970 to 1988. In motorsport, the Ascona 400 rally car driven by Walter Röhrl won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in the 1982 season....
but with a three-door fastback body not available anywhere else. There was also an unrelated
Chevrolet MonzaThe Chevrolet Monza is a subcompact, four-passenger automobile produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors for the 1975–1980 model years. The Monza is based on the Chevrolet Vega, sharing its wheelbase, width and 140 CID inline-4 engine...
in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In Venezuela, the Opel Senator A was sold as Chevrolet Monza, in sedan, and a hatchback, known as "Monza Hatch".
Senator B
A new model, the
Senator B (marketed without the "B" suffix), arrived in spring 1987, a long-wheelbase version of the
Opel OmegaThe Opel Omega was an executive car marketed by the German automaker Opel between 1986 and 2003 in two generations, both manufactured at Opel's Rüsselsheim, Germany plant. The first generation, the Omega A , superseded the Opel Rekord, was voted European Car of the Year for 1987, and was available...
. There was no Monza equivalent.
There were various versions of the Senator B: 12-valve 2.5 L and 3.0 L sized engines were released in 1987 along with a luxury "CD" model with the 3.0 L engine. The CD version boasted adjustable suspension,
air conditioningAn air conditioner is a home appliance, system, or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle...
, heated seats,
trip computerA trip computer is an onboard computer device fitted to cars which can generally record distance travelled, average speed, average fuel consumption, and display real time fuel consumption information...
and
cruise controlCruise control is a system that automatically controls the speed of a motor vehicle. The system takes over the throttle of the car to maintain a steady speed as set by the driver.-History:...
. The cars were available with either 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic gearboxes. Senator as a luxury car had many options to chose among other were: leather seats, heated seats both front and rear, electronic air conditioning, LCD instrument cluster, BBS sourced multispoke alloy wheels.
A 24-valve 3.0 L was introduced in 1989, generating 204 PS (compared with 177 PS for the older 12-valve version). This model was very popular with the police force in the UK, with several cars being supplied to upgraded police specification. The main feature of the new engine was a "Dual Ram" system, increasing torque at low engine speeds by means of a redirected air flow system engaged at 4,000 rpm.
Later in the model's lifespan, the 2.5 L was replaced by a 2.6 L Dual Ram, and the 3.0 L 12-valve was deleted in 1992. CD versions of the 2.6 L and 24-valve 3.0 L were available up to the model's withdrawal in 1993.
When the second-generation Omega was released in 1994, Opel considered that it was sufficiently represented in the upper end of the market by the top-specification Omega Elite. Consequently, the Senator was cancelled in May 1993 and not directly replaced.
| Technical data of Opel Senator B (1987–1993) |
| Opel Senator |
2.5 i 25NE |
2.6 i C26NE |
3.0 i C30NE |
3.0 i C30SEJ |
Irmscher
4.0 i C40SE |
| Engine: |
I-6 – 12V |
I-6 – 24V |
| Displacement: |
2490 cc |
2594 cc |
2969 cc |
3983 cc |
| bore x Stroke: |
87 x 69,8 mm |
88,8 x 69,8 mm |
95 x 69,8 mm |
98 x 88 mm |
| Max power @ rpm: |
140 PS @ 5200 |
150 PS@ 5600 |
156 PS @ 5400
177 PS @ 5800 |
204 PS @ 6000 |
272 PS @ 5800 |
| Max torque @ rpm: |
201 newton metre @ 4000 |
216 newton metre @ 3600 |
200 newton metre @ 3900
235 newton metre @ 4400 |
265 newton metre @ 3600 |
387 newton metre @ 3300 |
| Injection: |
Multipoint (Bosch LE-Jetronic) |
Multipoint (Bosch Motronic) |
| Cooling: |
water |
| Transmission: |
4-sp automatic,
5-sp manual |
5-sp manual |
| Brakes: |
Front: ventilated disc brakes Ø 280 mm, rear: ventilated disc brakes Ø 270 mm |
Front: ventilated disc brakes Ø 296 mm, rear: disc brakes Ø 270 mm |
| Body structure: |
Sheet steel, unibody construction |
| Track front/rear: |
1462/1484 mm |
| Wheelbase: |
2730 mm |
| Length: |
4845 mm |
| Dry weight: |
1440–1640 kg |
| Top speed: |
210 km/h (130 mph) |
215 km/h (134 mph) |
225 km/h (140 mph) |
240 km/h (149 mph) |
255 km/h (158 mph) |
| 0–100 km/h: |
10.5 s |
9.8 s |
9 s |
7.8 s |
6.5 s |
| Fuel consupmtion: |
13.0 l |
12.5 l |
13,0–13.5 l |
12.5 l |
14.5 l |
External links