Named for the 1936 Olympics a year before they happened, the Olympia introduced Opel's revolutionary unibody construction to a 2,500 Reichsmark family car.
Lead trim: Olympia 1.3 side-valve (24 PS)
Opel Olympia1935–1937
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Opel Olympia yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactNamed for the 1936 Olympics a year before they happened, the Olympia introduced Opel's revolutionary unibody construction to a 2,500 Reichsmark family car.
The Opel Olympia was launched in 1935, named in anticipation of the 1936 Olympic Games, as a defining model for Opel featuring then-revolutionary unibody construction. At 2,500 Reichsmark it offered a true four-seater with a 1.3-litre four-cylinder side-valve 24 PS engine capable of 100 km/h, driving the rear wheels through a three-speed gearbox (a four-speed became available in 1937), with independent front suspension, a live rear axle and semi-elliptic leaf springs. It was offered as an LZ 2-door 5-window saloon and a CL 2-door 5-window cabriolet; 81,661 were produced, and it was also assembled at Tanjung Priok near Jakarta in the then Netherlands East Indies from 1938, where it was marketed as the "Opel 1.3".
Collectors Spotted in the Opel Olympia Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Opel Olympia yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
One published trim in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympia 1.3 side-valve (24 PS) | 1935–1937 | 1.3 L Inline-4 | 24 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
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Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
The Olympia A died in 1970, but its face lived on — the same front-end design kept showing up on export Opel Kadetts built for the US and South Africa years afterward.
This Olympia actually took a step backward from its predecessor: Opel swapped a floor-mounted four-speed gearbox for a simpler column-shifted three-speed.
When production resumed after the war, the OL38 looked untouched outside — but Opel had quietly ditched the fragile Dubonnet front suspension for a simpler, tougher control-arm design.
Named for the 1936 Olympics a year before they happened, the Olympia introduced Opel's revolutionary unibody construction to a 2,500 Reichsmark family car.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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