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.
Median 90 hp across 122 similar cars
Lead trim: Olympia 1950 1.5 OHV
Opel Olympia 19501950–1953
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Opel Olympia 1950 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.
FactThis Olympia actually took a step backward from its predecessor: Opel swapped a floor-mounted four-speed gearbox for a simpler column-shifted three-speed.
In January 1950 the Olympia got a modernised body, but the car was still based on the pre-war Olympia. One seemingly retrograde change was a column-shifted three-speed manual in place of the floor-mounted four-speed used before. Bodies offered were a 2-door saloon (6,400 Deutsche Mark), a 2-door cabrio-coach (6,600 DM) and a 2-door kombi estate (7,350 DM) built by Karosserie Miesen, plus a 2-door panel van. In February 1951 it was upgraded with more modern 15-inch rather than 16-inch wheels and a trunk compartment enclosing the spare tyre. In just over three years of production, until March 1953, about 160,000 cars were made; in March 1953 the 18-year-old design was replaced by the Opel Olympia Rekord with a modern pontoon body.
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 1950 1.5 OHV | 1950–1953 | 1.5 L Inline-4 | 36 hp | 65 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
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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