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.
Lead trim: Olympia OL38 1.5 OHV (37 PS)
Opel Olympia OL381937–1949
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Opel Olympia OL38 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.
FactWhen 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.
In 1937, after just a few years, the Olympia received both a new engine and a revised body. The larger motor introduced overhead valves and a capacity of 1,488 cc, producing some 50% more power, increased to 37 PS, with a top speed of 112 km/h (70 mph); this engine would remain in production until 1960 with only minor changes, and its architecture was also used for the 2.5-litre "six" in the Opel Super 6 and Kapitäns. The body was facelifted with a 4-door saloon added, and made somewhat bigger overall: 7 cm wider, 9 cm longer and on a 6 cm longer wheelbase. It was offered as LZ 2-door 4-light saloon (2,675 Reichsmark), LV 4-door 6-light saloon (2,950 Reichsmark) and CL 2-door 4-light cabriolet (2,750 Reichsmark). Production halted in late 1940 and, after the Rüsselsheim plant was severely damaged by allied bombing, restarted in December 1947 (the Kapitän could not restart first because occupation regulations prohibited civilian sales of cars over 1.5 litres); externally the OL38 looked unchanged, but the fragile and complex Dubonnet front suspension was replaced by a conventional control arm and coil spring one, and only the two-door saloon was produced after the war, with 25,952 made until the end of 1949.
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 OL38 1.5 OHV (37 PS) | 1937–1949 | 1.5 L Inline-4 | 36 hp | 65 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
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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