:''There was also an
Oldsmobile Omega, an unrelated vehicle in the 1970s/80s''
The 'Opel Omega' was an
executive car produced by the
German automaker Opel between
1986 and
2003. Replacing the
Opel Rekord, it was voted
European Car of the Year for 1987. Like the Rekord, the Omega was produced at
Rüsselsheim in
Germany. There were two generations of the model, the latter (Omega B) debuted in 1993. The Omega was available as
saloon or
estate ('Caravan').
In the United Kingdom, the Omega A was marketed as the second generation '
Vauxhall Carlton' (the first generation Vauxhall Carlton having been a rebadged
Opel Rekord) E2, and the Omega B generation as 'Vauxhall Omega'. The Omega was also built and sold in
Brazil badged as a '
Chevrolet Omega' and '
Suprema' (Caravan), but this name is now used for imported
Holden Commodores. A
badge engineered version of the Omega B MV6 was also sold in North America under the name of
Cadillac Catera.
In the UK, the Omega was a common
police car. Following the ending of production the closest Vauxhall equivalent now used by police forces is the
Vauxhall Vectra. The car has also been converted into
limousines and
hearses.
Production of the Omega ceased in 2003. There was no direct replacement for it, but the
Vectra and
Signum can be said to have partially taken over the role of the car.
Omega A
Development
The original Omega was launched in late 1986 (production started in September) as a replacement for the
Opel Rekord, which had been in production since 1978. The body was designed as an evolution of the previous Opel design theme engineered more towards aerodynamics in view of higher fuel prices and the general drive towards more fuel efficiency. The result was a remarkable
drag coefficient of 0.28 (0.32 for the Caravan). The whole development program cost 2 Billion
Deutschmark.
The Omega A was available in
saloon and
estate ('Caravan') bodystyles as a competitor for the likes of the
Ford Scorpio and
Rover 800. Like the late Rekord, the Omega A adopted the '
Vauxhall Carlton' nameplate for the British market. The Rekord-based
Opel Senator A was also superseded by the Senator B, based on a similar concept - a stretched Omega platform and body along with some unique sheetmetal modifications.
Technical novelties
Compared to the Rekord, the Omega featured many modern technological advances, which were new to Opel in general, if not to the volume segment European automotive market. These included electronic engine management, ABS, on-board computer (which displayed parameters such as momentary fuel consumption or average speed), air-conditioned glove compartment and even the then-fashionable LCD instrument cluster (available in some version from 1987 but dropped in 1991). More importantly, the Omega came with a self-diagnose system (which is now a standard feature in present-day cars), whose output could be read by appropriately equipped authorized service stations.
Powertrains
All Omegas used a longitudinally-mounted engine with a
rear-wheel drive setup, with a five-speed
manual transmission or four-speed
automatic transmission. The engine range comprised of 1.8 L, 2.0 L and 2.4 L four-cylinder units (2.0 L and 2.3 L
Diesel, 2.3 L
turbodiesel) to 2.6 L, 3.0 L and 3.0 L-24v six-cylinder units.
Trim levels and special versions
Trim Levels
The four basic trim levels were LS, GS, GLS and CD (from least to most expensive). The base LS was clearly intended for the fleet market, with the sedan not available to individual customers in some markets. The LS Caravan was also available as a panel van with rear side windows covered with body-colored foil rather than replaced by solid panels.
For the 1991 year, the Omega A was afforded a
facelift, which encompassed slight alterations to front and rear fascias, as well as interior materials and additional sound dampening. The until-then base 1.8 L engine was dropped. The LS and GLS trim levels were also dropped, while the CD was joined by Club and CD Diamant.
Omega 3000 / Carlton GSi
The Omega 3000 was the sports version of the Omega. It featured a
straight-6, 3.0 litre, 12-valve engine, which produced 177 bhp. Other modifications from the base model included a lowered
suspension and
limited slip differential, as well as different fascias and a rear spoiler. The car had a top speed of 222 km/h, and accelerated from 0-100 km/h in 8.8 seconds.
In
1989, the Omega 3000 was upgraded. The engine now had 24 valves, two overhead
camshafts, and a variable
intake manifold (Opel ''Dual Ram'' system). It also used a more advanced
engine control unit. Power increased to 204
bhp, which increased top speed to 240 km/h, and 0-60 time dropped to 7.6 seconds.
In countries where the car was sold as a
Vauxhall, the 3000 was called the Carlton GSi.
Omega Diamant
This options package was introduced in
1988 and could be added onto the GLS, LS and CD trim version. It included alloy wheels, metallic paint, tinted windows, stereo with cassette player, various leather trim in the interior, as well as a painted grille and door mirrors. It sold well and the package was kept after the facelift and a similar system with the same name was used for the Omega B.
[1]
Omega Edition '88
This was an options package offered as a special edition in 1988. It included metallic paint, alloy wheels, leather trim in the interior as well as tinted windows.
[2]
Omega Serie Sportive
This was an options package for four-cylinder sedans and 6 cylinder station wagons. It included special 5-spoke wheels as well as other luxury items. It was dropped with the facelift.
Omega Club
The Club package was available on
station wagons, and included a ride height adjustment, special seats and other luxuries.
Omega 24V
Factory modifications
Omega Evolution 500
This was limited series model produced together with
Irmscher. It was built so Opel could compete in the
DTM. The car had a 3 litre
straight-6 producing 230 BHP. The car accelerated from 0-100 km/h in 7.5 seconds and had a top speed of 249 km/h.
The racing version used on the track had 380 BHP, accelerated to 100 km/h in about 5 seconds, and could reach nearly 300 km/h. It did not achieve great success however.
[3]
Lotus Omega/Carlton
:''See main article:
Lotus Carlton''
In 1989, a high performance version built in cooperation with
Lotus was introduced. The car was named the Lotus Omega or Lotus Carlton, depending on whether the base car was sold as an Opel Omega or Vauxhall Carlton respectively.
It featured a
straight-6 3.6 L six-cylinder engine with double turbocharging. It produced 377 BHP and 557 NM of torque. A 6-speed manual transmission was used (the same unit used in the
Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1. The car accelerated from 0 to 100km/h (0 to 62 Mph) in 5.3 seconds, 0 to 160Km/h ( 0 to 100 Mph) in 11.5 seconds and had a top speed of 282km/h (175mph), making it one of
the fastest four-door cars ever produced.
[4]
6-door Omega
Chevrolet Omega
:''See main article:
Chevrolet Omega''
Holden Commodore
:''See main article:
Holden Commodore''
Conversions and modifications by external companies
Opel Omega B
The 1994 Vauxhall/Opel Omega was an all-new car with a modern exterior design but a traditional rear-wheel drive chassis. The engine range was all-new:
Four cylinder engines were:
X20SE 2.0 L petrol 8V with 115BHP
X20XEV 2.0 L petrol 16V with 136BHP
Later followed by:
X20DTH 2.0 L turbodiesel with 100BHP
Z22XE 2.2 L petrol 16V with 145BHP
Six cylinder engines were:
X25XE 2.5 L V6 with 170BHP
X30XE 3.0 L V6 with 207BHP
X25TD 2.5 L straight six with 150Bhp
The BMW-sourced turbodiesel was refined and gave acceptable performance (150BHP) and the V6 power plants were a far better bet than the acceptable, but slightly underpowered 4-cylinder engines.
The top of the range Omega, with the 3.0 L V6, was the most expensive Vauxhall/Opel on the market at £30,000. Transmission options were a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic (AR35)
GM 4L30-E transmission.
From 1997 to 2001, the top three L saloon was sold in the US as a
captive import badged as the
Cadillac Catera. The Omega platform was also heavily modified and enlarged as the basis of the Australian Holden Commodore (from 1997).
Late in 1999, the Omega received a facelift and a 2.2 L 16-valve engine was added to the range as an eventual replacement for the 2.0 L. The following year, a 3.2 L V6 engine replaced the 3.0 L V6 unit, and a 2.6 L V6 engine replaced the 2.5 L V6 unit.
A 5.7l 'LS1' V8 engine was to be introduced in 2001 but was cancelled weeks before the official introduction. The reason was concerns about whether the engine was ''vollgasfest'' (
German, "Full throttle resistant") - the engine might overheat and be damaged if driven flat out on the
Autobahn for long periods of time.
[5]
During this time, the Omega found itself without any real competition. The demise of the
Ford Scorpio and
Rover 800 (the Omega's biggest rivals) left Vauxhall unable to decide where to focus the Omega. Other brands that had competed in this area had largely left the market, leaving the Omega to take on the likes of the
BMW 5 Series.
Despite a strong showing, the Omega was never a serious rival to the 5 Series. Production of the Omega B finally ceased in 2003 with no direct successor, although the gap in the Vauxhall/Opel range was effectively filled by more expensive versions of the existing Vectra and Signum ranges.
Photographs of a new Vauxhall/Opel executive car appeared in the motoring press a year after the Omega's demise, though more than two years later it has still yet to go into production.
[6]
External links
★
Euroncap Omega B ratings
★
Autobahnstormers - V-platform Vauxhall/Opel enthusiasts' site
★
Omega Owners - Omega B Vauxhall/Opel enthusiasts' site
★
Los Omegas Bestiales - Omega A, B, Evo500, Lotus enthusiasts' polish site
★
Senatorman's page describing the full history of the Omega B (German)
★
Omega 3000 and special versions information (Dutch)
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