Opel Diplomat-Admiral-Kapitan

G Luxel

Does anyone remember the Opel Diplomat, Admiral or Kapitan?
I recently got a very good book on the models but its in German text and there doesnt appear to be any reference to right hand drive models. A few months ago there was a photo of a diplomat hearse in Roscommon. Does this car survive and were there other cars available here? I believe it was the predecessor of the I978 Senator and featured a 2.8 Litre engine as well as a V8 5.0?

mike65

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opel_Diplomat

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opel_Admiral

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opel_Kapitän

All of which need fleshing out.

Mike.

junkyard

Where did you see the picture of the Diplomat hearse?

franksm

LOL, those names are crazy.

Up north in the '80s, we had the Vauxhall Ambassador, the Senator and the Viceroy. Plus the lovely Monza coupe. If I remember, the Carlton was lesser to the Senator, which was lesser to the Ambassador. Not sure where the Viceroy fitted. The Monza was a coupe version of either the Senator or the Ambassador

Very hard to find pics of these, but eg.

Monza: http://www.motorbase.com/profiles/vehicle/picture.ehtml?i=1959175241;p=1599982826

Viceroy: http://www.austin-rover.co.uk/images/ado71rivals_06.jpg

Kevin_Herron

There was a Diplomat lying in a garden in Cavan, cant think of the name of the town, starts with a B!
It was a LHD and the block was cracked, 327ci V8, same as the Chevy.
The body was great. It had the alloy wheels, same as the MK1 Granada Ghia wheels.

There were originally 4 Diplomats sold new in Ireland by Reg Armstrong.

G Luxel

The photo was in the Sunday World, it was a reprint of an I980 photo of a state funeral for a garda who was shot dead in Roscommon. The picture showed a Diplomat hearse with wing mirrors and it looked like it was either LHD or RHD. Someone has already mentioned a Vauxhall version but I think you mean the Viscount of which a few were probably sold here. Ive never heard of an Ambassador so the only ones I can think of is the Austin Ambassador or the AMC Ambassador, large 4 door saloon from the US from the 70s.

MercMad

I worked on an old Diplomat A 2.8 many years ago. It came in overheating and we had to lash up the viscous fan which had failed !

Nice car indeed !

I only ever saw one Admiral, it was Irish reg'd but could have been imported !

The Vauxhall Carlton was the same as the Opel Rekord

The Vauxhall Viceroy was the same as the Opel Commodore

Royal was a Senator and the Royale Coupe was a Monza, there was no GM Ambassador !

Cool names all the same IMO

atlantean

MercMad wrote:

The Vauxhall Carlton was the same as the Opel Rekord

The Mark 2 (1986–94) was the same as the Omega.

overdriver

Kevin_Herron There was a Diplomat lying in a garden in Cavan, cant think of the name of the town, starts with a B!

Baileboro? Belturbet? Ballinagh, Blacklion?

Are you sure it wasn't yer man outside Nobber, in Wilkinstown who has all the Opels rotting away on the side of the road?

Kevin_Herron

overdriver wrote:

Baileboro? Belturbet? Ballinagh, Blacklion?

Are you sure it wasn't yer man outside Nobber, in Wilkinstown who has all the Opels rotting away on the side of the road?

Positive, it was Belturbet.
When you passed the Omega nursing home on the left, it was a short distance passed on the right hand side. It was a gaff like the one in Father Ted!
Anyway- he had a LHD Diplomat, an automatic Austin Princess hearse (A135, not the wedge) and a Ford Anglia 105E.
What he halso had which was pretty groovy was a spotless original '78 Kadett.
It had tiny mileage and was a one owner, it was sold new by the Opel garage in Belturbet, it had the rally wheels (or whatever you call them).

I first spotted these cars in '99? And last looked at them 2-3 years ago.
I'd say they are gone at this stage.