The first Kadett was introduced to the public in December 1936 by Opel's commercial technical director, Heinrich Nordhoff, who would become known in the decades to come for his leading role in founding the company Volkswagen. This model was created on the basis of the Opel Olympia, which was with a monocoque body. The cadet was positioned as «folk» car and was sold for 2100 Reichsmarks, in contrast to the Olympia, which cost over 2500 Reichsmarks.
In 1940, the production of Kadet and Olympia was stopped in order to produce Opel Blitz trucks for military needs. After World War II, equipment from the Opel Rüsselsheim car factory was requested by the Soviet Union in a war reparations package to compensate for the loss of production lines for the KIM-10-52 car during the siege of Moscow. Based on this equipment, the Small Car Plant in Moscow produced Moskvich-400 cars, which were a complete analogue of the 4-door Cadet.
Opel Cadet A (1962—1965)
The Kadett was reintroduced in 1962 and deliveries began on October 2, just over 22 years after the first model was closed. Production was started at a new plant in Bochum, built for the 100th anniversary of Opel. The body was originally a 2-door sedan, but later a 3-door station wagon appeared (Car-A-Van) and then came the coupe body. The Cadet featured a more modern design than the Volkswagen Beetle, which dominated the market for small family cars but had poor body corrosion protection. In total, 650 thousand cars were built of the first generation, of which 126 thousand were station wagons.
The engine was installed with a 1.0-liter 4-cylinder gasoline, which was developed specifically for this car. The power was 40 hp, and in October 1963 they released a high-speed motor «1.0 S-Motor» 48 hp. In 1965, the volume was increased to 1.1 liters. Gearbox mechanical 4-speed. The drive was carried out on the rear wheels through a single clutch with a dry plate. All four wheels had 200 mm brake drums.
Opel Cadet B (1965—1973)
At the Frankfurt Motor Show at the end of the summer of 1965, the second generation of the Cadet was introduced. This is a deep modernization of the first generation with the preservation of the main technical solutions, but with a modernized body. The car has become wider and longer, the interior space for passengers has increased, and the height has decreased by 10 mm. Assembly was in Germany (Bochum) and Malaysia (Johor Bahru).
The body range has been expanded to include 2 and 4 door sedan, 3 and 5 door station wagon and 2 door coupe. For the first time they began to offer disc brakes on the front wheels, except for the cheapest models. Since February 1967, the single-circuit hydraulic circuit has been replaced by a dual-circuit brake system. Improved the front suspension, as a result of which the car became better «hold» road.
Engine designs remained the same petrol 4-cylinder OHV with water cooling, but with increased volumes from 1.1 to 1.9 liters with power from 45 to 106 hp. Initially, all cars were equipped with a 6-speed manual transmission, and since 1968 it has become possible to choose a 3-speed automatic «Turbo-Hydramatic 180».
Opel Cadet C (1973—1979)
In August 1973, the third generation of the Cadet was released with a letter index «C». The car was assembled in Germany and Belgium based on an international platform «GM T platform» and was the last small rear wheel drive Opel. The design is less lumpy and more streamlined and sporty. External dimensions remained almost the same. About 1.7 million cars were produced.
Body styles were as follows - 2-door and 4-door sedan, 3-door hatchback («Kadett City», to compete on price with Ford Fiesta), 3-door station wagon («Caravan») and 2-door coupe and 2-door convertible. At first, the brakes were drum brakes on all wheels, and since 1975, front disc brakes have been put on all cars. Vacuum brake booster was installed on all cars.
The engines were only gasoline 4-cylinders with a volume of 1.0, 1.2, 1.9 and 2.0 liters with a capacity of 39 to 108 hp. There are three transmission options - 4 and 5-speed mechanics or 3-speed automatic. In 1977 and 1978 there was a slight restyling of the interior trim and appearance. The headlights have become rectangular and larger, and the direction indicators have been moved from under the bumper to the top next to the headlights.
Opel Cadet D (1979—1984)
The fourth generation was introduced in August 1979 and official deliveries began in September. This is the first Opel car with front-wheel drive, the engine is located transversely in front. Because of this, its length was slightly reduced, but the interior volume was increased. Assembly prices were located in Germany, Belgium and the UK. In just 5 years, about 2 million cars were produced. In his class, Cadet became one of the leaders.
Body shapes were as follows - 3 and 5 door hatchback, 2 and 4 door fastback (more sloping rear than hatchback) and 3 and 5 door station wagon («Caravan»). Front-wheel drive has reduced fuel consumption and improved directional stability.
New petrol engines «GM Family II» all 4-cylinders with one overhead camshaft with a volume of 1.0 to 1.8 liters with a power of 45 to 104 hp. For the first time, a 1.6-liter diesel engine with a capacity of 55 hp was offered on this model. There are three transmission options to choose from - 4 and 5-speed manual and 3-speed automatic.
Opel Cadet E (1984—1995)
The last generation was presented to the public in August 1984. Production was established in Germany, Belgium, Portugal and the UK. The car became very popular and during this period about 3.8 million copies were produced. In 1985 Cadet won the award «European Car of the Year». Body shapes were as follows - 3 and 5 door hatchback, 4 door sedan, 3 and 5 door station wagon («Caravan») and 2 door convertible.
The line of gasoline 4-cylinder engines includes seven modifications with a volume from 1.2 to 2.0 liters and power from 59 to 116 hp. Three diesel engines - 1.6 liters (4EC1, turbocharged, 70 hp), 1.7 liters (4EE1, turbocharged, 86 hp) and 1.7 liters (GM Family II, 58 hp). There are three transmissions to choose from - 4 or 5-speed mechanics and a 3-speed automatic.
In 1991 Kadett was renamed to Astra with the preservation of the letter designation of generations.