Little by little we are finding models that stayed in the attempt and that were planned as one of the great successes of many brands. It is something unprecedented and when it usually happens we take the definitive step to know more about the history of the brand. Now, lOpel Classic specialists have discovered in an auction eight old photographs of a delivery vehicle, it is an extraordinary situation, where it was confirmed that in the German firm they did not stand idly by and surprised with a revolutionary design.
These unpublished photos show how Opel, in the mid-1930s, had planned a delivery vehicle with a very modern look ready for production, many years before that flat-front concept spread around the world and became the current standard of light commercial vehicle design today.
In Opel they live with excessive enthusiasm this historical fact and according to Leif Rohwedder, Director of Opel Classic: “In the historical archive of Opel until now there were no images of this model. As far as we know, no publication had made any reference to this vehicle and knowledge of this unique prototype has been gone for decades.”
The Blitz model surprises with its compact structure, where it was already developed and ready to drive. With an engine of 1,488 cm3, and a wheelbase of 2,400 mm, had a long hood, and that was complemented by a large volume of cargo. For its part, the engine was located under or slightly in front of the seat.
The Blitz van features a simple and functional design, which fit with a progressive concept. However, it is clearly Opel: its black wheel arches resemble those of Opel’s modern commercial vehicles while the “art deco” details are a characteristic feature of all Opel passenger cars of the 30s. With a clear emphasis on horizontal lines that provide the vehicle with a friendly face, something very unusual in delivery vehicles of that time. However, this model never came to be produced as standard and is that the arrival of the Second World War played against it.
