Opel Corsa (1986) – Into the Wild

While Volkswagen had had a Polo for years and Ford had the Fiesta since 1976, an Opel car in that segment was not forthcoming for a long time. In 1982 it was finally time, in that year the first generation Corsa made its appearance. The model that you once found on every Dutch street corner, just like big brother Kadett, is almost completely extinct in 2021. While Volkswagen supplied the Polo as a three-door hatchback and as a two-door sedan and Ford only supplied the Fiesta up to and including the second generation as a three-door hatchback, Opel had a wider Corsa range. The Corsa debuted as a three-door hatchback and as a two-door sedan (TR), but from 1985 it was also available as a five-door hatchback and as this four-door sedan. From that year, Opel also erased the TR designation of the tailgate of the two-door sedan. The Corsa that you see in these photos dates from 1986 and is therefore one of the first two-door Corsas that was not marked as such.

Opel Corsa

From the mid-eighties, not only was the TR designation banned, the names of the versions in which you could get the Corsa were also revised. For example, the unnamed standard version, the Luxe, Berlina and SR were replaced by flavors such as LS, GL, GLS, Swing and GT. The Corsa in these photos is a GL version and has the 54 hp and 90 Nm strong 1.2 under the hood, an eight valve that the Corsa in combination with a four-speed gearbox at a speed of 100 km/h in 16.5 counts. The sticker that reads ‘yours is faster, so what?’ is proof that it doesn’t have to be that hard for this Corsa owner. Opel also supplied this Corsa with a 45 hp and 68 Nm strong 1.0, so as far as propulsion is concerned, it could be even easier.

Although you can see from every angle that the sheet metal of this primal Corsa has seen better days, the same owner seems to take good care of the old beast. In any case, some work has taken place on the left flank. The fact that the Corsaatje is still being used on a daily basis does us good. This GL version was the second version of the Corsa after the LS, a version that you could recognize from the outside by the half-missing bumper strips on the left flank of this two-door. More GL wealth came in the form of intermittent wipers, an inside-adjustable left wing mirror, a three-speed blower, front and rear ashtrays, and in the front you were blessed with two extra air vents, a digital clock, a trip meter and – love you fixed – an illuminated headlight switch. Times change, and that is precisely why this two-door is a moving relic that hopefully will enrich the Dutch fleet with its modest presence for a long time to come.