Like on every street corner
If there is one car that well represents the time from which it stems, then it is this Opel Kadett. A C-Kadett as you saw it literally on every street corner in the 1970s and early 1980s.
You might expect that the Opel Kadett C has appeared regularly in this section, but what our surprise: that is not the case! Only once, six years ago, and that was a GT/E. The Kadett D and even the E have passed by more often. Of course that is not possible. It must be said that it is of course not really the most special classic to find on the street, but well, that applies to the D and certainly not the E either. In the meantime, this third generation of the post-war Kadett has reached such an age that even a model such as this one that has sold so well is definitely worth a moment’s attention.
What actually makes this copy, spotted by colleague Rik Werner, more fun than the aforementioned GT/E, is that it is a Kadett as you saw them in droves at the time. It is the commonly called City three-door hatchback. Also in a wonderfully typical color for that time. In 1977 you could have put your key in the wrong car, so to speak, if you had this Kadett. That is precisely why it is actually very nice to see one of these again, because because of its inconspicuousness and simple disposition, such a Kadett could have been quite at the forefront of the scrapping line. That a GT / E is still there is considerably less remarkable than that this copy has managed to kick it until 2023.
Apparently the Kadett has had the mercy of all its (many) previous owners, who spared it enough to live to this age. We doubt that any very thorough work was ever done by them to get that done. The appearance, with some scratches and some rust here and there, gives one to think that the Kadett is still in relatively original condition. The somewhat faded but possibly original striping is also still on it. It is possible that a restoration was done a long time ago, or it has been a ‘sleeper’. The Kadett C, if left to the elements, was a willing victim to the rust ghost. Technically they were not necessarily made for eternity, although it helped that maintenance was relatively simple and cheap.
With a set of original wheels underneath and after some external attention, there is probably still a pretty fresh looking Kadett here. Who knows, the owner may also plan to do so, because he or she hasn’t had it that long. The Kadett was last transferred last summer. Have fun with it and keep it on the road!
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl