The Opel Omega A was a modern, streamlined appearance when it took office at the end of 1986 and its arrival marked a significant step forward compared to its predecessor, the Rekord E. However, Opel wanted to let it enter the last decade of the 20th century refreshed.
Opel took the facelift of the Omega a bit like it had already given the last generation Kadett a fresh face. Fewer slats in the grille, less gray plastic in the nose, as if that were the task of the designers who had to ensure that various Opels could stick to their existence for a few more years.
And so, in October 1989, there was an Omega in showrooms with a grille that was more open and that had a thick chrome trim at the top. The bumpers got a bit more shape and before the facelift you saw Omegas with black bumpers – you could even get the car that floated a bit between the upper middle class and the executive segment as a bare LS – after the model year change, the bottom of the bumpers was always provided in the same paint as the body. This facelift is a good example of how a car can suddenly look a lot fresher from the eyes, especially because of the headlights with clearer glass. That was the magic potion for a facelift in those days.
The rear was of course tackled in the same subtle way. With the fat 3000, which already had other bumpers, the changes were less noticeable. And the most brutal of Omegas, the Lotus, only came out after the facelift.
The Omega A lasted until 1994, a new generation was ready that year, which in turn went under the knife in 1999, but we already served that updated Omega B before in an episode of Facelift Friday.