Opel Kapitän (Kapitän, 1953 to 1958)

The Kapitän of 1953 to 1958 was a completely new car launched by Opel in November 1953, longer and wider than its predecessor. It had a revised rear live axle, a rear stabilizing bar and slightly enlarged drum brakes, and carried over the six-cylinder engine with its compression ratio raised to 7.0:1, giving 68 PS at first, 71 PS for 1955 and 75 PS for 1956. Like the smaller Olympia Rekord it used a design language that resembled 1953 US Plymouth models. The 1956 model year brought a mild facelift and a top speed of 140 km/h, and from May 1957 a semi-automatic three-speed overdrive transmission was available. From November 1953 to February 1958, 154,098 were built, making it the third-most popular car in Germany.