Opel Kapitän (Kapitän P2, 1959 to 1963)

The Kapitän P2 came to market in August 1959. It still had the panoramic windscreen of the P1 but gained a new grille and a revised body with a more angular roof and a new rear. It was driven by a stronger, oversquare 2.6-litre inline six of overhead valve and pushrod design, with a bore and stroke of 85 by 76.5 mm instead of 80 by 82 mm. The 3-speed and 4-speed overdrive transmissions were carried over, and from December 1960 the overdrive was replaced by General Motors' 3-speed Roto-Hydra-Matic automatic. The P2 climbed to a top speed of 150 km/h and reached 100 km/h in 16 seconds. From August 1959 to December 1963 Opel built 145,618 units, the highest production level of any Kapitän, and in 1960 the Kapitän and Admiral together were Europe's top-selling six-cylinder saloons.