Opel Kadett Strolch

The Opel Kadett Strolch was the prototype of an open Opel Kadett based on the economy model KJ 38. The cabriolet-saloon was developed in 1938 but never built in series, because steel was scarce before the Second World War and sales in this segment were expected to be small. Six prototypes were made, which disappeared during the war, and a print-ready brochure with technical data shows it was more than a test vehicle. It is uncertain whether the model would really have been called Strolch, since the brochure speaks only of a Kadett two-seater and the name was a factory nickname found on archive photographs. Under the open self-supporting body sat the Kadett KJ 38 engineering, a 1.1 litre side-valve four-cylinder giving 23 PS, and the brochure claims a top speed of 98 kilometres per hour for the 755 kilogram car. Photographs found in 2008 led Opel to rebuild it, and the replica is kept in the factory collection in Rüsselsheim.