The subjects of today's post are the short-lived (1958-59) Opel Kapitän P1 and the 1957-1959 versions of the Vauxhall Cresta PA and Vauxhall Velox PA. Also included are images of similar Chevrolet and Buick features.
Unless noted, images below are factory-sourced or are of for-sale cars.
Significant features include panoramic (wraparound) windshields and backlight windows, along with C-pillars that blend into the beltline.
The slightly smaller Vauxhall has similar windows, but the C-pillar is narrower and fails to blend. That said, it appears that the cars might have shared some structural elements.
The Kapitän's backlight is a one-piece affair.
Whereas Vauxhall's had three-segment backlights.
Note the similarity to this American GM design's backlight.
Later Vauxhall PAs received one-piece backlights.
Now for some comparative side views. The Kapitän's wide C-pillar is similar to that of ...
Buick Super and Roadmaster hardtop sedans of the 1957 model year had this window design, also some Cadillacs.
Whereas the Vauxhalls' C-pillars are similar to those on ...
1958 Chevrolet and Pontiac four-door sedans had this window treatment.
The Kapitän blended into the body and body colored reverse slant C pillar wrapping over the top with different color roof plus the rear quarter window give it more than a little 1956 Rambler similarity as well.
ReplyDeleteIn general I've always wondered about European and UK Ford and GM cars with obvious similarities to US models - stylists from the US assigned to there, the other way around, or European cars just designed in the US?
There's also a Humber or something that just kind of copied a lot of the 1955 Chevrolet.