Opel Senator

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The Opel Senator was a large sedan sold in Europe from 1978 until 1994. It was also known as the Vauxhall Royale, Chevrolet Senator, and Vauxhall Senator. The Senator shared its platform with (first) the Opel Rekord and (later) the Opel Omega.

In coupe form, it was known as the Opel Monza. (This should not be confused with the South African Opel Monza, which was the sedan version of the smaller Kadett.To complicate things further, there also was a Chevrolet Monza in Brazil, actually a version of the new-for-1981 German Opel Ascona with a three-door fastback body not available anywhere else.) This is notable for its digital speedometer.

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Senator A

Image:Opel senator 1 v sst.jpg The Senator A was a six-light, lengthened version of the Opel Rekord E. It was complemented by a three-door fastback coupé version on the same platform called the Opel Monza. The Senator A and Monza were initially sold in the United Kingdom as the Vauxhall Royale, as well as under their original names. The vehicle was also available in South Africa as the Chevrolet Senator, until 1982, when it was rebadged as an Opel.

A four-wheel-drive conversion by Ferguson was available in the UK.

The original Senator and Monza were facelifted in 1982. In the UK, this model initially sold as an Opel, before being rebadged as a Vauxhall in 1984. (The Monza continued to be sold with Opel badges.)

The Senator's general 6 window styling was also used by Holden in Australia for the VK and VL Commodore between 1984 and 1988, and also formed the basis of the Daewoo Prince in South Korea.

Image:Vauxhallsenator.jpg

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Senator B

A new model, the Senator B, arrived in 1987, a long-wheelbase version of the Opel Omega (Carlton in the UK). There was no Monza equivalent. This model, and the Omega, formed the basis of the VN Commodore in Australia, which used a stretched and widened platform.

There were various versions of the Senator B available. The 12v 2.5 and 3.0 sized engines were released in 1987 along with a "CD" version of the 3.0. The CD version complimented the standard equipment levels with adjustable suspension, air conditioning, heated seats, trip computer and cruise control. The cars were available as either 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic. Leather seats were also available as a cost option.

The 24v 3.0 was introduced in 1989, generating 204 BHP (compared with 177 BHP for the 12v 3.0). This model was very popular with the police force in the UK with several cars being supplied to police specification. The main feature of the new engine was a "Dual Ram" system, increased low-down torque by a redirected air flow system engaged at 4,000 RPM.

Later in the model's lifespan, the 2.5 was replaced by a 2.6 Dual Ram, and the 3.0 12v removed in 1992. CD versions of the 2.6 and 24v were available up to the model's withdrawal in 1994.

The car's main competition in this era was the BMW 7-series, Citroën XM, Mercedes S-Class, Ford Granada and Renault 25. The car's lack of prestige badge hampered sales, and sold only 26,000 units in the UK during its timespan.

When the second generation Omega was released in 1994, Opel considered that it was sufficiently represented in the upper end of the market by the top Omega MV6. Therefore, the Senator was cancelled after 1994.

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