Admired and sought after by collectors today. To capitaine embodied the german economic miracle the boom years of the 1950 s. And sixtys it was a car that said ive made it a top of the line model the a pit of me of luxury. All models of the opal capitaine from 1938 to 970 are collected here this farm in northwestern germany owned by brothers yosef and. Is a treasure trove for local fans the brothers run a car dealership like their father before them and they collect opals preferably kepe tanks as boys they had fun sitting at the wheel of a capitaine with wooden blocks under their feet so they could reach the pedals. I dont think this one has fantastic upholstery just like new 7 or asphalt are will. The brothers are fascinated by a car that was once the admiration of the automotive world the opal cup a 10 was a showpiece of the west germanys Automotive Industry and a status symbol for its citizens as us of dignitaries it. I just it was always the dream of our boyhood and teenage years a car that our father could barely afford or only temporarily as a demonstration model we were gay and. It was the fantasy luxury car of the 1950 s. And sixtys. On the all 8 capitaine model spending 33 years are lined up here from oldest to newest. You can pretend its because youre happy 10 offered the professional middle and upper classes the opportunity to own an executive class car or you know or all 3 should try they had 6 cylinder engines as smooth as silk lots of power in room and 4 doors on standard versions. And macys on death row and that was for a price far below 10000. 00 marks in the 1950 s. And the mock competition was only building a limited numbers of 6 cylinder cars because they were so much more expensive. Capitaine is qualities gave it an outstanding image and image was work car buyers want to treat it with that help it could go. To the left are competence from 1938 to 954 with lots of chrome and long hoods like a big american cruisers. In 1954 the capitaine was given a punt on or all enveloping body fully integrating the fenders and headlights open developed its most famous model the p 26 piece stood for panoramic when cheap. On obama a panoramic windshield allowed broad visibility this trend spilled over from the United States the model acquired the nickname keyhole capitaine because the taillights looked like Old Fashioned keyholes the i mean it wasnt a big success at the time because the rear seat was too cramped and the big captains of industry couldnt fit in with their hats on so within just 9 months opel built a new model that was easier to get into and out of the back and i was the best selling capitaine ever i was built from the 1959 to the 1963 almost every one of those years more new campaigns were registered than all the other german 6 cylinder models put together. The. In the history of the us was up. In the 1950 s. Most germans were still on foot the average wage earner could not afford a car. Under economics minister. West germanys economy was booming people wanted to show off their growing prosperity with a big car the opel capitaine was the right car in the right place at the right time. Todays collectors are every bit as a namrud with a capitaine among them is Marcus Lerner from southwestern germany his own capitaine is in the paint shop to stop the rust from taking hold marcos is having the capitaine fixed up its the one he and his wife rode in on their wedding day. Then over the weekend for if you drove an opal kept saying it was Something Special but these were bakers butchers and Building Contractors for the rest of the 5 because the 6 cylinders placed this car at the top of the range of. Marcuss capitaine is at christophes opens paint shop work has already begun. Well you know theres a lot of families out of the marble. Floor here and they know we can all come up with this really good luck. It was because theres no resistance in the original part isnt that you did a good job and thats it looked pretty bad. For them theres also for the dogs that. I had to polish everything out here. Theres still some way to go to restore the sedans former elegance but Marcus Lerner is optimistic. If many people walk on by would have noticed in the car i mean im that way with new cars remembering what was happy to see a vintage car in them ings like spotting a familiar face in the crowd these cars of character especially this one. He wants his competition painted a metallic blue marcus had to get hold of the original spray out cards and recipes from switzerland no cars were ever sold with metallic paint in west germany and with this and you have to realize right after the 2nd world war in germany nobody dared to order a car metallic paints metallic it was expensive and made people jealous of those that big and on is going to also. Marcus hopes to pick up his wedding coach with a fresh coat of metallic blue and a few weeks. To. Read it. All the versions of the noble cup attain were designed at knoebels west german headquarters in whistles im. George galleon is a former designer for mobile the Parent CompanyGeneral Motors sent him to him from the United States and he settled in west germany George County and thoroughly enjoyed the ride in his fine 1956 capitaine for years the cars were assembled in this all. Survive rides very smoothly and quietly proceeding from a you can turn the big Steering Wheel with one finger. This golden capitaine is one of a kind the 2 millionth opel make the car maker made sure its jubilee car was a capitaine opals best model at the time it rolled off the Assembly Line in november 19th to. 56. In the 1950 s. The k. 40 home was thought to be the worlds most advanced automobile Production Facility and it was west germanys biggest industrial home now it stands empty im sure and thats why i remember for rolls of almost a half finished car stood here. Thats where the seats were installed and the next step was to put almost wheels for the raider. By the late 1950 s. 32000 people were working in production at the plant as a german subsidiary of General Motors vocal enjoyed Great Success much of the credit goes to the capitaine it was the brands golden age. Opal collectors mancini and yosef dagon are are currently on the lookout for a very special capitaine not necessarily a gilded one. Says. I the family owns one of the largest private opel collections in europe its an expensive hobby considering that not even company tains in excellent condition fetch anywhere near the prices of other vintage automobiles even so these models counted together are worth millions of euros but to the brothers there sentimental value is immeasurable. This 954 capitaine has a regal history. So this is a capitaine that we picked up on the French Riviera or town for upwards of 0. Point of. All the paint is worn dulled by the. Sounds of the sahara. This cars papers show it was originally delivered to the Moroccan Royal family. Services i thought yes its great that its completed that is complete with minor flaws you cant drive it in Northern Europe it was made for north africa and didnt have a heater for. Kind. Its an engine puts out 68. 00 horsepower at the time that was king sized performance. If they go miles from i think a moroccan king would probably also use a rolls royce for state occasions treasury day driving this could have been a royal limousine at the time. But i dont know for sure the moroccan king wasnt as wealthy as other arab rulers before but i could imagine he was satisfied with a noble copy 10 and actually drove it i think its possible but we dont know for sure. In the brothers repair Shop Mechanic lars make link manages to transform even rusty back into running Capital Gains is when theres another gas council thats the gas cap weve just been talking about. But they were actually looking for the taillights of the capitaine p 26. 00 they call it. The courts. And the courts. For all they might find something here right away youre lucky but that doesnt happen very often. Lead total of 145616 of the best selling p 2 sixes were built quite a lot for an executive sedan so there are still plenty of parts around. The hobby i gotta tell you how you know there. Was excited. Before long the mechanic is finished restoring yet another capitaine to 6 soon it will be back on the streets purring along smoothly and comfortably the familiar feel of a capitaine. Marcus linares wedding coach is also a 26 now the paint job is finished and its back home in its own garage. Its got a lot of. Oh. Yes. Or no office the. Learner son florian helps him put in a new rear seat they dont have to do a perfect job just make sure its comfortable and roadworthy low on the. List. So. Elke a learner has brought along an old photo album. For. You what would you like to compare the color to see if it really looks like all car adaline i know. This was the lerners wedding coach when they got married in 2002. It was only made a lot for you know. The capitaine has been part of the family ever since. And. Its all been anything we set back on me and one of the headdress that had been removed so my beautiful bride could be seen and she could look straight ahead. Dagon are brothers take a capitaine 51 out for a spin they like this model because it gained a certain notoriety as a gangster car it was the model of choice for the 1950 s. Gangsters who used it as a getaway car after robberies they knew full well the capitaine was ideally suited to the task. That it is in the early postwar years the police were not nearly as well equipped as they are now federal Police Military vehicles that had just 18 horsepower and less competent had a good 58 horsepower. The cuff in water form its terms that was vastly superior to a sickly the police were powerless against gang strike driving this car what they did i stand a chance. I was in later years they tried lying in wait for the gangsters but then the gangsters parked trailer trucks on the highway they had ordering ramps and the gangsters would drive their capitaine up into the trailer. To close the tailgate the police didnt know where the capitaine and the gangsters of god. It was like the earth swallowed them up for a shot at that state or just got it didnt damage the reputation of the cafeteria not just the opposite approved its better heres a fast i defended car so what is it although there would have been on the start i got most old. Gangster competence design borrowed heavily from american models that was another key factor in its popularity. And now. In front of the opal house and whistles time retired designer george galleon inspects a row of capitaine in the 1950 s. West germans were crazy about everything that came from the United States opel took ideas from models by chevrolet buick and cadillac the Design Concept for the p 25 was no exception this is design here this design here is nearly identical to the design of the big chevrolet from 1958. Ah confirms this months if you can see it here its got exactly the same windscreen and rear window as well. This is the 2 door version but the 4 door was no different and heres what they called a dogleg theres these are for here you had to climb under this corner to get. The dog leg made it harder to get into the car and require the occupant to adopt a certain technique. They talk people to sit down 1st and then pull their legs then after thats no problem at all kind of George County and points out features that distinguish the various capitaine models. In 1954 they acquired what came to be known as a sharks mouth grill. 2 are in agreement hes a hes a bride to molly gaping maw for the grill opening was characteristic of opal is art from cooler of the sharks mouth at 1st appeared in 1953 in the usa on the Chevrolet Corvette or in the us. Hot road of anger these are rich from opal more or less adopted it for its larger models. And the capital. To make happy 10 was the model with the most distinctive version of this grill design are who to get their design and. Marcus linares p 26 is finally ready for him to pick up. It took some time and effort to make it roadworthy again this is his 1st trip in the newly restored better when it was built in 1962 making it exactly the same age as its driver. Marcus lerner fell in love with the opel capitaine as a small boy and has never fallen out of love. The engine runs very very quietly like a fine sewing machine. But it guzzles 11. 00 leaders of gas per 100 kilometers it puts out 90 horsepower in 3 speeds with a steering column mounted gear shift. And so although it decisive factor is the number of cylinders thanks a car with 6 cylinders is going to drive a lot more smoothly than one with just 4 cylinders. You can get up to speed for 3rd gear and then accelerate on up to 165 Kilometers Per Hour but ive done that if thats how before. Marcus miller has a special purpose for his 1st trip in his newly restored capitaine hes going to pick up some wine from his favorite vineyard. Its on the opposite side of the rhine the capitaine boards the car ferry for crossing. Marcus almost waxes an astonishing when he looks back at the capitaine some long history. In the neighborhood a cup at sun and later an opal admiral or opal diplomats were Something Special. Driving one didnt make you snobby fancy. There were days youd say drive in the cup that sun is understated but. Just a bit before. It had its prime but 964. 00 marked the start of a long slow decline for the capitaine the new model of the opal capitaine a was boxy and no longer the solo star on stage. This is the 1st of the big 3 of the company 10 the 1st in a completely new opal line that will soon be lending mistreats their characteristic accent. The hope of the hood of the admiral sports the new symbol elegantly tamed power by the diplomat being retains the same profile but underscores its higher position with a vinyl roof that lends the elegance of its exterior a touch of sportiness. Sharp turns not just for fun tried and true safety when you need to. Be 10 the admiral the diplomat v 8 the big 3 by opal. The once proud capitaine was suddenly just one of a team now it was just a matter of time in 1970 opel halted production of the capitaine germans were no longer impressed by cars that looked like big american boats especially not gas guzzlers. Courses in the executive class or cars images very important. So i think it and some points were missing here it was those final touches the capitaine was affordable so it was a bit more cheaply built than the other top range cars and that didnt help things. Composed a poem as a farewell to this motoring legend. Into iowa over its long years 33. It dawned 8 ropes gracefully for the 1st the long and pointed nose at the 1930 s. Close then came the sleek pantani body. Bigger engine hale and hearty. By then hauling the buyers will pick up a capitaine with sharks mouth grill. And the capitaine got current panoramic windshield in frys even panoramic and back now its really got the knack of the p 26. 00 took the fast lane it was the best selling capitaine these were around this one id be willing as a 6 cylinder captain king. In front soon after came the big 3 i think happy 10 was all at sea with admiral and diplomat the capitaine just took his hat. Meanwhile the capitaine 26 driven by marcus leonard. Has almost arrived at the vineyard. That. I. The lady of chateau vester house is Countess Ivana function vocal ill call shes the great granddaughter of opals founder adam opel my. Lap. Over there and so its nice weather i had to drive it myself. He drove yourself thats wonderful got there and im picking up the one myself this time to. Get it untasted. With the right time and its in the beautiful condition. To be very clearly that they can do up to 160 kilometers an hour a very brief mile yes. The capitaine the one time top of opals range has a special place in the countesss heart. As its magnificent and its got 50 years on it and its an outstanding condition that it makes me really happy to see it we also ridden it to our wedding that was a while ago but it was a very special moment home and. The trunk by the way holds 406 liters very generous for a german car of that time Marcus Lerner makes good use of it that a lot. And he enjoys every single kilometer in his opel capitaine a genuine motoring legend i. Came by. My. Last. No mommy cant. Model you want to. Take off special. 6 times im defeated european champion 2 World Championships and the limbic victory the big National Soccer team but some of the stuff. On the change to germanys womenfolk almost all sorts of steps. To call. The demon spawn d. W. M. My 1st boss was a sewing machine. Where i come from women are balanced by the social. Even something as simple as learning how to write them by psychos isnt. Since i was a little girl i wanted to have a bicycle off my home but it took me years to been there. Finally they gave bob invention by me and i say that but 3 times because sewing machine sewing i suppose was more apt procreates cargoes than rising im biased as knowledge i want to meet shall fill those moment back on the bones by their duties and social norms and inform them about that piece and write. My name is them out of the go home and i work at speed a. Moot point is for me to have. Been told it is for. Me to. Beethoven is for a. Good beethoven is for every modern beethoven 2200. 50th anniversary here on d w. Im going crazy thing in full time. How to handle our new allies in times of the current a pandemic g. W. Reporter is just like it was not strong and shes looking for answers thankfully with the help of cleaning a few of the politicos. Thanks yours is not life as we know it shops where all. Our. Kids get out of the kind of. Odd. Good. Good good. Good. Oh ya. Know back. This is the news live from berlin nurses on the frontline of the coronavirus they make. As they mock International Nurses day to day many say they are still not getting the protection they need as they risk their own health to saving others also coming up. Reopening for business we report from civill one of that spanish specs recede