The class of 1980: The Opel Kadett D 1.2 Berlina in the test
The Cadet Dwhich was launched in 1979, was the first car in Opel’s history with front-wheel drive. For a long time, they resisted the trend in Rüsselsheim, but then they delivered: The clear and rectangularly designed D in cold, naked polar white with the smallest possible engine and the finest equipment – such combinations were possible in 1980 – represents the best compact offering here. This includes precise rack and pinion steering, by far the best acceleration and braking values, the lowest fuel consumption, the generous legroom on the back seat and the large trunk with the low loading sill. A mature achievement – especially because everything in the Kadett D is new except for the engine.
At the front, the ancient, now transversely mounted 1.2-liter OHV four-cylinder roars at the base, a motor from the early sixties. The standard version delivers 54 hp, and fourth gear is already in place from 60 km/h. As you go up, it just gets louder thanks to the short gear ratio that simulates torque, but a top speed of 140 km/h is still possible. Five gears are still a silent wish, but the four available engage precisely and over short distances. Apart from the dull feeling when braking, there is actually not much to complain about.
With the Kadett D, Opel also introduced a modern OHC engine, but at the very bottom of the base is the OHV “sewing machine” already known from the Kadett B with 54 hp and 1.2 litres displacement.
Image: Christian Bittmann / Car Whiz
The Berlina equipment brings a little shine to the sober, blind-operated interior. Non-slip, grippy velour on the thin seats is part of it, the gear knob and steering wheel look and feel like hard licorice. A golf likes more tangy, a Rhythm appear more individual, EscortHorizon and 323 may be cheaper, but in the end the advertising from back then is right: “The Cadet. He has what many would like to have.” He has class!
Plus/Minus
For Opel The Kadett D represented a technical revolution, Rüsselsheim was the first to develop a front-wheel drive car with a transverse engine. This did not affect the much-vaunted reliability, and customers snapped them up: around 2.1 million units rolled off the production line in Bochum and at Vauxhall in Ellesmere Port, England, between 1979 and the summer of 1984. The fact that a soberly styled and mostly configured Kadett D exudes pure pragmatism still stands in the way of its great career as a classic car – Kadett B and C are more heart-warming.
Four gears have to suffice for the entry-level engine in the Kadett D.
Image: Christian Bittmann / Car Whiz
In addition, the body variety of the D is very limited. It is available as a hatchback with two and four doors and a small trunk or large tailgate, or as a station wagon with two and four doors. That’s it. Variety only comes from a wide range of engine and equipment variants. The base version is the old 1.2-liter ohv engine with 53 hp and the S version with 60 hp, simple and indestructible. The new 1.3-liter cross-flow ohc engines with toothed belt drive (changed every four years or 60,000 km) initially suffered from insufficiently hardened camshafts, but because this damage was dealt with under the warranty, all camshafts are likely to have been replaced around 40 years later.
Today, GM’s own Varajet carburettors are more of a concern, resulting in poor engine performance. A Kadett D also rusts, but not more than other cars of its time. Many sheet metal parts are available used or new, the front strut mounts are an exception – replacements from the accessories usually do not fit. Door panels for GTE and GLS Recaro seats for the SR and GTE sports versions are in demand, as are matt black add-on parts. But even those who decide to buy the top model won’t go broke.
Market situation
The market is small but relaxed because the Kadett D technology carrier is still not very popular in the old Opel scene. It shares the fate with the front-wheel drive Ascona C. The only exception: the hot GT/E, the only rare and expensive representative of the series. The practical caravan has also long been a rarity, but is priced somewhat higher than the hatchback sedan. Four-figure prices are the norm, and equipment and performance cost extra. At least the prices for the long-underestimated D are pointing upwards.
The forced ventilation is hidden behind the plastic “cheese corners” on the C-pillar.
Image: Christian Bittmann / Car Whiz
Spare parts
Things only get really tight when you need a few matching door panels for the red Berlina interior or a tank and fuel sender for the GTE (the only fuel-injected model in the series). The usual wear and tear parts and even new body parts are readily available. A NOS tailgate costs Car parts 390 euros, a door 256 and a fuel pump 72 euros. A wheel arch repair panel at the rear costs 46 euros, a wheel brake cylinder 20 and a new fender 250 euros (source: OTR vintage car parts). Everything else can be found on the Internet.
