Opel Monza

The Opel Monza is an executive fastback coupe produced

by the German automaker Opel from 1978 to 1986. It was Opel Monza
marketed in the United Kingdom as the Vauxhall Royale
Coupé by Vauxhall.[1]

Contents
Monza A1 (1978–1982)
Monza A2 (1982–1986)
Overview
Monza GSE
Manufacturer Opel
Holden Monza
Also called Vauxhall Royale Coupé
Other uses of the Monza name
Production 1978–1986
2013 Monza Concept
Assembly West Germany:
References
Rüsselsheim
External links
Body and chassis
Class Executive car (E)
Monza A1 (1978–1982) Body style 2-door fastback coupé
Platform V platform
The Monza was planned as a successor for the
Commodore Coupé. In the late 1970s the Commodore C Related Bitter SC Coupé
model was made as a two-door version (as was the Opel Senator A
Rekord E1), but still as a sedan type car. The first model of Dimensions
the Commodore the "A" series had a regular coupé in the
Wheelbase 2,670 mm (105.1 in)
production line and Opel desired to make a newer version
of their large luxury coupé. Work began in 1976 and in Length 4,692 mm (184.7 in)
1978 the first Monzas were available to buy. The cars to Width 1,734 mm (68.3 in)
compete with would be the Mercedes-Benz C123 and
Height 1,380 mm (54.3 in)
later the Mercedes-Benz C124 and the BMW 6 Series
(E24) models (coupe models), and any other large luxury Curb weight 1,375–1,420 kg (3,031–
coupe. But what Opel hadn't realized was that the old 3,131 lb)
ways were too old. The car was big without being hugely Chronology
luxurious. This did not mean that the Monza was not
comfortable. There was plenty of space inside the car, and Predecessor Opel Commodore Coupé
the enormous seats left you with a feeling of sitting in a
much more upmarket brand than Opel.

The internals consisted of parts mainly borrowed from the Rekord E1 and later the E2, which meant cloth
seats, and much plastic on the dashboard and inner doors. Even the rev counter and the tachometer was
taken directly from the Rekord E models, so that when you sat in one, the feeling was not that you drove a
Monza, but more that you where driving a Rekord. If that wasn't enough trouble for Opel, they also
experienced gearbox problems. The engine range for the Monza A1 was the 3.0S, the 2.8S, the newly
 developed 3.0E and later
the 2.5E (the 3.0 had
180  bhp and 248 Nm with
fuel injection), gave a wide
range. The three-speed
Borg Warner automatic
transmission from the
Opel Monza coupe rear (1978–1982) Commodore range needed
Vauxhall Royale coupe
to be modified to cope with
the new and improved
power outputs. Opel's own four-speed manual gearboxes were not up to the job and, instead of putting in a
more modern five-speed manual gearbox, Opel turned to gearbox and transmission producer Getrag, and
installed the Getrag 264 four-speed manual gearbox in the early Monzas. But when people bought a big,
luxurious coupé they wanted modern products as well, and Opel obliged, as soon the Getrag 240 (for the
2.5 engines) and the Getrag 265 (for the 3.0E), both 5-speed manual gearboxes, replaced the old 4-speed
gearbox.

The Monza, however, sharing the same layout as the Senator A1, had very good driving abilities. It
handled quite well, thanks to the newly developed MacPherson strut system for the front of the car, as used
on the Rekord E1 and E2, and the new (previously Opel had always used a non-independent rear axle on
the Rekord E1 and E2, Manta, Ascona etc.) independent rear suspension gave the car soft, yet firm and
capable, driving characteristics and excellent stability for such a big car. The engine range, however non-
economical, was also very good, and few problems with the extremely reliable engines, even today, some
30 years later. The six-cylinder engines were all of the CIH type (camshaft in head) and were in reality a
2.0-litre straight four with just two more cylinders. Many parts on the engine, such as the water pump and
drive train, are in fact the same parts as used on the four-cylinder version. This meant that this was an
engine not only tested for many years in the Commodore, Admiral and Diplomat range, but also very
reliable. Although the first generation of 3.0E engines in the Monza A1 had overheating problems when
standing still, this could easily be fixed by fitting an oil-cooler.

When Opel realized that the public disliked the Rekord interior, they introduced the "C" package. The "C"
cars were fitted with extra instruments (oil pressure, voltmeter etc.) and the interior was either red, dark
blue, green, or brown. As all parts of the interior were coloured, it seemed more luxurious than it did
previously.

The A1 also came with a sports package or "S" package. The cars all where marked as "S" models on the
front wings, and came with 15-inch Ronal alloy wheels and a 45% limited slip differential.

However, being a coupe, it was rather large, and four well-sized adults had plenty of space. Even the boot
was extremely large, and if that was not enough people had the possibility to flip down the rear seats to
make even more space. The A1 was not a great hit at the customers even though it was fairly cheap to buy,
the class of the car taken in consideration, and the fact that it actually got some good reviews by the press.

With the 3.0-litre engine, the Monza was at that time the fastest car Opel had ever built. Being capable of
speeds as high as 215 km/h, and the 0–100 km/h mark went in just 8.5 seconds.

Monza A2 (1982–1986)
In 1982, the Monza, Rekord and Senator all got a face-lift and were named the A2 (E2 for the Rekord).
The A2 looked similar to the A1 overall but with some small changes to the front end. The headlights
noticeably increased in size, and the front was more streamlined than the A1. The car was much more
slippery, with drag resistance down by around ten percent (from 0.40 to 0.35 ).[2] Also the chrome parts
like bumpers etc. were changed to a matt black finish, or with
plastic parts. The bumpers were now made of plastic and gave the
Monza the look of a sports car in appearance, and actually did look
similar to the Opel Manta, despite the ample size difference. The
rear lights were the same and the orange front indicators were now
clear glass, giving a much more modern look to the car. Overall the
update was regarded as successful although retrospectively some of
the purity of the lines of the early car were lost.

At a time of rising fuel prices, the need for fuel efficiency was Opel Monza (1982–1986)
becoming paramount, and Opel decided to change the engine
specifications of the Monza. This meant introducing both the inline
four-cylinder CIH 2.0E engine from the Rekord E2 (replaced by
the torquier 2.2 in October 1984).[2] However, as the Monza
weighs almost 1400 kg, given the 115 PS of the two engines, the
cars were underpowered and thus unpopular. The 2.5E was given a
new Bosch injection system so between 136 and 140  PS was
available. The 2.8S was taken out of production. The 3.0E engine
stayed the top of the range. The 3.0E was given an upgraded
Bosch fuel injection and fuel consumption improved somewhat.

The cars now came with more luxurious interior, electrically Opel Monza rear (1982–1986)
controlled side mirrors and even an on-board computer, recording
fuel consumption, speed and range.

The launch of the A2 in the UK saw the demise of the Vauxhall Royale Coupe, which had been sold
alongside the Monza, resulting in only the Opel model being available on the market. The Royale was
disparagingly described by Autocar as "an effeminate, frilly, titivated version of the [Monza] with fussy
wheels and an unpleasant (often pastel-shaded) velour-smothered interior".[3]

Monza GSE

The last incarnation of the

Monza was the GSE
edition in mid-1983;[2]
basically the A2 car, but a
high-specification model
which had Recaro sports
Opel Monza GSE (1983–1986) seats, digital LCD
Opel Monza convertible:
instruments, firmer Keinath C5
suspension, the Getrag five-
speed manual transmission, and an enhanced all-black interior. It
also featured a large rear spoiler on the boot. Also GSE models are equipped with a 40% limited slip
differential, an addition that had to be ordered separately on earlier 3.0E cars when purchasing.

By the time the Senator was updated to the new Senator B and the Monza cancelled, 43,812 Monzas had
been built. There was no direct Monza replacement, although the idea of a large Opel/Vauxhall sporting car
was carried on in the Lotus Carlton/Lotus Omega saloon. Bitter Cars put a 4.0 engine under the hood as a
prototype. Three were built; two left hand drive and one right hand drive, one left hand drive burned out on
a motorway in Germany and the other is in a museum, but the right hand drive one is in Somerset, UK.
Holden Monza
In Australia, local racing legend Peter Brock had plans to import, modify and market the Opel Monza
Coupé as the Holden Monza with the Holden 5 Litre V8 fitted, through his own HDT (Holden Dealer
Team) business, but the plans eventually fell through.[4] This was due to the expense of adapting the car to
Australian Design Rules.[5] One model was built with modifications, including a 5.0-litre Holden V8
engine.[6]
[7]

Other uses of the Monza name

In South Africa, a saloon version of the smaller Opel Kadett E was also sold as the Opel Monza.[8] In
Brazil and Venezuela, a version of the Opel Ascona C was sold as the Chevrolet Monza, which featured a
three-door fastback body unique to Latin America.[9] There was also an unrelated Chevrolet Monza in the
United States.

Since 2019, Chinese buyers have been offered another Chevrolet Monza, this time a four-door sedan.

2013 Monza Concept

The Opel Monza Concept is a three-door 2+2 fastback 2013 Monza Concept
coupé plug-in hybrid concept car with 2 gullwing doors
for easy access to the rear seats unveiled at the Frankfurt
Motor Show in September 2013. The concept was also
shown under the British Vauxhall marque.[10]

The concept shares the same basic plug-in hybrid setup as

the Chevrolet Volt and Opel Ampera called
"VOLTEC",[11] but using a turbocharged 1-liter 3-
cylinder natural gas-powered engine as its range extender
instead of General Motors’ current 1.4-liter gasoline Voltec
engine.[12] The Monza Concept is the first car to feature
Overview
cutting-edge LED projection infotainment.[13]
Manufacturer Opel
Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann, the CEO of Opel has been Also called Vauxhall Monza (United
quoted as saying "The Monza Concept is nothing less than
Kingdom)
our vision of the automotive future". According to Opel,
this concept is the role-model for the next generation of Production 2013 (Concept car)
Opel cars, and because of its modular chassis design, Designer Mark Adams
future cars based on it would be able to accommodate
Body and chassis
gasoline, diesel or electric power.[12][14]
Class Executive car (E)
Chief designer Ed Welburn of General Motors said "The Body style 3-door 2+2 fastback coupé
gullwing doors will go into production and concept".[15]
Doors Gullwing doors
Related Opel Flextreme GT/E
Powertrain
Engine 1.0 L B10XFL SIDI turbo I3
(CNG)
1.4 L Voltec I4 (Petrol)
 Transmission 1-speed Voltec 4ET50
Multi-mode electric
transaxle
Hybrid Series hybrid/Parallel hybrid
drivetrain (GM Voltec)
Battery Li-ion

References
1. Vauxhall Royale and Royale Coupe (1978 - 1984) ([Link]
vauxhall/royale/), Honest John, 22 August 2013
2. Pirotte, Marcel (1985-01-24). "Essai detaillé: Opel Senator 2.2i" [Detailed Test]. Le Moniteur
de l'Automobile (in French). Brussels, Belgium: Editions Auto-Magazine. 36 (813): 107.
3. Autocar & Motor ([Link]
+Royale%22+%22Opel+Monza%22&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=%22Vauxhall+Royal
e%22+), Volume 192, Haymarket, Pub., Limited, 1992, page 60
4. Monaro or Monza? Holden faces a coupe conundrum ([Link]
1506/monaro-or-monza-holden-faces-a-coupe-conundrum/) Wheels, June 8, 2015
5. Opel Monza 2008 | Driving Brock's One-off Coupe ([Link]
Ao1_YYMM), Performance, [Link]
6. GM HOLDEN monaro after 1978 COMMODORE PETER BROCK HDT ([Link]
[Link]/watch?v=ywaoysFGq2I)
7. Auction 1984 Opel Monza HDT 'Prototype' Coupe ([Link]
016-shannons-sydney-late-autumn-classic-auction/XFPK3B558BX0FBDC/)
8. Opel Monza commercial, 1986 ([Link]
s)
9. Brazil's J-Car, the Chevy Monza, bows in May ([Link]
QAAMAAJ&dq=chevrolet+monza+brasil&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=%22under+the+Ch
evrolet+Monza+name%22), Automotive News, Crain Automotive Group, 1982, page 108
10. Vauxhall Monza concept review ([Link]
uxhall/10520766/[Link]), Daily Telegraph, Andrew English, 2
January 2014
11. Matthe, Roland; Eberle, Ulrich (2014-01-01). "The Voltec System - Energy Storage and
Electric Propulsion" ([Link]
em_Energy_Storage_and_Electric_Propulsion). Retrieved 2014-05-04.
12. Stephen Williams (2013-09-10). "Frankfurt Motor Show: The Opel Monza Returns" ([Link]
[Link]/2013/09/10/frankfurt-motor-show-the-opel-monza-returns/?ref=auto
mobiles&_r=0). The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-09-11.
13. "Monza concept to break cover at Frankfurt" ([Link]
to-break-cover-at-frankfurt/1757/). [Link]. Fit4Talent. 22 August 2013. Retrieved
22 August 2013.
14. Jeffrey N. Ross (2013-09-10). "Opel Monza Concept soars into Frankfurt [w/video]" ([Link]
[Link]/2013/09/10/opel-monza-concept-frankfurt-2013/). [Link]. Retrieved
2013-09-11.
15. Opel Monza concept at the 2013 Frankfurt auto show (IAA) ([Link]
m/?p=8656). Drivingthenation (September 2013)
External links
Official Opel Monza Concept website ([Link]
[Link]/content/Pages/news/intl/en/2013/opel/[Link])

Retrieved from "[Link]

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