A very cool dark blue Opel Omega 2.0 GL sedan, seen in the west of the Chinese capital Beijing. Sadly, the car was in a rather poor shape, with various broken bits and poorly repainted parts.
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The first generation Opel Omega A was manufactured from 1986 until 1993. It may look old fashioned now but I can remember very well when it debuted (I am old). At that time the Omega looked like a spaceship, far more streamlined than anything else on the market.
The rear wheel was partially covered. The trim pieces broke off at some time, and the owner simply screwed them back on. He probably had no choice. The Omega A was never marketed here, so there are no parts or expertise available.
These streamlined mirrors were very advanced for its day!
The interior looked all right, but the seat’s cloth is fading away fast. The radio is after-market and the owner somehow managed to lose the gear knob. He fixed that with some red tape!
GL was the second-least expensive trim level (LS, GL, GLS, CD). The 2.0 liter petrol engine in this car had an output of 120 hp and 175 Nm, mated to a five-speed manual. There were lots of other engines available, including the famous 377 hp 2.6 liter six-in-line of the Lotus Omega.
Black license plates were issued to foreign owned companies from the 1980’s to the early 00’s. These companies could buy a car locally, and they were also allowed to import their own cars.
In the old days black-plated cars had some privileges comparable to diplomatic cars; no police officer would dare to stop them and they could basically park wherever they wanted without fear of a fine.
Nowadays, a black-plated car is counted just like all the others. The government does not issue new black plates anymore but those who have one can keep it until eternity.
Let’s hope somebody picks up this poor old Opel and keeps it until eternity too…