High Performance Then and Now: Opel Classic at the 2026 Klassikertreffen Rüsselsheim

• Lightning-fast: Record-breaking RAK 2 rocket car and many other classics on display
• Lifesavers with the ‘Blitz’: Blitz DL 18 and Rekord Caravan fire engines
• ‘Blitz’ highlight: New Opel Corsa GSE leads hot hatches from Rüsselsheim into the future
• Venue with a ‘Blitz’ tradition: Klassikertreffen on September 13 will take place at the Opel Schmiede for the first time

Combined values for Opel Corsa GSE according to WLTP¹: Energy consumption 16.0-17.0 kWh/100 km, CO₂ emissions 0 g/km; CO₂ label: A

Combined values for Opel Mokka GSE according to WLTP¹: energy consumption 18.5 kWh/100 km, CO₂ emissions 0 g/km; CO₂ label: A

Rüsselsheim.  Opel Classic will present pure high performance at this year’s Klassikertreffen Rüsselsheim on September 13 – at a very special venue: for the first time, the classic car event will take place around and inside the historic Opel Schmiede (the former building housing the drop forge) on Mainzer Straße, which celebrates its 90^th anniversary this year. The Opel Schmiede offers an unrivalled atmosphere combining industrial history with breathtaking classic cars. Just as extraordinary as the venue itself is the range of exhibits featuring the ‘Blitz’ emblem, which visitors and fans can experience on Sunday from 10.00 CEST to 16.00 CEST.

Opel Classic commemorates a record-breaking drive, which took place almost 100 years ago, with the 1928 RAK 2 rocket racing car. Fire brigades also deliver high performance in every operation. Opel is therefore showcasing historic fire service vehicles from the region, including the Blitz-Drehleiter (telescopic ladder) DL 18 from the Raunheim Volunteer Fire Brigade and a Rekord Caravan command vehicle from the Mörfelden Volunteer Fire Brigade. The Opel Rocks e-XTREME will provide a ‘wow’ factor from more recent times. And the new Opel Corsa GSE, which has been available to order for just a few days, demonstrates what modern high performance looks like in a small car bestseller. Opel Classic’s exhibition line-up on September 13 is rounded off by the compact-class favourites – the Kadett and Astra from various decades right up to the current Astra.

At the same time, visitors can delve deeper into the history of the Opel Schmiede, built in 1936. To mark the anniversary, a special exhibition presented by the city of Rüsselsheim am Main and Opel Classic, is adding to the Klassikertreffen. Rüsselsheim-based artist Sam Khayari offers insights into the industrial history of Opel production through historical photographs, films and original exhibits.

Emotions, records, top performances: The Opel exhibits at the Klassikertreffen

Fritz von Opel, the eldest grandson of company founder Adam Opel, demonstrated almost 100 years ago how Opel has always revolutionised mobility whilst simultaneously stretching the bounds of imagination: On May 23, 1928, a futuristic racing car with side wings whizzed along the Berlin Avus. It was the RAK 2, equipped with 24 powder rockets in the rear. At 238 km/h, ‘Rocket-Fritz’ from Rüsselsheim set a new speed record for the distance at the time. On that day, Opel spectacularly heralded the dawn of the rocket age – and laid the first foundation stone for manned spaceflight.

The historic fire service exhibits serve as a prime example of how Opel vehicles save lives and thus deliver outstanding benefits in a completely different way. The ‘Drehleiter DL 18’ from 1962 is based on a 1.75-tonne Opel Blitz and features a two-section Magirus turntable ladder that can extend to a height of up to 18 metres. The 1985 Rekord Caravan, on the other hand, was used as a command and reconnaissance vehicle until 2010. Fitted with radio equipment, a special signalling system and its distinctive warning livery, it still gives fire service and classic car enthusiasts an insight into how operations were coordinated some 40 years ago.

Models such as the 1971 Commodore GS/E and the one-off Rocks e-XTREME from 2023 are also eye-catchers. In the 1970s, the Commodore GS/E was Opel’s top-of-the-range model in the upper mid-size class. Designed as a sporty saloon, it combined the comfort of the model family with performance that commanded respect from its competitors on the motorway.

The Opel Rocks e-XTREME proves that even the smallest vehicles can generate huge excitement. It is based on the Opel Rocks, a cool battery-electric two-seater that offers locally emissions-free driving fun for those aged 15² and above. The Rocks e-XTREME takes this concept to the extreme – as an off-road, all-electric fun mobile concept vehicle with a real ‘wow’ factor.

Pure hot hatch dynamics: New Corsa GSE unites tradition with the future

The new Opel Corsa GSE offers a forward-looking, highly dynamic driving experience. The high-performance variant of Germany’s best-selling small car, which has been available to order for just a few days, carries the sporty GSi DNA of the first-generation Corsa into the future – vibrant, exciting and all-electric. An everyday sports car in the finest tradition! With 207 kW (281 hp) and 345 Newton metres of torque, the strongest production Corsa so far offers just as much electric power as the Mokka GSE. But the Corsa GSE flexes its muscles a little more. Because it accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 5.5 seconds – faster than any other current production Opel.

As a compact class bestseller, the current Opel Astra rounds off the line-up at the Klassikertreffen. The latest version of this sporty, elegant and practical model ‘made in Rüsselsheim’ demonstrates, just like its predecessors, why the range has been so popular with customers for many decades and how it will continue to build on this success with innovative ideas in the future.

^[1] The values of a vehicle depend not only on the efficient use of fuel by the vehicle, but are also influenced by driving behaviour and other non-technical factors.

^[2] Applies to four-wheeled light motor vehicles with a rated continuous/utilised power not exceeding 6 kW, with no more than two seats and a maximum speed not exceeding 45 km/h.