Historical information about the Vauxhall Motor Company and the Omega car
This executive car was manufactured from 1986 to 2003 in Europe by Opel at their factory in Rüsselsheim, Germany where nearly 800,000 vehicles rolled off the production line, marketed in the UK by Vauxhall and re-badged as the Carlton until 1993 then renamed back to the Omega until production ceased.
View a more detailed history of the Omega here on Wikipedia 
The first generation, the Omega A (1986 to 1993), which superseded the Opel Rekord, was voted European Car of the Year for 1987.
The second generation, the Omega B, was manufactured from 1993 to 2003.
Both were available as a saloon or estate with wide engine and trim options.
Production of the Omega ended in 2003 without a direct replacement.
The Omega was re-badged and marketed worldwide, most notably in Great Britain as the Vauxhall Carlton, in North America as the Cadillac Catera, in South America as the Chevrolet Omega.
 They were extensively re-engineered by Holden (Australia) and marketed in Australia & New Zealand as the Commodore.
The Omega also offered other trim levels from Omega 3000 / Carlton Gsi, Lotus Omega / Carlton,Omega Evolution 500, Omega Diamant.
The 1994 Omega B was an all-new car with a modern exterior design but a traditional rear-wheel drive chassis.
Omega B FL replaced the previous model in Autumn of 1999. There were no significant changes to bodywork, however several revisions to detail had been made.
On the 25 June 2003; the very last Omega number 797,011 rolled off the production line at the factory in Rüsselsheim; it was a silver 3.2L V6 Omega B FL
Vauxhall have a long history of car production going way back to 1903
Visit the Vauxhall Heritage Centre for some more historical information and pictures.
The First Vauxhall Car 1903 Model 719
Vauxhall Motors, with roots in the marine engine and iron casting business, built its first motor car at its plant in Luton, England. Called the Model 719, it held two people and offered a five-horsepower engine.
Below are links to web sites that we used to compile this page and should provide interesting reading and research material.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holden_Commodore
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vauxhall_Carlton
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadillac_Catera
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opel_Omega
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Omega
http://www.vauxhallandkennington.org.uk/vauxhallcars.shtml
http://history.gmheritagecenter.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Vauxhall
Take a peek at the first Vauxhall car, a 1903 5hp
and look under the hood at the first 3 cylinder engine.
Then stroll past a 1909 Vauxhall semi-racer, a two-tone 1959 Vauxhall PA Cresta, a 1963 Vauxhall HA Viva and a rare 1982 Vauxhall Astra 1.3 three-door.
The world’s biggest private collection of classic Vauxhall's is housed at the Vauxhall Heritage Centre.
|
