Opel Senator 4x4

[dieselnutjob]

Anyone heard of the special Opel Senators that the British Army used "behind enemy lines" in East Germany?

 

Story

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BRIXMIS

 

Pics

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/sh ... el-Senator

 

Stolen pic

[Station]

Waaaaheeyyy!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wonder what the 4x4 system was lifted from?

[Alexg]

some idiot has painted it Nato green

[Guest]

 

I wonder what the 4x4 system was lifted from?

 

It was a full Ferguson Formula system on the Senator if I remember rightly. CAR did a full test on one of the civilian models they released.

[seth]

Someone either here or on RR (or both!) saw one in a museum not that long ago. I'm sure it rings a bell.

[trigger]

Same here Seth, There is one in a museum somewhere still.

[flat4alfa]

Yes, FF Developments of Coventry offered this for Senators/Monzas and Bitters

 

The Senator above is at Cosford Cold War Museum

[KruJoe]

Yes, someone posted pictures of it in the museum with the information board, too.

It made interesting reading; almost every part of it was beefed up, fully armoured, and it weighed in something stupid like three tonnes.

[Autoplas]

I would thoroughly recommend Tony Geraghty's book 'Brixmis' which tells the full story of Brixmis from the end of world war 2 right down to the fall of the communism. All kinds of different vehicles were used over the years and it is a really interesting read - unbelievable some of the stuff that used to go on !!!

[dieselnutjob]

defo gonna buy that book

 

Opel Admiral 4x4. I had never even heard of the Opel Admiral before today. Did they sell them in the UK ? Must be ultra rare now.

[Spiny Norman]

There was one went on Ebay a few months ago.

 

I've got this ad scanned from the April '81 issue of CAR, so it's quite possible the test was in that issue, or from around then.

 

[morris_ital_lover]

Nice stuff, btw, the vast array of lights on the front has many functions, one of which I was told was to impersonate trabants on the east german autobahn allwoing them to slip away from the Stasi!

 

m0rris

[warren t claim]

defo gonna buy that book

 

Opel Admiral 4x4. I had never even heard of the Opel Admiral before today. Did they sell them in the UK ? Must be ultra rare now.

 

Is that picture from a contact magazine?

[retrogeezer]

Someone either here or on RR (or both!) saw one in a museum not that long ago. I'm sure it rings a bell.

 

that was me...here are the pics:

 

 

[dieselnutjob]

would a Senator really have been "inconspicuous" in communist East Germany? I noticed that they always went for Opels. Maybe it was common for West Germans to visit relatives in the east or something?

[AnthonyG]

Probably if they had the right permissions!

 

A West German make of car was probably less conspicuous than other Western makes, although the Nato green would have made it stand out!

[whitevanman]

I think the idea behind the Nato green was so as to hide it in undergrowth, not drive around as if they belonged there, they would have almost certainly have hidden in daytime and gone out in the dark.........

[AnthonyG]

Good point!

[sutty2006]

Holy thread resurrection batman!

 

Went cosford museum today, as Mrs sutty has never been!

 

Had a cheeky look underneath. One hell of a transfer box to house that 4wd system, would love to get my hands on a civvy version.

[Aston Martin]

You can't even tell where Colonel Decker flipped it.

[Bren]

That engine with a 4x4 system? I am surprised HM armed forces did'nt run out of four star.

[sutty2006]

Apparently the same 4wd system as a jenson interceptor. Mmmmmm

[red5]

And the Ill-fated F1 car...and ...and...

 

No so bothered about how fast, more where.

[Asimo]

The Brixmis (British mission) cars were not supposed to be covert. They were allowed to be the other side of the Berlin wall, although were seldom welcome and there were plenty of places they were forbidden to enter. (Prohibited zone sign? What sign?)

They often succeded on their ops. because they could out-drive the DDR police but it could have been fatal if their cars were not recognisably Brixmis and they were cornered or pursued.

 

(I've just read the book referred to above, and can heartily reccommend it)

[Wingz123]

^^^flippin Heck asimo I havent seen you reply in aaaaaaaages! Hope you are well!