63-565: The Opel Senator is a full-size executive car ( E-segment ) produced by the German automaker Opel , two generations of which were sold in Europe from 1978 until 1993. A saloon , its first incarnation was also available with a fastback coupé body as the Opel Monza and Vauxhall Royale Coupé . The Senator was, for its entire existence, the flagship saloon model for both Opel and Vauxhall. Through
126-561: A European organization founded to test car safety. The term was coined in the 1960s to describe cars targeted at successful professionals and middle-to-senior managers. It was used by businesses as an incentive for employees in senior roles and to exploit Britain and Europe's tax schemes as a company owned vehicle. Early executive cars typically offered engines with displacements of 2.0–3.5 L (122–214 cu in), compared with 1.6–2.4 L (98–146 cu in) for an equivalent sized—but less luxurious—"large family car". Prior to
189-639: A final batch of around 200 Vauxhall Senators in 1993 for diplomatic and policing use prior to moving over to the Vauxhall Omega. Executive car Executive car is a British term for a large car, and is considered equivalent to the European E-segment and American full-size classifications. Executive cars are larger than compact executive cars (and the non-luxury equivalent mid-size cars ), but smaller than luxury saloons / full-size luxury sedans . The term has also been adopted by Euro NCAP ,
252-624: A joint model programme executed by GM in the 1970s to develop a common series of vehicle platforms for both its European brands (and also for the Holden brand in Australia). The first two product families of this strategy - the T-Car ( Kadett C / Chevette ) and the U-Car (Ascona B/Manta B/Cavalier) had already been released. The V-Car (or V78 ) platform would simultaneously provide the next-generation Opel Rekord ,
315-460: A luxury car, there were many options, but much was also standard. Options included leather seats, heated seats both front and rear, and electronic air conditioning including refrigerator in the glove box. LCD instrumentation was also an option. Digital electronic power steering ZF-Servotronic, the same as in the BMW 7 Series , was standard, as was a new front axle design which allowed the axle to slide under
378-675: A replacement for the Vauxhall FE Victor , and a 'stretch' version to replace the unsuccessful 'KAD' cars, and act as a flagship for both Opel and Vauxhall. The Senator therefore emerged as a long wheelbase version of the Opel Rekord E , complemented by a three-door fastback coupé version on the same platform called the Opel Monza , which was planned as a successor for the Opel Commodore coupé. The Senator A and Monza were initially sold in
441-490: A twelve percent improvement over the turbodiesel. Like the other Rekord and Senator diesels it had a pronounced bulge in the bonnet. The Comprex offered marginally higher power than the turbodiesel, but more importantly, 90 percent of the maximum torque was available from 1300 rpm. From September 1985 until the end of production in the end of summer 1986, a catalyzed version of the 3.0E was available, with power down to 156 PS (115 kW). A four-wheel drive conversion
504-537: Is " Obere Mittelklasse " (lit. upper-middle class) as defined by the German federal authorities. Luxury cars larger than this are referred to as Oberklasse ("upper class"). Mercedes-Benz has produced large luxury cars since the early 1900s. Following World War II, Mercedes Benz's first all-new models were the Mercedes-Benz W120 executive cars. This lineage continues through to the present and has been marketed as
567-671: The BRIXMIS (British Commanders' in Chief Mission to the Soviet Forces in Germany) operations for the collection of technical intelligence. The same kit was also used by Bitter Cars for a four-wheel-drive version of their SC coupé, beginning in the end of 1981. A limited edition convertible edition was also available in Germany, where the company "Keinath" reinforced the car heavily, and this added to
630-728: The Chrysler 300 was marketed in Europe as the Lancia Thema. Maserati's first executive is the Maserati Ghibli , which has been in production since 2013. Toyota has been producing large luxury cars since the 1955 Crown was released. The Crown remains in production today and is currently in its fifteenth generation. In 1991, the Crown-derived Aristo began production, and from 1993 until 2020 were marketed under Toyota's luxury sub-brand as
693-562: The FE Victor/VX4 ) as its flagship offering but this was axed in 1976 with no direct replacement. The Senator shared its platform with the smaller Opel Rekord , the latter being lengthened to make the Senator. The second generation of that car, from 1987, shared its base with the Rekord's Opel Omega successor, which was again lengthened to produce the Senator. The Senator A was last part of
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#1732858769124756-772: The Ford Scorpio was released, being sold in the U.K. as a Ford Granada until 1994. Vauxhall entered the executive car market with the 1978 Vauxhall Carlton and related Vauxhall Royale/Senator , which were based on the Opel Rekord E. In 1986, the Vauxhall Carlton Mark II switched to the German-built Opel Omega A, which was replaced in 1994 by the Vauxhall Omega (a rebadged version of the Opel Omega B). In
819-511: The Honda Legend and had a front-wheel drive layout. In 1999, the 800 series was replaced by the Rover 75 , which was produced until 2005. The 75 straddled the executive and compact executive categories due to its size, although a long wheelbase version was available. The first executive car to be badged a Triumph was the 1946–1954 Triumph 1800/2000/Renown versions. Triumph's next and final entry to
882-758: The Lancia Lambda , Lancia Artena , and Lancia Aprilia . The Lancia Flavia was an executive car that began production in 1961 and was replaced by the Lancia 2000 in 1971. The 2000 was replaced by the Lancia Gamma , which was released in 1976. In 1984, the Gamma was replaced by the Lancia Thema , then the Lancia Kappa in 1994. The Lancia Thesis , produced from 2001-2009 is the last executive car produced by Lancia. From 2011–2015,
945-568: The Lexus GS . Nissan's longest-running executive car began production in 1959 as the Prince Gloria , which was later renamed the Nissan Gloria, following the merger of Nissan and Prince. The Gloria was produced for 12 generations until 2004. Another Nissan executive car was the 1960 Cedric , which was produced until 2004 (although a taxi/fleet version remained in production until 2015). The Cedric
1008-569: The Mercedes-Benz E-Class since 1993. The Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class four-door fastback was added to the company's model range in 2004, with a shooting brake body style also produced from 2012-2017. BMW's first large luxury car was the 1936–1941 BMW 326 . After a hiatus of 21 years, BMW's next executive car models were the 1962 New Class Sedans . In 1972, the New Class was replaced by the BMW 5 Series , which remains in production today. Over
1071-821: The Sentia , which was produced until 1999. The Millenia , also sold as the Xedos 9 and the Eunos 800, was produced from 1993 until 2002. Honda introduced their first executive car, the Legend (sold as the Acura Legend in the United States) in 1985. The Legend was produced until 2012, and then from 2014 until 2021. It is believed that the standard of Korean Executive Cars came from the 3rd generation Hyundai Grandeur model launched in 1998. Previous models, Kia Potentia and Hyundai Grandeur, belonged to
1134-672: The United Kingdom as the Vauxhall Royale (and Vauxhall Royale Coupé). Unlike other members of the joint Opel/Vauxhall model programme of the period, the Royale was simply a badge engineered version of the Senator with only detail differences from its Opel sister. Following the merger of the UK Opel and Vauxhall dealer networks in 1982, the Opel marque was repositioned as a performance-luxury brand, and
1197-526: The Volvo 760 in 1982 and then the Volvo 960 in 1994. The 960 was renamed the S90 (sedan models) and V90 (wagon models) in 1996. The Volvo S80 was released in 1998, and was replaced in 2016 by a new generation of Volvo S90 / V90 sedans and wagons that presently remain in production. Daimler Company produced luxury cars in various sizes starting in the late 1890s. The lineage that led to their executive cars began with
1260-505: The 1923–1929 Daimler 16 and Daimler 16/55 models, which were followed in 1932 by the Daimler Fifteen . The Fifteen was replaced by the 1937 Daimler New Fifteen and then the 1939 Daimler Consort (originally called the "Daimler 2½ Litre"). The Consort was replaced by the 1953–1958 Daimler Conquest . In 1962, the Daimler 2.5 V8 (later renamed the "Daimler V8-250") was released, based on
1323-501: The 1930s. Peugeot began producing large cars in the early 1900s. Following the Peugeot 601 being discontinued in 1935, Peugeot ceased production of large cars until the Peugeot 604 was introduced in 1975. The 604 was replaced by the Peugeot 605 in 1989, which in turn was replaced by the Peugeot 607 in 1999. Following the end of the 607's production run in 2010, Peugeot no longer produces any executive cars. Citroën's first large car
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#17328587691241386-587: The 1990s, executive cars were typically sedans , however in recent years they have also been produced in other body styles, such as estates ( station wagons ), convertibles , coupés , and five-door hatch versions. They typically need to be "comfortable, refined and display some form of driving pleasure" on occasion. In general, executive cars are 4-door saloons , though may include estate , 5-door hatchback or 2-door coupé variants. Rover , Saab , Renault and Citroën formerly have been known to prefer hatchbacks, with Ford also offering alternatives through
1449-580: The 1990s. Audi , BMW and later Mercedes-AMG have recently offered hatchbacks as separate models for their executive cars since 2010s. One of the first Chinese-built executive cars was the 2006 Roewe 750 , based on the Rover 75 . In 2012, the Roewe 950 was introduced, which is a re-bodied version of the 2010 Buick LaCrosse . In 2020, BYD Han officially goes on sale in China. Several overseas brands have produced long wheelbase versions of cars specifically for
1512-546: The 2.5 and 2.8 engines, and the 265 gearbox for the 3.0E. The straight-six engines were all of the Opel cam-in-head engine design, as used in the earlier Commodore models and originating from the 1.7 and 1.9 litre straight four engines first used in the 1966 Kadett and Rekord. Opel would stick with the CIH engine design up until the 2.4 Frontera in 1993. With the 3.0 litre engine, the Monza
1575-409: The 2.5 L was replaced by a 2.6 L Dual Ram. The twelve-valve, 3-litre version was deleted from the range in 1992. CD versions of the 2.6 L (UK market only), and a 24 valve 3.0 L were available up to the model's withdrawal in 1993. With the second generation Omega presented at the end of 1993 and available for sale from March 1994, Opel considered themselves sufficiently represented in
1638-701: The Chevrolet Impala was launched, but was discontinued. Renault Korea sold the SM7 based on the Nissan Teana from 2004 to 2020. In the Korean market, semi-large cars boast significant sales volume as a symbol of the middle class, and the Hyundai Grandeur ranks high in sales in the Korean automobile market. Currently, the semi-large business sedan models sold in the Korean market include Hyundai Grandeur and Kia K8 , and
1701-513: The Chinese market, due to the preference Chinese owners have for being driven by a chauffeur. Examples include the "XF L" version of the 2016 Jaguar XF (X260) , the "Li" version of the 2017 BMW 5 Series (G30) and other models from Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo. In France, executive cars are known as " Routière ", a class of comfortable long-distance cars that first emerged on the French market in
1764-635: The Exeo, which is basically a rebadged Audi A4 on the B7 platform, with some minor modifications to the front and rear fascias. Although it was not an E-segment vehicle but a segment D. It remained successful as a company car until 2013. Also, it was used as a police cruiser for the Guardia Civil highway corps. It was available in sedan and station wagon variants. It was the first vehicle from the brand equipped with diesel direct common raíl injection. Saab's first executive car
1827-646: The Jaguar Mark 2. In 1966, the Daimler Sovereign was introduced, based on the Jaguar 420. The Sovereign and V8-250 were produced alongside each other until they both ended production in 1969. Jaguar began production of executive cars in 1935 with the first of the Jaguar Mark IV models. These were replaced by the 1948–1951 Jaguar Mark V . The Mark V's successor increased in size to the full-size luxury car segment, so
1890-618: The Rekord E2 was available, although with little fanfare; this and the 2.5 essentially replaced the Commodore which was itself quietly retired in 1982. Power of the 2.0 was soon increased to 115 PS (85 kW). In March 1983 a 2.3-litre turbodiesel (shared with the Rekord) became available, and a few months later ABS-brakes (hitherto only available for the Senator CD) became an available option across
1953-534: The Senator "A2" (as it is usually called) only went on sale in March 1983. In the United Kingdom, it was initially sold only as an Opel, before being rebadged as a Vauxhall in 1984. The A2 Monza was only sold as an Opel. The facelifted car looked similar to its predecessor, with relatively minor changes: smoothed-off headlights increased in size, and chrome parts were changed to a matt black or colour coded finish. The car
Opel Senator - Misplaced Pages Continue
2016-484: The United Kingdom. Shortly thereafter, in November 1984 a supercharged version ( Comprex ) was shown - at the time, the only production car in the world to use this technique. Going on sale in 1985, this very rare experimental version (1,000 units planned) were officially built by Irmscher rather than Opel. The Comprex offered 95 PS (70 kW) and a 172 km/h (107 mph) top speed, and acceleration figures showed
2079-656: The United States, executive cars are referred to as full-sized cars. The first executive car produced by a Vietnamese company is the VinFast LUX A2.0 , which debuted at the 2018 Paris Motor Show. Production started in 2019 and it achieved success in the Vietnamese domestic car market. Holden Commodore Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include
2142-595: The Vauxhall Royale models were dropped in favour of the Opel Senator/Monza, coinciding with the "A2" mid-cycle facelift. This policy was reversed in late 1984, with the Senator reverting to Vauxhall branding for the 1985 model year, but the Monza remained on sale as an Opel until its discontinuation at the end of 1987. The vehicle was also available in South Africa as the Chevrolet Senator until 1982, when it
2205-608: The all round weight to the car. A new model, the Senator B (marketed without the "B" suffix), arrived in the spring of 1987, a longer-bodied version of the Opel Omega . There was no Monza equivalent. There were various versions of the Senator B: twelve valve 2.5 L and 3.0 L sized engines were released in 1987 along with a luxury "CD" model with the 3.0 L engine. The CD version boasted Electronic adjustable suspension, "ERC", for
2268-517: The base vehicle from which the Holden Commodore was developed for the Australian and New Zealand markets. The later VK Commodore was a hybrid between the two Opel cars, featuring the Senator's six light glasshouse grafted onto the Rekord E derived shell. The engine range for the first phase of the model's life included the 2.8S and the newly developed 3.0E, which had 180 PS (132 kW; 178 hp) and 248 N⋅m (183 lb⋅ft) with fuel injection. The three-speed automatic transmission
2331-423: The brand was dissolved in 1967. Rover entered the executive car market in 1948 with the Rover P3 . The P3 was replaced by the Rover P4 in 1949, which was produced until 1964. The 1963 Rover P6 was the next executive car produced by Rover, which was replaced by the Rover SD1 in 1976 (marketed as the Standard 2000 in India). The SD1 was replaced by the 1986 Rover 800 series , which was a jointly developed with
2394-414: The car in a crash and thus increasing the length of the deformation zone and prevent deformation of the footwell. The 3.0 24V was equipped with BBS styled multispoke alloy wheels made by Ronal . A 24-valve version of the 3.0-litre six was introduced in 1989, generating 204 PS (150 kW; 201 hp) – compared with 177 PS (130 kW; 175 hp) for the older twelve valve version. This model
2457-417: The entire Senator/Monza range. At the Paris Show in September 1984 the 2.5E was given a new LE-Jetronic Bosch fuel injection system; power inched up to 140 PS (100 kW). The 2.0E was replaced by the torquier 2.2E, still with the same max power. Only the 3.0E engine remained untouched, although its name was changed to 3.0i. On the transmission side, the Strasbourg-built THM180 three-speed automatic
2520-403: The executive car market was the 1963–1977 Triumph 2000 , which was a sales success in Britain. Ford Europe's first executive car was the 1950 Ford Zephyr . The Zephyr— and related Consul, Zodiac, and Executive models— were produced over four generations until 1972. The 1972 Ford Granada was initially built in the United Kingdom before switching to being imported from Germany in 1976. In 1985,
2583-399: The executive car segment in 1975 with the Renault 20/30 models. They were replaced, in 1983, by the Renault 25 which featured a fastback rear end. In 1992, the 25 was replaced by the Renault Safrane . The Safrane was replaced by the Renault Vel Satis hatchback in 2002, which in turn was replaced by the Latitude in 2010 and later the Talisman . The equivalent class for cars in Germany
Opel Senator - Misplaced Pages Continue
2646-420: The first time in a mass-produced European car, air conditioning , heated seats also in the back, genuine walnut panels, leather covered centre console, trip computer and cruise control . The cars were available with either five speed manual or four speed automatic gearboxes. A digitally controlled 4-speed automatic from Aisin-Warner equipped with three different switching programs Sport, Economy and Winter. It
2709-452: The international divisions of General Motors , it was also known in various markets as the Chevrolet Senator , Daewoo Imperial (in South Korea), Vauxhall Royale (until 1983) and Vauxhall Senator (which took the place of the Royale on Vauxhall models when the Opel brand was phased out from 1983). It was also sold as the Opel Kikinda in Yugoslavia , where it was produced under licence by IDA-Opel in Kikinda , Serbia , after which it
2772-413: The large car position and were shopper-driven, but were relegated to owner-driven from the XG model. Afterward, the launch of Kia Opirus and Daewoo Magnus formed the semi-large car market. In the 2000s, Daewoo Motors (now GM KOREA) sold the Holden Commodore under the name Daewoo Statesman from the Australian Holden company and sold the Holden Caprice as the follow-up model as the Daewoo Veritas. Afterwards,
2835-460: The luxury brand is the Genesis G80 . SEAT's first executive car was the 1963–1973 SEAT 1500 , then in 1973, it launched the 132 which was the same FIAT 131 of the era since all cars from the brand were produced under license from FIAT. It was produced until 1982 when it was replaced by the Málaga in 1984, which was the first to be produced in-house entirely, to be replaced afterward with the Toledo, in 1991. Many years later, in 2009, SEAT launched
2898-409: The next executive car was the 1955 Jaguar Mark 1 . In 1959, the Mark 1 was replaced by the Jaguar Mark 2 . In 1963, the Jaguar S-Type was introduced and sold alongside the Mark 2. Both models were replaced by the 1966-1968. The Jaguar XJ series began in 1968 and received updates (with a redesign in 2010) until 2019. Following a 30-year hiatus from the executive car market, Jaguar returned in 1998 with
2961-447: The retro-styled S-Type . The S-Type was replaced by the 2007 Jaguar XF (X250) and then the 2015 Jaguar XF (X260) , which currently remains in production. Humber's first executive car was the 1945 Humber Hawk . The Hawk was available with features such as two-tone and metallic paintwork, leather upholstery, wood trim, and a sunroof. Production of the Hawk, along with the similarly sized Humber Super Snipe and Imperial , ceased when
3024-472: The seven generations of the 5 Series, it has been produced in sedan, wagon, and four-door hatchback body styles. The first large luxury car produced by Audi was the Audi 100 , which was released in 1968. The Audi 100 was replaced by the Audi A6 in 1994, which remains in production today. In 2010, the Audi A7 four-door fastback model range was added. The Ford Granada is an executive car produced by Ford Europe from 1972-1994. Fiat's first large luxury car
3087-428: The upper end of the market by the top specification Omega B. Production of the Opel Senator B ended in the autumn of 1993 with only 69,943 cars produced since the car's launch six and a half years earlier. Annual production had slumped from 14,007 in 1990 to 5,952 in 1992, with only 2,688 cars produced in 1993. Following the announcement of the discontinuation of the Senator, the government of the United Kingdom would order
3150-419: Was Opel's own design introduced in 1969, and was manufactured in Opel's transmission plant in Strasbourg, it was modified to cope with the new and improved power outputs. Opel's own four speed manual transmission was not up to the job and they turned to transmission producer Getrag , who installed their 264 four speed manual gearbox in the early four cylinder Monzas. This was replaced by the five speed 240 for
3213-399: Was also available, engineered by Ferguson , who had previously provided similar modifications for the Jensen FF . Rather expensive, this could also be retrofitted to an existing car. The system uses a viscous coupling to distribute power with a 60/40 rearward bias, to improve traction whilst maintaining the Senator's handling characteristics. These were used by British Forces Germany under
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#17328587691243276-470: Was also equipped with torque delay at each shift, called "torque retard", for not notable gear changes. In winter mode the car starts on the third gear and switches immediately to fourth as soon as possible to prevent spinning wheels and instability. This mode remains to the speed of 80 km/h and then automatically switches off. The gearbox also had built-in diagnostic system and emergency program. Later Lexus and Volvo used similar versions of this transmission. As
3339-455: Was capable of a speed of up to 140 miles per hour (230 km/h), although the bonnet was prone to rippling at such high speeds. Opel tuners Irmscher introduced a 4-litre version of the Senator and it went on sale in Germany only in late 1990. Power increased to 272 PS (200 kW), it was equipped with a body kit and alloy wheels, while the car's interior benefitted from buffalo hide, added wood panels, and lots of power equipment. For 1990
3402-485: Was much more slippery, with drag resistance down (from 0.45 to 0.36 C x {\displaystyle \scriptstyle C_{\mathrm {x} }\,} ). The top of the range 3.0E received upgraded Bosch LE-Jetronic fuel injection. Interiors were improved with an altered dashboard and the new instrument pack with larger dials used in the Rekord E2, and engines changed. Now, the fuel-injected straight-four 110 PS (81 kW) two-liter cam-in-head unit from
3465-406: Was named. The original Senator was a de facto replacement for Opel's KAD cars (the Opel Kapitän , Admiral and Diplomat ), which competed in the F-segment (full-size luxury) in which the KAD cars had sold poorly. Sister company Vauxhall had already abandoned the segment with the demise of its Cresta / Viscount models some years earlier, leaving the Ventora model (a luxury derivative of
3528-399: Was rebadged as an Opel. The Chevrolet Senator was fitted with a locally built version of Chevrolet's 250 inline-six (4,093 cc), with 132 PS (97 kW). The post-1982 South African Opel Senator received Australian-built, six-cylinder engines. In Serbia, the locally assembled Senator received the 2.5-litre six and was badged the "Opel Kikinda". The Senator and Rekord E were used as
3591-402: Was replaced by a four-speed unit. For the 1985 model year, the digital instrument display introduced in the Kadett E was available on the top models, although buyers could opt for the conventional analogue dials as a delete option. The trim surrounding the windows was more blacked out than before as well, although ample chrome remained. the four-cylinder models were never sold in Vauxhall form in
3654-410: Was replaced by the 2004 Fuga , also sold as the Infiniti M from 2003 until 2012, and the Q70 since 2012. Mitsubishi began producing executive cars in 1964 with the Debonair . The Debonair was replaced in 1999 by the Proudia , which was discontinued in 2001 and then returned from 2012 until 2016 as a rebadged Fuga. Mazda's first executive car was the 1969 Luce . In 1991, the Luce was replaced by
3717-479: Was the Fiat 24-32 HP , which was introduced in 1903. Other large luxury Fiats produced before World War II include the Fiat 510 , Fiat 520 , Fiat 527 , and Fiat 2800 . In 1959, the Fiat 1800 and 2100 executive sedans and station wagons were introduced. These models were replaced by the Fiat 2300 in 1961. Fiat's last executive car was the Fiat 130 , which was produced from 1969 until 1977. Lancia produced several large luxury cars prior to World War II, including
3780-399: Was the 1934 Citroën Traction Avant . In 1955, the Traction Avant was replaced by the iconic Citroën DS , which was replaced in 1974 by the Citroën CX and then the 1989 Citroën XM . The XM was discontinued in 2000 and for five years Citroën did not produce an executive car. The 2005 Citroën C6 was produced until 2012, and Citroën has not produced any executive cars since. Renault entered
3843-401: Was the 1984 Saab 9000 , which was produced in sedan and liftback body styles. The 9000 was replaced by the Saab 9-5 . In 2010 the second generation of the 9-5 switched to a platform shared with various General Motors models until Saab went bankrupt in 2012. Volvo began producing executive cars in 1968 with the Volvo 164 . In 1974, the 164 was replaced by the Volvo 260 , which was replaced by
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#17328587691243906-471: Was the fastest car Opel had built, capable of 215 km/h (134 mph), and 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) in 8.5 seconds. In June 1981, the fuel injected 2.5E engine also used in the smaller Commodore was added to the Senator/Monza lineup. With 136 PS (100 kW) it was very close to the now irrelevant 2.8 and its 140 PS (100 kW), and the 2.8S was discontinued in 1982. The original Senator and Monza were facelifted in November 1982, although
3969-438: Was very popular with police forces in the United Kingdom , with several cars being supplied to multiple forces with upgraded police specification for traffic policing service, with the notable exception of the Metropolitan Police . The main feature of the new engine was a "Dual Ram" system, increasing torque at low engine speeds by means of a redirected air flow system which engages at 4,000 rpm. The engine in police service
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