At the 1983 IAA, Opel presented the Junior concept car. It was even shorter than the first generation Corsa that had just been launched one year earlier. In retrospect, the Junior can be considered the forerunner of the current individualization champion and chic urban subcompact ADAM. The Junior focused on enabling new customers – especially young people, women, and inhabitants of growing urban areas – to access individual and affordable mobility.
The compact 3-door Junior set new aerodynamic standards. The slanted nose and flush details like the recessed windshield wiper under an aerodynamic fairing helped deliver a drag coefficient of 0.31. The Junior promised great fuel efficiency, combined with a traverse-mounted 1.2-liter engine, a lightweight, compact link rear suspension, and a curb weight of only 650 kilograms.
The Junior concept inspired the shape of the second Corsa generation. The design is very round and clean, with only a horizontal split line between the yellow body and the raw plastic lower body. The rear is as simple as the rest, with only four horizontal bars for the tail lamps. The Junior also displayed the variability we have come to associate with the brand: The roof could be exchanged for a glass roof or convertible top.
The interior was funky, fresh, and functional. It offered a range of clever ideas from easily exchangeable instruments and a visionary navigation system to seat covers that could be transformed into sleeping bags and a removable radio cassette player and speakers for camping or a picnic. The straight dashboard was topped with uniform square modules that could be plugged in and out. Therefore giving the driver the flexibility of choosing their own layout and allowing equipment upgrades over time.
Source: www.opel.com
Images: Opel; www.carmarket.ru; JOHN LLOYD Collection
