Opel does not build many cars like the Opel Regent: a 4-door sedan, 2-door coupe, 6-door limousine with 8-cylinder, built from 1928 to 1929 the vintage years, when coachbuilders still shaped most of what was sold. Production ran to 25 cars.
The story
The Opel Regent was a luxury car from the German carmaker Opel introduced in November 1928 and available as a four-door limousine and two-door coupe. The official name was Opel 24/110 (24 Steuer-PS/110 PS nominal). The 5,400 mm (212.6 in) long Regent was available from 25,000 Reichsmark, and had an eight-cylinder engine with 6 litre capacity that allowed a top speed of 130 km/h (80.8 mph). The Regent is notable for being Opel's most luxurious vehicle and competed with the likes of Rolls-Royce, Bugatti, and Mercedes-Benz. In March 1929, General Motors bought 80% of the share capital of Adam Opel AG.
Since GM feared too much competition with the top models of its own brands Cadillac and Buick, the Regent was discontinued. GM purchased back all models that had been purchased and scrapped them in an event described as unique by various automotive historians. This means that no Regent has survived but the car's Blueprints are preserved. The name Regent was later used for the all-steel bodied versions of the 1932 Opel Regent 1.8 Litre. However, the Opel Regent 1.8 Litre was much smaller and less powerful than the original Regent and was never seen as its true successor. It would not be until 1937 that Opel would re-enter the luxury car market with the Opel Admiral.
What is underneath
Under the skin sits 8-cylinder. Kerb weight is 2200 kg. The wheelbase is 3700 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Its place in the line
Where it sits in Opel's history is not in doubt: the Opel 10/30 (10/35) PS came before it; the Opel 1.8 litre followed it; it was built at Rüsselsheim, Germany. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Bugatti Type 43 roadster, the DKW Typ P, the Volvo LV4. Nearby in the Opel catalogue sit the Opel Sintra and the Opel K-180.
The money
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Opel Regent has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.
Opel1862