Kadett, Corsa, Rekord. These Opel models are so familiar to us South Africans, with the German marque establishing a local presence as early as the 1960s, back when it was still branded as Vauxhall. In the 1990s, South African petrolheads of all ages became obsessed with the Opel Kadett Superboss, an exclusive local variant of the popular Kadett GSi. Only 500 were built to meet homologation requirements for certain motorsports competitions, and their rarity and sheer power make them top-notch collector’s items. The GSi name has continued to grace the rear ends of several generations of Corsa, while the more recent introduction of the OPC and GTC badges to the Astra model have reestablished Opel as a serious player in the hot hatch market. Opel has also branched out into the SUV segment, producing models like the Mokka, Grandland X, and Crossland X, as well as light commercial vehicles like the Combo and Vivaro.