The Vauxhall Senator was the British version of the Opel Senator, the flagship saloon of the Vauxhall and Opel ranges from 1978 to 1993. It was first sold in Britain as the Vauxhall Royale, lost the name in 1983 and then regained it in 1985, and it was never directly replaced.
Vauxhall Senator at a glance
| Maker | Vauxhall (Opel Senator on the continent) |
|---|---|
| Production | February 1978 – May 1993 |
| Generations | Senator A (1978–1986) and Senator B (1987–1993) |
| UK names | Vauxhall Royale until 1983, then Opel Senator, Vauxhall Senator from 1985 |
| Platform | lengthened Opel Rekord E, then Omega A |
| Engines | 2.5, 2.8 and 3.0-litre straight sixes |
| Top engine | 3.0E, 180 PS |
| Transmission | three-speed automatic, four- or five-speed manual |
| Facelift | A2, November 1982 |
| Successor | none direct; the Omega B took the place |
Written from the English and German Wikipedia articles on the Opel Senator; the Vauxhall Royale and Vauxhall Senator are the British-badged versions.
History of the Vauxhall Senator
The Senator was the last part of a joint programme in which General Motors developed common platforms for Opel and Vauxhall in the 1970s. The T-Car (Kadett C and Chevette) and the U-Car (Ascona B, Manta B and Cavalier) had already appeared; the V-Car would provide the next Opel Rekord, a replacement for the Vauxhall FE Victor, and a stretched version to replace the unsuccessful Kapitän, Admiral and Diplomat and act as flagship for both brands. The Senator therefore emerged as a long-wheelbase Opel Rekord E, with a three-door fastback coupé on the same platform called the Opel Monza.
In the United Kingdom the Senator A and Monza were first sold as the Vauxhall Royale and Royale Coupé, simply badge-engineered versions of the Opel cars with detail differences. After the British Opel and Vauxhall dealer networks merged in 1982, Opel was repositioned as a performance-luxury brand and the Royale was dropped in favour of the Opel Senator and Monza at the A2 facelift. That policy was reversed in late 1984, and the Senator returned to Vauxhall badging for the 1985 model year, while the Monza stayed an Opel until the end of 1987.
The engine range in the first phase included the 2.8S and the new 3.0E with fuel injection, 180 PS and 248 Nm. The three-speed automatic was Opel’s own design from 1969, built in Strasbourg and modified for the new power outputs; manual cars used Getrag gearboxes, a four-speed 264 in early four-cylinder Monzas, a five-speed 240 for the 2.5 and 2.8 and the 265 for the 3.0E. With the 3.0-litre engine the Monza was the fastest car Opel had built, at 215 km/h and 0–100 km/h in 8.5 seconds. In June 1981 the fuel-injected 2.5E of 136 PS joined the range, close to the 2.8’s 140 PS, and the 2.8S was dropped in 1982. The original cars were facelifted in November 1982.
The second generation, from 1987, was again based on the Rekord’s successor, the Omega A, lengthened in the same way as before. Sales were never strong enough to justify a replacement, so the Omega B was placed in the Senator’s role instead. The Senator also served as the basis for the Bitter SC sports car, built from early 1981 to the end of 1989.
Design and features
- Flagship: for its whole life the Senator was the top saloon for both Opel and Vauxhall.
- Six-cylinder engines: cam-in-head units from 2.5 to 3.0 litres.
- Royale heritage: the first British cars were badged Vauxhall Royale.
- Bitter SC: the German sports car built on the Senator A platform.
Vauxhall Senator versions
- Royale (1978–1983): the first British-badged Senator A.
- Senator A2 (1982): the facelifted first generation.
- Vauxhall Senator (1985–1986): the Senator A with Vauxhall badges again.
- Senator B (1987–1993): the Omega A-based second generation.
- Bitter SC: a sports coupé built on the same platform.
The Senator shared its showroom with the Carlton, was replaced in effect by the Omega, and its coupé sister was the Royale Coupé. More cars are in the Vauxhall collection.
Sources
- Opel Senator, English Wikipedia: history, names, engines, facelift
- Opel Senator, German Wikipedia: development, platforms, Bitter SC
