Press release
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february 21, 2022 - Opel
40 Years Ago: Walter Röhrl Won World Title in Opel Ascona 400
- Double victory: Röhrl and #ascona400 won 1982 Monte Carlo #rally followed later that season by the World #rally Championship drivers’ title
- Early success: Röhrl was 1974 European #rally Champion with #opel Ascona A
- Happy birthday: Best #rally driver of his generation celebrates 75th birthday on March 7
- Röhrl the man: Straightforward character has become motorsport icon
Rüsselsheim. #opel and rallying are connected by a long history. The all-electric Corsa-e #rally drifting around corners in the ADAC #opel e-Rally Cup is descended from the legendary #opel #rally cars and drivers of the 1970s and ‘80s. After successes with the Kadett GT/E and Ascona A, the highlight came in the 1982 season. Walter Röhrl won the World #rally Championship for drivers with the rear-wheel drive #opel #ascona400 in the face of strong four-wheel drive competition. Despite the outstanding engineering achievements at the time, it took this very special driver to make the title dream come true. Now, exactly 40 years after his successes in the #opel #ascona400, the brilliant driver and Bavarian character can celebrate another great #anniversary. On March 7, 2022, Walter Röhrl – described in the “Opel #rally Story” as the “tactician, fighter and steely strategist, adored by his fans and feared by his opponents” – will turn 75! #opel says, “Congratulations, Walter Röhrl!”
The 1970s: #opel and Röhrl celebrate early successes
Born in Regensburg in 1947, Walter Röhrl loved sport from an early age: football, rowing, skiing and ultimately motorsport. “Rallying rather than racing” was a conscious decision for the young Bavarian. As early as 1973, the then 26-year-old drove for #opel and with Jochen Berger as his co-driver, and the team won the European #rally Championship just one year later. The winning car was a factory #opel Ascona A. In the following year, Röhrl won the first world championship #rally for himself and #opel. The talented young driver and the tradition-rich brand parted company in 1977; but at that point, no one suspected that the greatest joint sporting triumph was yet to come.
“Mission Monte Carlo”: Victory in WRC opening round
Walter Röhrl then returned to #opel in 1982. While Jochen Berger was now team manager of the #opel motorsport department, his new co-driver Christian Geistdörfer also made a decisive contribution to the success of “Mission Monte Carlo”. With the #opel #ascona400, the crew under chief engineer Karl-Heinz Goldstein designed a #rally car that was considered at the time as one of the most reliable machines. The rear-wheel drive car with up to 191 kW/260 hp (more information on the car at the end of the text) was perfectly tuned for the drifter Röhrl to prove his skills against the all-wheel drive Audi Quattro on the 50th edition of the Monte Carlo #rally.
In Röhrl's biography “Aufschrieb”, Goldstein describes how the combination of a proven car and a determined driver clicked. “Before the last night, he had a lead of only 31 seconds over Hannu (Mikkola/Audi). Then Walter chose the Col de Madonne as the point where he wanted to decide the #rally. That night he put all his eggs in one basket and drove the Madonne at the absolute limit. That broke Hannu's fighting spirit.” Röhrl went on to win the legendary Monte for the second time and for the first time with #opel. A perfect start to the 1982 season.
Ivory Coast #rally: A tense duel until the end
The 1982 World #rally Championship turned into a real thriller in the following rounds, which is still remembered by many today. The duel was between Röhrl in the #opel Ascona 400 and Michèle Mouton in an Audi Quattro. While the four-wheel drive #rally cars had the advantage on snow, gravel and loose surfaces, Röhrl, a strategist with nerves of steel, waited for the right moments to score points with his #opel.
The calculation paid off. The penultimate round of the championship, the 5,000-kilometre-long Ivory Coast #rally (definitely not one of Walter’s favourite events), decided the drivers' world title. While the #opel #ascona400 ran like clockwork and soaked up the punishment, the competitors were less characterised by reliability. Or as Klaus Buhlmann comments in “The Opel #rally Story”: “The result of this world championship, however, seemed fair. #opel scored two, Audi seven world championship victories. But while Mikkola and Mouton often failed spectacularly, Röhrl scored with the reliability of a computer. His record of finishing in excellent positions alone is unique in the history of the sport and deserves the highest recognition. Certainly the success of an unusual driver, but certainly also the merits of a good team and the #opel #ascona400, probably the most reliable #rally car of its era!” With this unique combination, #opel and Röhrl/Geistdörfer successfully prevailed against the all-wheel drive Quattro and secured the drivers' World Championship title with an unassailable 109 points.
Clear spoken, focussed, successful: The character behind the driver Walter Röhrl
Röhrl is famous for his perfectionism as well as not mincing his words. He simply wanted to prove that he was the best #rally driver in the world – in any car. While other drivers hung around chatting or smoking at a service area, he would remain in his #rally car studying the pace notes for the next stage. As a driver, Walter Röhrl is idolized by motorsport fans the world over. As an uncompromising sportsman, unafraid to voice his opinion, he enjoys the highest respect of his peers. Perhaps he is best summed up by one of his contemporaries; writing in the British magazine “Motor Sport” in 2002, the former #rally co-driver and director of motorsport at British Leyland, John Davenport portrayed Röhrl as a potent mix: “A very special blend of sublime talent, unswerving focus and brutal honesty.” Congratulations on 75 years, Walter Röhrl!
1982 World #rally Championship #opel #ascona400 Group 4
Body: | Two-door version |
Engine: | Four-cylinder petrol, 95 mm bore, 85 mm stroke, |
Performance: | Up to 191 kW/260 hp @ 7,000 rpm, max. torque 280 Nm @5,500 min |
Transmission: | 5-speed Getrag gearbox, single-plate clutch, limited-slip differential, 3.18:1-5.3:1 final drive ratio |
Max. speed: | Up to 225 km/h (subject to final drive) |
Front suspension: | Double wishbone, coil springs, anti-roll bar, |
Rear suspension: | 5-link axle, coil springs, Bilstein gas-filled shock absorbers |
Brake system: | Dual circuit with ventilated discs all around, |
Steering: | Rack and pinion |
Wheels: | 15” #opel light-alloy wheels; Michelin tyres with 5-10” width subject to conditions |
Electrical system: | 12 V with high performance generator |
Interior: | Recaro seats, six-point safety harnesses, fire extinguisher, safety fuel tank in boot |
Weight: | Approx. 1,050 kg, without crew |
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