Adam Opel Founded His Company 160 Years Ago

• September 1862: Everything began with the first sewing machines
• 1868: Adam Opel married his wife Sophie and built the first new factory
• 1886: The first bicycle made in Rüsselsheim was produced
• 1899: Opel started making cars
• 2022: Opel is becoming an electric mobility brand

Opel is currently celebrating a very special anniversary. 160 years ago, Adam Opel founded his company in Rüsselsheim. In doing so, he laid the foundations for an internationally active, successful company in a wide variety of sectors. Starting with the production of sewing machines in 1862, Opel became the world’s largest bicycle manufacturer and finally an internationally renowned automobile brand. The guideline from the beginning that has always distinguished all products “made by Opel” – make innovations affordable for everyone – remains true today. Opel is fully committed to electrification and offers customers a wide range of models with different variants of electrified drive.

Foundation in 1862: No easy start

As the eldest son of the master locksmith Philipp Wilhelm Opel, Adam’s path was actually preordained – he was to take over and continue his father’s business one day. But Adam had other plans, his big dream was the city of Paris. After stays in Liège, Brussels and London, he finally made it to his longed-for destination, where he made the momentous decision to enter the sewing machine business. At the end of August 1862, the now 25-year-old returned to his home town of Rüsselsheim and set up his own modest workshop in his parents‘ house; at that time against the wishes of his father, who had no real interest in sewing machines. After spending time in cosmopolitan cities, the return to his birthplace meant a big change for the young journeyman. But it was here, in the then village of Rüsselsheim with its 2,000 inhabitants, that Adam laid the foundations for the global Opel company.

The assembly of the first sewing machine took months. After completion, the master tailor Hummel from Rüsselsheim bought it and kept it in operation for 40 years. Even then the motto was “Opel, the reliable”. In 1863 Adam Opel set up his first own production facility in an uncle’s disused cowshed. From Paris, brother Georg supplied Adam with steel, shuttles, needles and complete sewing machines for resale. A first advertisement appeared and Adam hired his first employee. Opel not only built sewing machines, but also traded in them with great success.

In the following years the sewing machine business flourished and Opel expanded. In 1868 he built a new factory building with a two-storey production hall, steam engine and adjoining residential and office building. After moving in, 40 people were working for the young company. In the same year, he married his wife Sophie, who not only took care of the household, but also the company’s bookkeeping, thus bringing a breath of fresh air into the company. Production figures increased rapidly, not least because Opel accommodated individual customer wishes and designed special sewing machines for specific requirements. In 1886, 18,000 machines left the factory. The company became one of the largest sewing machine manufacturers in Germany and exported throughout Europe.

1887: From sewing machines to bicycles

Industrialisation offered the Opel family further business opportunities in the 1880s. On a trip to Paris in 1884, Adam Opel became acquainted with the penny-farthing (in France’s capital, bicycles were already a common means of transport). The entrepreneur decided to purchase such a device, but it was several months before the first of his own models left the factory in Rüsselsheim in 1886. In the autumn of 1887, an illustrated price list marked the official beginning of a significant period in the company’s history.

As with the sewing machines that went before, Opel was quick to adopt modern technology for its bicycles. In 1888, the penny-farthing, which marked the beginning of bicycle manufacturing in Rüsselsheim, was replaced by the modern low-wheel bicycle. By 1890, 2,200 two-wheelers had been sold. The five sons of Adam and Sophie were the best ambassadors for their own cause with over 550 victories in bicycle races. In the 1920s Opel became the world’s largest bicycle manufacturer; 15,000 dealers sold bikes from Rüsselsheim. After the introduction of the assembly line in 1923, a bicycle left the production line every seven seconds.

1899: Opel starts building automobiles

The decisive step in the history of the company – driven forward by the five sons after Adam Opel’s death in 1895 – was the start of automobile production in 1899. Opel is thus one of the pioneers in this industry and one of the most tradition-rich automobile manufacturers in the world. On January 21, 1899, Opel acquired the “Anhaltische Motorwagenfabrik” from Friedrich Lutzmann of Dessau. In the same year, automobile production in Rüsselsheim began with the Opel “Patent-Motorwagen System Lutzmann”. In 1906 the 1,000th vehicle was built; the final breakthrough came the following year when the Rüsselsheim carmaker was appointed supplier to the imperial court. However, Opel was also committed to the democratisation of the automobile, for example with the small 4/8 hp “Doktorwagen” in 1909.

In the following decades Opel became a regular trendsetter. Comfort, safety and the newest technologies always played a major role. In the process, the brand continuously developed without losing touch with its core philosophy – to make mobility accessible for all. 160 years ago, Adam Opel delighted customers with his first sewing machines. Similarly, Opel today brings a modern, future-oriented mobility to the market. The brand already offers numerous electrified vehicles, in three locally emissions-free variants. Bestsellers like the Opel Corsa and Mokka and the LCV-trio Combo, Vivaro and Movano are battery electric while the Opel Grandland and the Opel Astra are plug-in hybrids. The portfolio of electric propulsion systems is currently completed by the Opel Vivaro-e HYDROGEN. Young drivers aged 15 and over can already begin their journey into electric mobility thanks to the Opel Rocks-e two-seat quadricycle.