Koenig Specials is one of THE tuners of the 80s and 90s. The company, which was founded by Willy König in 1977, became known above all for its wild wide bodies for Mercedes, BMW, Ferrari and Porsche models, which are now not only cult, but also really valuable.
OBD adapter
Order the Carly adapter now and save 15% with the discount code AUTOBILD!
Fault diagnosis, coding and used car check: Take back control of your car with the OBD adapter for Android and iOS!
In co-operation with
However, it is strange that there is no information about a Koenig Specials body kit for an Opel Kadett. Based on the photos, the wide body looks more like a Schneider conversion. The body kit may have been wrongly offered as one of Koenig Specials.
Koenig Specials or Schneider?
Whether it’s Koenig Specials or Schneider, one thing is certain: very little is left of the original 1987 Opel Kadett. The front apron has a protruding front splitter, the front fenders are extremely wide, and the Opel logo and lettering have been cleaned.
Thanks to the body kit, the Opel Kadett mutates into a mini Testarossa. The ribbed air intakes were then in fashion.
It gets really spectacular when you look at it from the side, because this cadet has huge cheeks! The rear fenders were flared several centimeters per side, in front of which were mounted ribbed fake air intakes in the style of the Ferrari Testarossa – a specialty of Koenigs Specials, which we know from the popular SEC conversions; which, however, also features the Schneider body kit.
Rear rims in the dimension 13×15
Of course, the drop center rims should not be missing for the perfect look, because a wide body with standard wheels is anything but befitting. The fitted cross-spoke rims in the dimensions 285/40 R 15 and 345/35 R 15 would also fit on super sports cars such as the Lamborghini Countach or Isdera Imperator.
From this perspective it becomes clear how wide the Kadett really is. The rear rims measure 13×15 inches.
The package is rounded off by a fixed rear wing, Ascona rear lights and a single-flow sports exhaust. In the interior, however, the tuning aria continues. Sports seats with red stitching, Sparco pedals, Sparco door sills, Sparco floor mats, a carbon-look gear knob and a Momo sports steering wheel are installed. The red buttons on it look like they are for the nitrous oxide injection – but they are actually horn buttons.
The interior isn’t exactly the cream of the Kadett. Much has been tampered with here.
Of course, there is one thing that no 90s tuning car should be without, and that is the sound system. In the trunk of the Kadett GSi there is a retrofitted subwoofer and a power amplifier – the cable clutter is free on top of that. The original, however, is the meanwhile legendary digital instrument display of the Kadett GSi, which fans affectionately call the “Mouse Cinema”.
The cadet has 177,170 kilometers under its belt
The 35-year-old Kadett has covered 177,170 kilometers. It is noteworthy that the first owner, who bought the Opel new in 1987 and had it upgraded with the body kit in 1990, bought the car back in 2017. The current seller acquired the GSi in 2020, had it repainted and fitted four new (and probably outrageously expensive) tires.
The estimated price is over 20,000 euros
But there are also negative points. So there is no longer a checkbook, and the wide-body Kadett has minor defects everywhere. The body kit has several damages, the paint is partially cracked and the headliner is hanging. The buyer should therefore not expect a perfect car or have enough money in reserve for cosmetic work.
No hand was laid on the 2.0-liter four-cylinder. Without Kat (only for export) the 16V made 156 hp, with it was 150 hp.
The Opel with the original 2.0-liter 16V and 156 hp is currently being auctioned on the catawiki.com auction platform. The current highest bid (as of May 30) is just 4,000 euros, but the estimated price is given as 23,100 to 25,500 euros. The transport to Germany is estimated at a flat rate of 2000 euros.
Everyone has to decide for themselves whether the Kadett is worth that much. But the fact is: Interested parties have the chance to buy a piece of tuning history. Maybe this is actually a Kadett GSi converted by Koenig Specials!
