Company type | GmbH & Co KG |
---|---|
Industry | Automotive |
Founded | 1968 |
Founder | Günther Irmscher Sr. |
Headquarters | , Germany |
Key people | Günther Irmscher, CEO |
Products | Cars |
Number of employees | 150 |
Website | irmscher |
Irmscher Automobilbau GmbH & Co. KG is a German car tuning and manufacturing [1] [2] company, specialising in Opel, Peugeot and Kia vehicles as well as working for the complete automotive industry as an engineering service provider.
It was founded in 1968 in a double garage in the Swabian town of Winnenden (near Stuttgart) by rally driver and mechanic Günther Irmscher.
Irmscher has retained close links to the Opel company by operating the factory team in many European and German automobile competitions, [3] [4] including the Ascona B i400 rally car, the Vectra touring car, the Astra DTM car and the Omega V8Star Series car.
This has led them to design and manufacture parts for Chevrolet, [5] [6] [7] the Cadillac CTS [8] and wheels for the GM based SAAB [9] models, although these are much rarer than the Opel parts. Their distinctive customised parts include alloy wheels, bodykits and exhausts as well as various interior fittings.
Since 1993, Irmscher has been building their own replica of the Lotus Seven. Initially, the vehicle bore the model name Seventy Seven (1993-2004). [10] Towards its latter years it was known as the Irmscher 7 (2004-2012). Power comes from Opel-sourced four-cylinder units. Choices include: 115 hp or 150 hp (NA-spec); 240 hp or 284 hp (Turbo).
Opel Automobile GmbH, usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Group prior to its merger with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to form Stellantis in 2021. Most of the Opel lineup is marketed under the Vauxhall brand in the United Kingdom since the 1980s. Some Opel vehicles were badge-engineered in Australia under the Holden brand until 2020, in North America and China under the Buick, Saturn, and Cadillac brands, and in South America under the Chevrolet brand.
Vauxhall Motors is a British car company headquartered in Chalton, Bedfordshire, England. Vauxhall became a subsidiary of Stellantis in January 2021, having previously been owned by General Motors since 1925.
The Opel Astra is a compact car/small family car (C-segment) developed and produced by the German automaker Opel since 1991, currently at its sixth generation. It was first launched in September 1991 as a direct replacement to the Opel Kadett. As of 2021, the car slots between the smaller Corsa supermini and the larger Insignia large family car.
The Opel Vectra is a mid-size car that was engineered and produced by the German automaker Opel from 1988 until 2010. Available in saloon, hatchback and estate body styles, the Vectra was also sold by the Vauxhall marque in the United Kingdom as the Vauxhall Cavalier from 1988 to 1995 and then as the Vauxhall Vectra from 1995 to 2008, and it was also sold by Holden in Australia as the Holden Vectra, by Chevrolet in Latin America as the Chevrolet Vectra.
The Vauxhall Cavalier is a large family car that was sold primarily in the United Kingdom by Vauxhall from 1975 to 1995. It was based on a succession of Opel designs throughout its production life, during which it was built in three incarnations. The first generation of Cavalier, launched in 1975 and produced until 1981, was Vauxhall's version of the General Motors 'U-Car' - essentially an Opel Ascona B/ Opel Manta with a few minor visual differences.
The Opel Omega is an executive car engineered and manufactured by German automaker Opel between 1986 and 2004. The first generation, the Omega A (1986–1994), superseded the Opel Rekord. It was voted European Car of the Year for 1987, and was available as a saloon or estate. The second generation, the Omega B, was manufactured from 1994 to 2004.
The Opel Ascona is a large family car that was produced by the German automaker Opel from 1970 to 1988. It was produced in three separate generations, beginning with rear-wheel-drive and ending up as a front-wheel drive J-car derivative. The Ascona was developed to fill the gap in the Opel range as the Opel Rekord was gradually growing in size.
The Opel Calibra is a coupé, engineered and produced by the German automaker Opel between 1989 and 1997. In the United Kingdom, where it remained on sale until 1999, it was marketed under the Vauxhall brand as the Vauxhall Calibra. It was also marketed as the Chevrolet Calibra in South America by Chevrolet, and the Holden Calibra in Australia and New Zealand by Holden.
The Opel Speedster is a mid-engined, targa-topped, two-seat sports car produced by German automaker Opel from July 2000 to July 2005. It was built in both RHD and LHD versions at the Lotus Cars plant in Hethel, Norfolk, England. It was presented at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1999 and went into full production the following year.
Getrag, stylized as GETRAG, was a major supplier of transmission systems for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. The company was founded on 1 May 1935, in Ludwigsburg, Germany, by Hermann Hagenmeyer; as the Getriebe und Zahnradfabrik Hermann Hagenmeyer GmbH & Cie KG.
The Geneva International Motor Show was an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva.
The Circle L is an automobile engine produced by GM Powertrain Poland in Poland. It is a 1.7 L; 102.9 cu in (1,686 cc) inline-four 16-valve turbocharged diesel engine originally designed by Isuzu but now owned by General Motors. The engine was produced in Europe by General Motors for use in the Opel, Vauxhall and Chevrolet vehicles and by Honda for use in the Civic compact car.
Wiesmann GmbH is a German automobile manufacturer that specializes in hand-built custom convertibles and coupes. Brothers Martin Wiesmann and Friedhelm Wiesmann founded the company in 1988 which has its headquarters located in Dülmen. The business was temporarily closed in May 2014, and following a buyout by London-based investor Roheen Berry who took over as CEO, it is set to return with a new model, powered by a BMW M division-sourced V8 engine. The relaunch of the Wiesmann brand has more than one model, including an electric vehicle, in the pipeline and the pre-development phase of the car has been completed. A teaser video of the brand's rebirth, posted on their website, tells viewers to “expect the unexpected”.
The Opel Manta is a rear-wheel-drive sports coupé built by German manufacturer Opel in two generations from 1970 to 1988. The Manta was a mildly sporting coupé based on the Ascona family car, competing with cars such as the Ford Capri. The Manta remained rear-wheel drive for both generations and also saw certain competition success. Its name comes from the manta ray.
Opel Performance Center (OPC) was a division of the German automobile manufacturer Opel, initially set up as a subsidiary in 1997. The main focus of OPC is the development of performance derivatives of the Opel range, such as the hot hatch Corsa OPC and Astra OPC.
The Family II is a straight-4 piston engine that was originally developed by Opel in the 1970s, debuting in 1981. Available in a wide range of cubic capacities ranging from 1598 to 2405 cc, it simultaneously replaced the Opel CIH and Vauxhall Slant-4 engines, and was GM Europe's core mid-sized powerplant design for much of the 1980s, and provided the basis for the later Ecotec series of engines in the 1990s.
General Motors New Zealand Limited, formerly Holden New Zealand Limited, is a subsidiary of General Motors that distributes GM' motor vehicles, engines, components and parts in New Zealand.
Ray Mallock Ltd., also known as RML Group, is a motorsports and high performance engineering company, based in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom.
The Opel cam-in-head engine (CIH) is a family of automobile engines built by former General Motors subsidiary Opel from 1965 until 1998, appearing extensively in Opel/Vauxhall badged cars during this period. Both four- and six-cylinder inline configurations were produced. The name derives from the location of the camshaft, which was neither cam-in-block nor a true overhead camshaft. In the CIH engine the camshaft is located in the cylinder head but sits alongside the valves rather than above them, so therefore effectively is still an overhead valve design. The valves are actuated through very short tappets and rocker arms. The engine first appeared in the Opel Rekord B in 1965, and was largely replaced in four-cylinder form by the GM Family II unit as Opel/Vauxhall's core mid-size engine in the 1980s, with the six-cylinder versions continuing until 1994 in the Omega A and Senator B. A large capacity 2.4L four-cylinder version continued until 1998.
Günther Irmscher was a German rally driver and entrepreneur. In 1968 he founded the company Irmscher Automobilbau in Winnenden near Stuttgart, South Germany. The first time they made tuning parts for Opel cars. He started with Opel Kadett (1977), then Opel Manta (1983), Opel Senator, Opel Omega.