General Motors Omega

The Opel Omega was a large automobile from Opel, the main European subsidiary of General Motors. Replacing the Opel Rekord, it was voted European Car of the Year in 1987. Like the Rekord, the Omega was produced at Rüsselsheim in Germany. Production of the Omega ceased in 2003.

A long wheelbase model, the Senator, was based on the same platform, which also formed the basis of the Holden Commodore in Australia. It was sold as the Vauxhall Carlton in the UK, until 1994, when Vauxhall adopted the Omega name for the new model. The Omega was also sold in Brazil badged as a Chevrolet, but this name is now used for the local version of the Holden Commodore.

In the UK, the Omega is best known as a police car. Following the ending of production the direct Vauxhall equivalent which is used by police forces is the Vauxhall Vectra (the post-2003 "C" model). The car also been converted into limousines and hearses for use at funerals.

The name had previously been used by GM in North America, where the Oldsmobile Omega was that division's compact entry from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. These cars were not mechanically related to the European Omegas, however.

Opel Omega A

The original Omega was launched in late 1986 as replacement for the Opel Rekord, which had been in production since 1978 and sold in Britain as the Vauxhall Carlton. It was available in saloon and estate ('Caravan' in Germany) bodystyles as a competitor for the likes of the Ford Scorpio and Rover 800.

The new Omega, which was also sold in Britain as the Vauxhall Carlton, was rear wheel drive and transmission was either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic. Engines ranged from 1.8L, 2.0L and 2.4L four-cylinder units (2.0L and 2.3L Diesel, 2.3L turbodiesel) to 2.6L, 3.0L and 3.0L-24v six-cylinder units.

In 1989, a high performance Opel Lotus Omega/Vauxhall Lotus Carlton was introduced with a 3.6L six-cylinder unit and a top speed of 175mph (282km/h), making it one of the fastest four-door cars ever produced.