Richard Hammond’s Oliver The Opel From Prime Gear Has Been Restored

For the 2007 Botswana Particular in the course of the glory days of Prime Gear, Richard Hammond bought a then-44-year-old Opel Kadett A for £1,200. As soon as the movie was shot, he determined to ship the automobile to the UK, and it “solely” took him two years due to some points with the paperwork. It wasn’t till a few years in the past when Hamster introduced his plans to revive the tiny sedan for Drive Tribe, which he co-founded with James Might and Jeremy Clarkson.

The restoration course of has now been finalized by Hammond’s personal “The Smallest Cog” workshop. What’s it? A primary-generation 1967 Kadett A, supplied we exclude the short-lived pre-war namesake automobile. The diminutive two-door sedan was powered by a then-new four-cylinder 1.0-liter engine with a mighty 40 horsepower, however there was additionally an “S-Motor” higher-compression engine that produced an additional eight hp. Hammond’s automobile has the bottom engine, routing energy to the rear wheels.

We’re being advised it has an excessively mushy suspension and quite a lot of physique roll whereas the drum brakes entrance and rear aren’t that nice. Having been constructed some 55 years in the past, it is apparent this authentic Kadett will not be the most secure automobile on the market, but it surely definitely has its attraction. The plucky Opel carried out admirably within the Prime Gear Botswana Particular, though Hammond bumped into some points with its electrical system. As you might recall, James Might used a 1985 Mercedes 230E whereas Jeremy Clarkson selected the 1981 Lancia Beta Coupe.

Beforehand painted the unsuitable colour, Oliver now seems to be the identical because it did within the present and rides on metal wheels prefer it used to again within the day. It’s not a full-on restoration as a few of the exterior trim items are lacking, but it surely does not look half dangerous for a automobile that was manufactured greater than half a century in the past. Richard Hammond is toying round with the concept of turning it right into a classic rally automobile however that continues to be to be seen.