European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 16, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday april 16, 1987 the stars and stripes Page 13 car Corner with 177 he on up the Omega 3000 lops oat at about 140 Man. Bertone of Italy played key role in Wadett Contr table s design. Omega 3000 sports Sedan and convertible Wadett opel introduces two new models the German opel firm a subsidiary of general motors has just introduced two new models both based on automobiles that arc already highly successful on the european Market. The new opel Omega 3000 sports Sedan is a High performance version of the Omega Sedan while the new opel Kadell Cabriolet convertible has been created by the italian stylist Burtone from the front wheel drive Wadett. We had the Opportunity to drive both cars last weekend during an opel press presentation and since Spring is Here id s open with the new Wadett convertible. The car comes in two versions a regular Model with a 1.6-liter fuel injection 75-hp catalytic converter engine As Standard and a Psi ports Model with a 2-liter fuel injection 115-hp catalytic converter engine As Standard. In both cases optional non catalytic converter engines Are available. The cars produced by the Terfone Plant in the Northern italian City of Gru Glasco Are being assembled from sets of components that have been ship Ped there from opel. Plans Call for bar tone to produce about 10,000 Kadell Cabriolet a year during the press introduction we drove the 2-liter Psi version this car capable of 121 Mph and a o-to-62-Mph time of 10 seconds Flat. The car makes a Good impression holding the Road Well and with Only slight wind noise and Little or no air turbulence with the top Down. N the aerodynamics department the convertible has a drag coefficient figure of Only 0,34 with the tap up and Ops with the top Down. The fresh air Kadell weighs about 250 pounds More than its closed Hatchback counterpart and the body has been de signed for maximum rigidity and a High degree of safety with a Roll oar added to increase both safety and strength. The car seats four and has rear win Dows that Roll up to protect backseat Pas sengers from the wind these panels Roll Down Only Halfway however. Trunk space meanwhile is More than Ade quate. The Psi costs about 30,000 Marks about $16,600 while the 1.61 goes for about about $15,000. The fit and finish on the Psi was extremely Well done but even with the Ber Lone design one cannot really Call this convertible an attractive car although its Hardtop Wadett counterpart is a Beauty. It s our opinion that the opel Wadett Cabriolet As Welt As its front wheel drive competitors Ford escort and vow Golf convertibles All look like afterthoughts to some degree these High Back bodies simply not allowing sleek convertible treatment where elegance and style Are concerned. Now let s look at the new Omega 3000 four door sports Sedan which becomes the top of the line Model in the rear wheet drive Omega Range. To put it simply the Omega 3000 is a Superb and exciting automobile one that does everything right and one thai Fea Tures outstanding performance from its Standard 3-liter, fuel injected engine. An in line Cylinder unit it puts out 177 he 156 he with the optional catalytic con Verter Engin and it is Silky smooth. The Omega 3000 looks fast and it is fast top Speed with the Standard non Analy tic converter engine pegged at about 140 Mph and the o-Lo-62-Mph figure 8.8 seconds. Redline on the Fach is 6,500. Along with its special aerodynamic Bodywork front spoiler and rear deck spoiler drag coefficient is Only 0.30the big Omega 3000 has a special sports sus pension which is set about an Inch lower than on Standard Omega models. This All results in some remarkable mad holding when you really push the 3000 hard through the turns. Disc brakes Are featured All around ventilated at front while an Abs anti lock braking system is Standard. The list of Standard equipment in Addi Tion to that already noted is Long a limited slip differential Power assist steering a Choice of 195/65 or 15 or 205/65 or 15 Low Section lines Halogen High beam driving lights you would need them on this car Halogen fog lights a sports exhaust system and More. Inside the Omega 3000 features sport scats in front and upshot Ivory thai includes a combination treatment of leather and cloth. The sealing is quite comfortable the car seats five adult Sand the Driver has a wide Choice of adjust ments. A leather covered sports steering wheel is also Standard. Although a relatively Large car ii does t feel like one and it is extremely Quick and agile on twisting mountainous roads the highly flexible engine also provides a wide Power band especially in third and fourth gear ranges. The Omega 3000 is available Only with a five Speed manual Gearbox which Rales High. In fact everything about this car rates High including the Price unfortunately a bit Over 44,000 Marks about $24,500 but even there one wonders How a car of this Caliper can be produced at that Price. Randy Barnett of of with new Alfa Lando of is on eyes . Return arese Italy not for Alfa Romeo the italian maker of fast and expensive automobiles there once were Days of glory. Bui the gleam had dulled by last no vember when fial the largest italian automaker outbid Ford motor co. To acquire the assets of the famous Alfa Romeo firm. Fiat is now unfolding a strategy to Combine its Lancia division with Alfa Romeo to carve out a larger share of the lucrative Market for big and powerful cars. Until now that Market has been the Domain of such european automakers As Daimler Benz Bow Jaguar and Volvo. Those luxury car companies have reaped Strong profus from across the at lactic in recent years thanks to Ameri Ca s appetite for expensive european automobiles. In response. General motors has begun Selling the Allan to o sports car assembled by Italy s Pini Farina and Chrysler plans to Market a Maserati de signed sports Model. Furthermore Chrysler is negotiating to acquire Bolo Gna s Smalt and exclusive Lamborghini sports car company. The new Alfa Romeo 164 Sedan will arrive in the . Next year. App tora for Fiat which left the . Market several Yean ago its new division of Alfa Lancia Indus Riale represents a ticket for re entry especially because Alfa Romeo has retained a presence in the United slates. This year Alfa will sell about 10,000 cars to americans mostly on tile Atlantic and Pacific coasts Giuseppe Tram Omana. Alfa s 47-year old chief executive wants to raise that number dramatically. He said Alfa Lan Cia Hopes in wll 60,000 cars in America by the 1990s. Fiat is sparing no Effort to Lurn Alfa around. Several years of Strong profits have left Fiat awash in Cash and the company is fulfilling the new big car Alfa Lancia division with $1 billion in Basic capital virtually wiping out Alt  accumulated debt. Fiat executives say they expect combined losses for Alfa Lancia to total 11.1 billion by the Early 1990s before the division is expected to return to profitability. The goal is to rebuild Alfa around a new flagship the 164 luxury Model see Phot with a big 6-Cylindcr engine and a lop Speed of 145 Miles an hour. The car is based on a joint development of Alfa Fiat and Sweden s Saab Scania. Alfa will introduce the 164 Model onto the european Market in september then will Export it to the United Stales in 1988, where it will supplement the at a Romeo 73 sports Sedan. The Alfa 75, introduced in the United states last year is known there As the Milano. Fial plans to spend $2.8 billion Over he next five years on Alfa s factories in arise and to Migliano Arco. Analysts give Fiat High Marks in cast culling. Ouist de of Italy for instance fial s Croma Model Sells for about $5,000 less than the comparable Saab 9000, but they warn of dangers in the company s Straucey. The Dollar s decline against other currencies has pushed up the Price of eur ont Jin cars in the United Stales just As Fiat is charting its return to that Market