European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 10, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday May 10, 1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 13 or a ? it ii car Corner 204 he from opel a new 24-valve engine Omega 3000 gets added punch those who follow the Intima automobile scene have read quite sen recently about opel a dynamic l Success across Europe while its Parent company a general motors continues to seek a sales recovery on the . Market. _ Robert Stumpel the american mechanism Engineer who turned opel a fortunes round in the Early 1980s when he headed he Friiss Olsheim West Germany opera Ion was recently elected chairman of Gen Ira motors and it will be interesting to see if he can duplicate his a opel act in Detroit. And there is a lot at stake. Stempel left opel in 1984 to return As general manager of Chevrolet and he moved up from there. And it was m 1984 that the Sharp Little opel Corsa arrived on the Market spearheading opel a big financial comeback. A subsidiary of general motors opel is enjoying solid Success with its current lineup of Corsa Wadett Vectera Omega and senator cars. And there a a new Cah Bra Coupe due soon. Ail models except the Corsa Are available with Multi valve engines and this brings us to the a High tech Omega 3000 24v sports Sedan a car we had on test recently. We have driven All of the 4-door Omega models since their debut in 1986, and while they Are first rate sedans the Omega 3000 with the new 24-valve engine is strictly in the a super sport Sedan category because it is big attractive and extremely fast. The six Cylinder Multi valve engine introduced by opel last october is also available on the senator and the new Omega station Wagon which made its debut at the Geneva Auto show. Fuel injected and of in line design and 3-Litcr capacity the new Multi valve engine turns out 204 horsepower at 6,000 revs and it propels the Omega 3000 24v version to an official top Speed of 240 Kph 148.8 Miles per hour although our final figure at electronic Cut off read 250 Kph 155 Mph at 6,500 rpm redline is 6,600. Either Way that is moving rapidly indeed and at these autobahn speeds the car remained firmly planted to the pavement. The dual catalytic converter equipped engine is highly flexible and 90 percent of the torque is available for use Between the 3,000 and 5,800 rpm Rev Range a perfect for rapid acceleration. Our Zero to 100 Kph figure 62 Mph read a Quick 7.3 seconds. The five Speed manual Gearbox meanwhile was easy to use and the throws were direct although third gear proved notch at times. On the Omega 3000 sports Sedan using the Normal 3-liter engine the output is 177 horsepower at 5800 rpm so the increase of 27 he with the Multi valve engine is a healthy one. And while it is a pleasure to have All that Power on tap for cruising and for passing situations it is becoming increasingly frustrating to drive such cars on the at times hopelessly overcrowded a amps Pho Loii aerodynamically clean the opel Omega 3000 has a drag co efficient Reading of Only 0.30. Spoiler a a Wing is attached to trunk lid. New engine 3.0 liners 24 valves 204 he. Autobahn. In these tiding Stop and go situations brakes Are vital and the 0�e-ga�?Ts Standard All disc anti lock Abs system proved highly effective. A limited slip differential is also Standard. Road holding was impressive in both wet and dry conditions and the big car was thoroughly stable in heavy winds while running at High speeds. The engine proved silent even when being taken through its five Forward gears. You can cruise at 220 Kph 136 pm when autobahn conditions allow and the silence of the engine is matched by the silence of the aerodynamic body. 1 Here is Little wind noise at High speeds and even at 125 Mph its not necessary to raise your voice in conversation. The sedans drag co efficient is Only n 10 extremely Low especially when  0.29 figure Bow prides itself on for its new 850i sports could. Odel designers created special body work for the Omega 3000 series with the suspension set about an Inch lower tha found on the regular Omega Sedan. The body appears almost sculpted from one Niece with even the outside rear View mirrors integrated artistically into the body. There a also an integrated front spoiler and a rear spoiler a a Wing atop the huge trunk As Well As Side a a skirts to parallel the front and rear aerodynamic fixtures. Silver Alloy wheels match the Silver exterior the 15-Inch wheels shod by extra wide 205/65 radial High Speed tires. A new Multi link rear Axle was created especially for this rear wheel drive car and the ride Overall is quite firm but also quite comfortable a even Over cobblestones., inside the Omega 3000 is As impressive As it is on the outside and a Jot of thought went into the design. The Silver test car with Grey fabric scats and red leather trim seated five adults with ease. Rear legroom and headroom Are plentiful and there s a wide Center armrest that connects to the trunk for Long items. Like the armrest the iwo rear setback can also be folded Down and used in conjunction with the trunk for carrying cargo. All May be locked when returned to upright position. The Driver seating was just right with fully adjustable seats and a huge expanse of Windshield offering a wide View of the Road. The View is Good for passengers As Well. The Glass is All flush mounted with the body to Aid the aerodynamic process. The Omega 3000 has grab bars All around wide storage pockets at the Bottoms of the front doors adjustable dual rally Type map lights. A Power Sun Moon Rool with Shade Power car View mirrors and windows Power Central Locking and much More. The four spoke leather wrapped steering wheel was of perfect grip and size and it was easy to read the gauges through. The computerized Driver information readout gave an average fuel Reading of 21.1 Miles per gallon quite frugal for a performance sports Sedan. The fuel tank holds 70 liners 18.5 Gallons. The base Price for the opel Omega 3000 24v, including the German value added lax. Is 54,270 Marks about $33,000and it is Well Worth it. It is a big fast touring car that Means business unfortunately there is no 1.1.s.-specification Model. ,. Using this car As an example it is easy to see Why opel continues to do so Well in Europe. And if general motors can take some lessons from its subsidiary perhaps their the Road to . Market recovery will be a Short one. A Randy Barnett Auto columnist Mitsubishi to Host world s longest rally in 1991 by Asahi news service Tokyo a the Mitsubishi corp. Has announced that it will Host the worlds longest Road rally in the fall of 1991. It will be the Paris Moscow be dog Marathon a an 11,160 mile run a that will easily outdistanced the Paris Dakar a Hilly some 7,500 Miles and inc South american rally 9,300 Miles. I Tunbi Ini says it plans to stage the Maraino every two years. Trucks and four wheel drive vehicles will Start from Paris and pass through Belgium. West Germany last Gei Many Poland atm tie soviet lfill0n he foie \ n a. Fri Iii a ev8o. C event i  a i a a. I u1 7 a Amaru i of he a no o i Oil v Civ he lit. I dih i in a 0 7. Tilly t j v o actually left Beijing and headed for Paris. Two months later one car an italian Fiat completed the entire distance of 9,920 Miles to win that Competition. Since then there have been several  to revive the event but All Quavc faded due to difficulties posed by my a Tionel relations. Mitsubishi said it expects about 300 a a Leel dive eat it and trucks to take a it Arl m the 1991 event the vehicles will observe local traffic rules while running through Urban areas and will race through Rural areas and deserts including the Kara Kum the i Akla Makan and the Gobi. A trial run is scheduled for tins tall. The rare was a Igi Nally planned Lor tins War but a i e. Ianul so hedul1. Thori negotiations a it i e he 1 in nose gov in n a men were Dud Rafiei the 1 uni \ men Hipe a a a see Iasi Bine -0 in he in said. U.1 in. I