And I thought the "Buick Opel by Isuzu" was the peak of GM badge engineering

GM South Africa also sold rebadged Holdens: Kingswood (Kommando), Statesman(Constantia) and the Monaro (which also looked like a Rekord but marketed as Chevrolet SS). In modern times some Australian collectors have ventured to the RSA in order to pick up these used models since the originals in Australia have become prohibitively expensive. A South African Ford Fairmont GT is a fraction of the price of an original Ford Falcon GT.

In Brazil at the same time we had the Chevrolet Opala which was basically an Opel Reckord with an American inline 6 engine. GM and their rebadging's galore at its finest.

AT THAT TIME, 327 (5.4L), WAS a "small block V8". In circles here, we even called it the "Mighty Mouse" along with the 283 (4.7L). As a child of the 1960's/70's, we thought BIGGER! 🤪😉

the thing I love about cars is even after decades of enjoying them I still can learn something new. thank you

I’ve been a knowledgeable car guy all my life, and as a kid , even knew what the Soviet cars were, and managed to see a handful in the States, BUT, this is one I’ve never heard of ‼️ Very interesting ❗️ Great video - Great Channel ❗️ 🚗🙂

Hi Ed, good episode but a couple of things to add. First Opel was taken over by GM in 1929, not 1931. Second, the Ranger in South Africa used Vauxhall Victor front suspension & steering, not only that it was planned to be sold as a Vauxhall, the very first press photographs of the car had Vauxhall badges from the Victor FD, only at the last minute did it change to Ranger. I have copies if you want to have a look. In Europe, the Ranger was the brainchild of GM turnaround guru Bob Price, who later was MD of Vauxhall, the idea was to give struggling Vauxhall dealers in the Benelux & Switzerland additional models to sell even if these competed directly with Vauxhall's own models. Keep up the great work!

As a South African, I did not expect you to make a video about such an obscure brand which I wanted to find concrete information about. Thank you for this.

Gentle correction: Vauxhall is pronounced "VOX-haul", not "Vouks-hall". English is weird that way. And GM bought Adam Opel in 1929. I had a high school teacher in the US who drove an Opel GT ... Opels were pretty hot cars in the '70s for those who wanted economy and performance but didn't want to buy Japanese marques. Incidentally, GM kept up their frankenstein strategies in Europe until Opel was sold to PSA+Fiat/Chrysler in 2017; the worst car we ever bought was a 2009 Opel Antara, which had a Chevrolet Captiva body and frame built in Korea by Daewoo, a Holden engine from Australia, transmission from some other GM division, with "styling by Opel" in Germany. To add insult to injury, it was sold as a Saturn Vue in the US. It was gutless, but still managed to drink gas at a prodigious rate; in my experience that's a common trait of six-cylinder engines.

This car was also the Chevrolet Opala in Brazil, and was sold from 1968 until 1992…. Same body panels and engines throughout its existence.

Thanks for this Ed! I want to set the story straight- GM South Africa only assembled the A body Ranger. The new B body style that was actually an Opel in Europe (and also sold as a Ranger in those European countries you mentioned) became the successor of the Ranger and Opel brand in SA. The B body in SA was badged as a Chevrolet. The Chevrolet 2500 (Chev 4 cyl) the 3800 and 4100 both with 6 cyl engines. In 1973 the Ranger was sold alongside the new Chev B bodies 2500-4100 until November '73 when Ranger was discontinued. Opels were also no longer available because the new Chev 2500-4100 models replaced them. At one time there were 11 Ranger models to choose from including a 2 door HT and 2 wagons. The springbok badging obviously appealed to patriotic South Africans. Hope this makes sense!

I had never heard of GM Ranger before today... 'SA's Own' indeed! 'Australia's Own Car' Holden was based on an abandoned light six concept called Cadet - it had the basic dimensions of the compacts released by the Big Three at the end of the 1950s. When you consider how many near identical platforms were separately developed by GM over the years (at immense cost) one can't help but wonder why the World Car didn't appear before 1960.

I have to give you the utmost props, I'm an absolute car nerd and I had no idea the GM Ranger was a thing. Even though I'm in the US my boss is an old Brit as well as a fellow car guy, I definitely have some questions when I get to work tomorrow.

As an American I'm a GM guy. But yeah, they've done a lot of questionable stuff. They really like to keep upgrading and updating cars until they're almost perfect. Then kill them off. Grand National, Fiero...yeah

I was living in South Africa when that car came out. "South Africa's Own Car" was how the advertising jingle went..

Not often there is a car out there that I have NEVER heard of. Looks pretty decent too. Great job, Ed.

Ever worked on a Holden Torana? In just the front brake package you will find Metric, AF and Whitworth hardware

In the 70s it was odd walking into a Buick Dealership and amongst the barges of Electras and Park Avenues and LeSabres and Estate Wagons, you had Opels the little cars from Germany. They were quirky and unique. My Uncle had an Opel and it kept going and going and going, the New York Winters and road salt took a toll on the body but mechanically it was a sound car. He ended up selling it for $300 and someone either restored it or they used the drivetrain for another Opel.

The Opel Rekord was also launched in Brazil in 1968 and kept the same body with various restyling until 1992. So, 24 years. That car still have a lot of fans over there. My first car was a 1977 Opala. But in my family we had a 1971 4 door. Then my father had a 1980 and then 1984. The reason that the Brazilian version of Rekord was so successful is that the local GM design studio kept updating the body, specially the front to trends. Also, the interior, specially the panel went thru various style changes. And GM kept adding mechanical and comfort content. Ah, Brazil also had the automobile market closed to imports. Perhaps, you should make a video about the Brazilian Record: Chevrolet Opala/Diplomata. Cheers.

My dad had 2 Opel Rangers, a white 69 SS and a chocolate brown 72 delux . They had Springboks on the steering wheel and upholstery. 2.5 lt 4 speed. Brings back sweet memories. Thank you!

Have a Manta badge off of a beyond saving rusted out Manta Opel I saw at a wrecking yard. I just like the name.

I was just wondering about that brand, I remember seeing Ranger in a book called World Cars catalog and thought was a mistake or misprint, thanks ED for doing a video on this brand, now I know that I am not losing my mind. Now how about the Hindustan Contessa aa Vauxhall Victor with a Hindustan badge stuck on it

I always wanted Vauxhall to make a Victor FD Coupe. It was out there all along. Mind blown. 🤯

Thanks for another great video - your channel is endlessly insightful! 😁 Two fun facts: Vauxhall is one of those linguistic traps in English - it's pronounced 'Voxall' It's also a neighbourhood in south London; the Vauxhall car company was based there until 1905. Its tube station is on the Victoria Line & its bus station is the second busiest in the capital.

In a parallel universe where there is a GM Ranger and NOT a Ford Ranger!

I really loved the Opel Manta and it was sold in the USA!

I would like to see a video about the GM Companion brands like Pontiac, Viking, Marquette, and LaSalle, and/or all other defunct brands GM have (like Rapid, Welch, Rainier, McLaughlin, Cartercar, etc...) and which of the brands should return (including Oakland). For how Geo and Saturn are the cheapest, Chevy is cheap, GMC is premium trucks, Pontiac is less cheap but more sporty, Oldsmobile is the middle ground, Buick is the premium brand, and Cadillac is the luxury brand, where those defunct brands would fit if they where still today, which is very unlikely but imagining is free.

"Are you still with me?... good" instantly fades to commercial Lolol

The former, Australian arm of GMH appear to have incorporated the body style into the Holden Torana in the late 60s, early 70s. The engines ranged from the basic small capacity in-line 6, up to the V8, which won races, largely due to its low weight. The battle on the Mountain, in Bathurst, was a Sunday extravaganza each year. It seems that platform sharing was a common theme from the 60s onward? I would also point out, that the Opel, for Australian use, broke on the GMH test track. (with the Opel variant for the new Commodore model, breaking in two.) The German engineers blamed our population for driving like fools. He could not understand the nature of our road network, once the cities were left behind.

My uncle owned Opel GT (I forget what year it was), he brought it back with him from his time stationed in the UK. He loved that car, but he had to learn a lot on how to service it and maintain it himself, and when he needed parts, he would have to have them shipped over from Europe, cuz nobody in The States carried them.

@2:47 The Opel Diplomat is interesting because it used some Chevelle inner body structure including cowl, A pillars & windshield. But it was unibody and a shorter wheelbase than the US Chevy Chevelle. And it was a #36 Matchbox in the '60s!

Interesting to think how many GM brands have come and gone. (And sometimes come back, as is the case with Hummer). They sure are good at spending marketing money lol.

The Opels were also rebadged as Chevrolet here on Argentina (and most probably, all of Latin America) until GM lost Opel. Interesting fact about that, here and in Brazil we kept the Corsa B model (as a sedan) facelifted and renamed as Classic until 2016. They are still servicing as taxis, and some of them will until 2026 when the last units turn 10 years old. The engines are still based on the Family 1 engine series, the last one being the SPE/4.

Great video and a completely obscure car. It's funny you made a video on this car because at the start of the summer 2021 I was inquirying to buy a 1970 "Ranger" for a reasonable sum of 2000e. However it wasn't called a ranger. It was called a Vauxhall Ventora. A car I had never heard of or seen before and I would consider myself something of a rainman when it comes to most automobiles. I have to admit I'm sorry I didn't buy it but someone put a deposit down just before I asked to look at the car. It was in a baby shade of blue the styling reminded me heavily of the 66/68 Chevelle. A muscle car with European proportions. If I ever see one pop up again I'll be sure to buy it and throw a nice 350 small block in there 😊😊

We had that car in Brazil for many decades, it was the Chevrolet Opala, 4 door sedan and 2 door coupe, with Diplomata and Comodoro luxury versions and the Caravan 3-door station wagon, I believe until 1992. It had 4 and 6 cylinder versions and also automatic transmission. In the 80s the models ran on sugarcane bioufuel. It was replaced by the fabulous Chevrolet Omega (Opel Omega).

I think the 2 dr ranger looked pretty cool

I am glad someone did this video about GM Ranger. Your did an excellent job and got your information as well. I was impressed with the information and footage. Your efforts are appreciated.

In 1973, before the petrol crisis, the Opel Record D was the Best Seller in South Africa, with American engines, 2,5 L I4, 3,8 L I6, and 4,1 L I6, but they were badged Chevrolet! The ad went Blue skies, braaivleis, and Chevrolet!

This car is called the Chevrolet Opala in Brazil, and it uses a 4 cylinder and the famous 250s Straight Six engine, making LOADS of power when turbo. It was also the highest tier GM Car here, before the Vauxhall (Chevrolet) Omega was sold here.

The answer to the ultimate question is found in this episode. Interesting that Ford used the Ranger moniker for its small pick up truck after it ditched the Courier. Watchful eye of GM???? Hmm, I guess watchful does not equal care and quality.

My father has driven 2 GM Rangers, type 1 couch and type 2 coupé. Both were demo's from a dealer in Helmond (Netherlands). Reliable as any Opel with just some extra bling and both with a slightly different hood with a bulge. And then of course with their different bumpers and grill.

Can we get a deep dive on the Mazda Roadpacer? A giant Holden with a tiny 13B rotary sold as a Japan-only Luxury(?) car

This car was sold here in Brasil until 1992 As Opala, and the the two door as Comodoro And four door as Diplomata, using mostly the 210 cubic inch 6inline GM block. And all that living together with the Chevy Cavalier (here Monza) and the Chevy Chevrtte.

To round it all off, Opel and Vauxhall where spun off after the banking crisis of 2008 and ended up in the hands of Peugeot (PSA) that subsequently merged with Fiat - Chrysler and is now called Stellantis or something like that (I could not be bothered to look that up).

I had never heard of a GM Ranger, but in Australia in the 1970's we had the Chrysler Valiant Ranger. It was the base trim level of the Australian designed and built VH series Valiant from 1971 to 1973. There was also a slightly fancier trim model called the Ranger XL. I can't recall the difference, but they were probably cosmetic like wheel trims, seat fabric and so on. They were both pretty basic cars. It is hard to think that this car was related to the wildly successful Valiant Charger of that time. Maybe one day you could do a story on the Australian 'Supercars" of that period, Ford Falcon GTHO, Holden Monaro GTS350 and Torana XU-1 and the mighty Charger E49 RT/4 six pack.

Yes the Chevrolet Small Block is huge by international standards. But in comparision to other US V-8s being produced at the time of its introduction it was "small". Especially in the weight department.

The Pontiac-Vauxhall-Bedford dealers in South Africa also sold Holden and Acadian. When the Ranger was introduced, the Vauxhall brand was officially discontinued and the Vauxhall Viva simply became the "GM" Viva, though the Vauxhall Cresta continued on sale until early 1969. The Pontiac Parisienne and Acadian Beaumont were discontinued at the end of 1969. In March, 1971, GM South African consolidated the two dealer franchises and discontinued the Holden and the Opel Rekord. The Chevrolet SS Coupe and El Camino were introduced to replace, respectively, the Holden Monaro and Utility. The Ranger SS Coupe replaced the Opel Rekord Sprint. The 1972 lineup looked like this: Opel Kadett, Manta Chevrolet Firenza (Vauxhall Viva with 1200/1300cc Vauxhall and 2500cc Chevrolet engine) Ranger 2100, 2500 Chevrolet Kommando (Holden HT body), Constantia (Holden HT Brougham body), SS Coupe and El Camino Chevrolet LUV pickup Chevrolet C10 pickup Bedford HA, CF Van, trucks At the end of the year, the Chevrolet 3800 and 4100 were introduced. They were the Opel Rekord "D" body with four headlights, Commodore-style tail lights, available only as a sedan, fitted with locally-manufactured Chevrolet 3800 (103 kW, 140 hp SAE) and 4100 (115 kW, 155 hp SAE) engines. The Rangers continued until mid-1973 when they were replaced by the four-cylinder "Chevrolet 2500", which was the Opel Rekord with the Commodore grille. The station wagon became available in 1975. They were replaced in mid-1978 by the range of "V" cars: Chevrolet Rekord and Commodore, the latter being first in South Africa, beating the Germans by a few months! The Senator was introduced in late 1979. In 1981 GM began phasing out locally-made engines in favour of imported German units and in mid-1982 discontinued the Chevrolet brand in favour of Opel.

Can you do a video on the South African car industry because it sounds interesting

I had to watch this twice. I am fascinated by anything discussing the opel MANTA. My mom owned an awesome blue one with the black hood. I was 5 when my dad let me stand on his lap and steer it. I wish I lived in the multiverse where my family kept it. My dad traded it for a 😭 gran Torino woody station wagon. We also owned a pumpkin orange Buick opel by Isuzu. Glad to not be in it's multiverse. I wonder what happened to our MANTA. It was sold around 1977 in Easthampton Massachusetts. My oldest and fondest memory related to the automobile.

Excellent and informative video.

It was a brilliant car in South Africa. We loved it. Even if it was a Vauxhall.

Great video buddy. You should do a video on the history of the South African car industry

As a belgian, i can't agree more, we have the best beers in the world !

2:53 Sorry Ed, all things are relative. A 5.4 liter engine may be a huge by European standards but compared to a 7.4 liter (454 cubic inch) V8, the 5.4 liter is a small engine. Besides, the whole "small block"/"big block" was related to the engine's block architecture. There are several cases where manufacturers produced smaller displacement versions of their "big block" engine that were slightly smaller than the largest production versions of their "small block". Ford's original big block, the FE (Ford-Edsel) started out at 332 cubic inches, which was not small at the time. By the late sixties, the tall deck version of Ford's Windsor "small block" produced 351 cubic inches. Then there was the Chevy 396 cubic inch "big block" used in the Chevelle SS, and a later maximized version of Chevy's "small block" that produced 400 cubic inches.

GREAT TO SEE A NEW EAR VIDEO AVAI;ABLE! IT REALLY PERKS THE DAY UP - THANKS ED!

Easily one of the BEST You Tube Channels of all time. Brilliant.

My older brother owned an Opal GT (the mini corvette). It was the coolest thing in town. However a pain in the ass to keep on the road.

Great story, Ed! Never heard of Ranger, either! But now we have!

Great video! Very informative too….interestingly, the Vauxhall Victor was rebadged and sold in the Indian market as the Hindustan Contessa till 2002. It is deemed to be India’s first ‘muscle car’ by many Indian automotive enthusiasts. Never knew that it was originally a car from GM.

I feel like the short-lived Mazda Roadpacer AP and perhaps other unlikely rebadges would be worth a video Keep up the good work!

We also had the Viva and Firenza in South Africa, so the Vauxhall Viva C was sold as Chevrolet Viva but with a V8 I think. The first early 1970s Vauxhall Firenza (Viva but a coupe) was sold as a Chevrolet Firenza, which they also tuned up as a Canam - seriously hot and rare.

The Ranger B was sold in South Africa as the Chevrolet 3800 and Chevrolet 4100 (big straight sixes of 3.8l and 4.1l) they were favourites as a company car. My stepdad had a deep red 4100, which wasn't a bad car, quite luxurious, however, it was unreliable and very thirsty. The Ranger brand was only sold as the first iteration. I haven't seen one in twenty years. The South African and Australian car industries were intertwined for so many years, with Holdens being badged as Chevvies. The Holden Brand was never in South Africa. Interesting video, I learnt a lot :)

Very interesting and enjoyable video, but really; aren't we just talking about what GM has always done? I mean back then, a Chevrolet Chevelle or Pontiac LeMans here, a Beaumont Acadian in Canada, right? Badge Engineering: A game the whole family can play! 🎲!

I know that Australian Valiant (ie Chrysler) Rangers were sold in South Africa and the UK too, very confusing XD

Hi, Andries here, I'm from South Africa my Dad bought his Ranger in 1969, think I still have original purchases papers, still driving, not as often as I like to, but for a 50 year plus old car it's still going good

Still want an Opel GT!!!

It never clicked that the front clip was from a Vauxhall Victor! I saw tons when in SA for the first time in the mid 70s. Well-researched, entertaining vid as usual.

Great history lesson! You should also have a look at the South African Chevy Can Am...

My dad's first car was also a Ascona A! Opels were everywhere here in Norway too during the 60s, 70s and 80s.

I remember it well. GM Switzerland sold it for a time (assembled in Biel).

If you don't know, this Vauxhall Victor was later sold in India with Isuzu 1.8L petrol & 2.0L Diesel engine and rebadged it as Hindustan Contessa.

Finally a episode with Opel :)

Fascinating. Never heard of it before.

Here in SA the Ranger was known as a damn good car.

Sounds similar to what GM Canada were doing with their myriad of different brands: Acadian, Asuna, Beaumont, Envoy and Passport. In Australia we had the Statesman brand from 1971 until 1984 selling upmarket and enlarged Holden based models

Cool to see the Ranger getting some light on it! I'm an owner of an Opel Rekord C Coupé myself :)

I had a 1975 Opel Ascona 1.6S. Loved that car.

I actually did know of GM Ranger due to a story I've been tinkering with for the past few years. Also, 5.4 litres is huge? The Chevy Small Block family stops at 6.6 litres. Aftermarket small blocks go up to 7. You want big, you want big block: up to 8 litres! Aftermarket engines exceed 10!

I remember seeing them in the Autotest yearbooks that my father bought in the 70s. Never seen one in the flesh before

The name Ranger is/was also used by Ford for their Pickup, and years ago on their Edsel. Here in Australia, it was also used by Chrysler on their Valiant, 50 years ago. Possibly used by other carmakers as well. Wouldn't someone have the copyright to Ranger ?

We never had the Ranger B in South Africa. That car was sold as a Chevroler 3800 or 4100 and only in 4 door form. There was also a single headlight version which was the Chevrolet 2500.

1:21 The model shown here is the Holden FE "Special", a successor to the legendary FJ model, and would be the base design on which the FC model followed. The turn indicator lights were still optional on the FE, as they were on the FJ and the 48-215 but the FC would make them a standard feature and would be so for all future models. Three-On-The-Tree "Spanish" Gears(Manuel - manual, get it?) was still the only option until the EK or EJ model came along, those model designs based on the FB model.

Este carro foi produzido no Brasil, com a marca Chevrolet "Opala", com motores 4 cilindros 2,5 (151") e de 6 cilindros 4,1 (250"), entre os anos de 1967 até 1992. Um enorme sucesso de vendas.

I heard of Ranger in recent years through hearing commercials on old Springbok Radio programs.

That now explains why, in family lore, my Uncle Bill kept trying to sell my mom a GT Opel that was on their dealership lot as opposed to her special ordering a '68 Pontiac GTO. She went for the Pontiac of course.

Ah, but I have heard! Give me the scoop, Ed!

I always liked the Opel Kadet, Manta and GT (my parents almost bought one) and with all that history I need a drink.... (Dutch Vodka) Cheers

Chevrolet in South Africa also purchased uniquely Australian built Holdens (but re-badged and with slightly altered trim), to satisfy the right-hand-drive market of larger cars (6 cyl & V8), without needing to develop new models. There were also larger (6 cyl & V8), Australian Fords exported to South Africa for the same reason.

And as we all know, with General Motors, variety is the spice of life!!!

It was a popular car in Belgium. Just an Opel with a different front. At home we owned one. It was sold by Vauxhall dealers.

I have a video suggestion. The body used by GM Ranger was from an Opel Rekord C. This body was used for 25 years in Brazil under the name of Chevrolet Opala. This car is a classic in Brazil. It used a four-cylinder and straight-six engine (4.1 litres). 1 million units were produced. which makes it a (relatively) inexpensive option for anyone looking to build a drag car or muscle car. You could research the Opel Rekord and also the Chevrolet Opala and make a video about how this European car (with an American appearance, as it was designed by an American) ended up becoming a cult car in Brazil.

I'm still confused. Just glad I bought my GM product; 2012 Cadillac CTS4 Sportwagon. It makes me smile 😃

your quirky sense of humor cracks me up

Thank you ED. Great History lesson !! Love it!!

Some Opels were available to the U.S. market. A friend of my brother had an Opel Kadett wagon in the 1970s.

Ed, a fascinating story! Thanks for sharing this with us! I had never heard of the Ranger, but knew of the Vauxhall/Opel badge engineering that had gone on for ages. Side note….. I remember in my the 2000s seeing cars here in the UK which were Opel badged but we’re for the UK market, not sure why??

Wow, got dizzy just listening, must have needed a map to track the formations of Ranger, etc. etc.Learned something new this AM.Thanks

Love your videos and your artwork!!

As a lifelong car guy - this was new to me!

Don't forget the Chevrolet Opala in Brazil. Is a famous car here, with different design, but the same base of Opel Record C and his numerous brother's.