{"id":29117,"date":"2018-05-23T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-05-23T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.secret-classics.com\/90-years-of-opel-rak-2\/"},"modified":"2020-10-02T16:11:14","modified_gmt":"2020-10-02T16:11:14","slug":"90-years-of-opel-rak-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.secret-classics.com\/en\/90-years-of-opel-rak-2\/","title":{"rendered":"90 Years of Opel RAK 2"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We write the 23rd<\/sup> of May 1928, 10:00 am, best weather and around the AVUS gathered about 3,000 invited guests, journalists and spectators. Amongst them were very important persons like Max Schmeling (boxing champion), Joachim Ringelnatz (German poet), Lilian Harvey (actress), Thea von Harbou (actress), Fritz Lang (film director) and Carl J\u00f6rns (racing driver). In front of their eyes a company and a driver wrote automotive history. For the first time a rocket-powered car raced along the main straight, through the Nordkurve (north corner) and came to standstill at the back straight of the famous AVUS in Berlin. It was built by Opel, named RAK 2 and driven by Fritz von Opel, grandson of company founder Adam Opel. Because of his interest in rocket powered things he got the nickname ‘Raketen-Fritz’ (rocket-Fritz) in Germany.

His vehicle, the RAK 2, was a black painted cigar with wings behind the front wheels and 24 solid rockets at the back. Those ignited in stages via an electric foot pedal, delivered six tons of thrust and accelerated Fritz von Opel to a topspeed of 148 mph \u2013 new world record! While the bodywork was specially built, the chassis came from an Opel 10\/40 PS. All together the RAK 2 only weight 560 kilograms. Fritz von Opel remembered after the run: “I step on the ignition pedal and the rockets roar behind me, throwing me forward.  I step on the pedal again, then again and \u2013 it grips me like a rage \u2013 a fourth time. To my sides, everything disappears. The acceleration gives me a rush. I stop thinking. I\u2019m acting on instinct alone, with uncontrollable forces raging behind me. ” In the end he was lucky to be able to speak afterwards as the car was rearing in the corner because the wings didn\u2019t provide enough downforce \u2013 welcome to the early days of aerodynamical helpers. This detail was forgotten over the joyce of the spectators. Opel became the most innovative car manufacturer immediately and the rocket age arrived in automotive world.<\/p>\n\n\n

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