page_title: Opel Senator
section_title: Senator B (1987–1993)
hierarchical_section_title: Opel Senator / Senator B (1987–1993)
caption_attribution_description: Vauxhall Senator
context_page_description: The Opel Senator is an executive car produced by the German automaker Opel, two generations of which were sold in Europe from 1978 until 1993. A saloon, its first incarnation was also available with a fastback coupé body as the Opel Monza and Vauxhall Royale Coupé.
  Through the international divisions of General Motors, it was also known in various markets as the Chevrolet Senator, Daewoo Imperial, Vauxhall Royale and Vauxhall Senator. It was also sold as the Opel Kikinda in Yugoslavia, where it was produced under licence by IDA-Opel in Kikinda, Serbia, after which it was named.
  The original Senator shared its platform with the smaller Opel Rekord, the latter being lengthened to make the Senator.
  The second generation of that car, from 1987, shared its base with the Opel Omega, which was again lengthened to produce the Senator.
context_section_description: A new model, the Senator B (marketed without the "B" suffix), arrived in the spring of 1987, a long wheelbase version of the Opel Omega. There was no Monza equivalent.
  There were various versions of the Senator B: twelve valve 2.5 L and 3.0 L sized engines were released in 1987 along with a luxury "CD" model with the 3.0 L engine. The CD version boasted Electronic adjustable suspension, "ERC" for the first time in a mass produced European car. air conditioning, heated seats also in the backseat, genuine walnut panels, leather covered centre console, trip computer and cruise control.
  The cars were available with either five speed manual or four speed automatic gearboxes. A digitally controlled 4-speed automatic from Aisin-Warner equipped with three different switching programs Sport, Economy and Winter.
  It was also equipped with torque delay at each shift, called "torque retard" for not notable gear changes.
  In winter mode the car starts on the third gear and switches immediately to fourth as soon as possible to prevent spinning wheels and instability. This mode remains to the speed of 80 km/h and then automatically switches off.
  The gearbox also had built-in diagnostic system and emergency program.
  Later Lexus and Volvo used similar versions of this transmission.
  As a luxury car, there were many options but much was also standard, option was leather seats and heated seats both front and rear, electronic air conditioning including refrigerator in the glove box.
  LCD instrumentation was an option, digital electronic power steering ZF-Servotronic, the same as in the BMW 7 Series, was standard, as was a new front axle design which allowed the axle to slide under the car in a crash and thus increasing the length of the deformation zone and prevent deformation of the footwell.  The 3.0 24V was equipped with BBS styled multispoke alloy wheels made by Ronal.
  A 24 valve 3.0 L was introduced in 1989, generating 204 PS (150 kW; 201 hp) (compared with 177 PS (130 kW; 175 hp) for the older twelve valve version). This model was very popular with the police force in the United Kingdom, with several cars being supplied to upgraded police specification. The main feature of the new engine was a "Dual Ram" system, increasing torque at low engine speeds by means of a redirected air flow system engaged at 4,000 rpm.
  For 1990 the 2.5 L was replaced by a 2.6 L Dual Ram, and the 3.0 L twelve valve was deleted from the range in 1992. CD versions of the 2.6 L, and a 24 valve 3.0 L were available up to the model's withdrawal in 1993.
  With the second generation Omega presented at the end of 1993, and available for sale from March 1994, Opel considered that it was sufficiently represented in the upper end of the market by the top specification Omega B. Production of the Opel Senator B ended in the Autumn/Fall of 1993 with a disappointing 69,943 cars produced since the car's launch six and a half years earlier.   Annual production had slumped from 14,007 in 1990 to 5,952 in 1992, with only 2,688 cars produced in 1993
caption: Vauxhall Senator B
exif: {"Image ImageWidth": "3380", "Image ImageLength": "2225", "Image Make": "Plustek", "Image Model": "OpticFilm 7200i", "Image Software": "SilverFast 6.4.4r7", "Image DateTime": "2007:12:25 16:15:37", "Image ExifOffset": "162", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2007:12:25 16:15:37", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "3380", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "2225"}