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Idris asked why we don't see cross-over variations of colour on the Opel Diplomat - the Superfast versions are a much brighter gold.

John posted a range of Opel colours, and I thought I'd add my example - though as I don't have a Superfast Opel I don't really know whether this is the later colour. The car on the right has a tow guide and the grey engine, and the lines on the bonnet are casting flaws. It gets more interesting when we open the bonnet. The most obvious difference here is the grey V8 on the right... ...but there's also a casting difference. The Opel on the left has a wide metal strip at the rear of the bonnet aperture that extends down to hold the engine in place. This 36c has the number plate extension but no tow guide on the base, so it's by no means the earliest casting. This extra strip is very clear on this dismantled body shell (same specification, I think). I can't find any reference to this casting difference and most pictures I've seen seem to show bodies without it. I have two, though, so it can't be unusual. Has anyone spotted this before?

Hi Drjeep,
I thought that metal strip was there on all models, just depends if the engine is this side of the plate or fitted the other side. I will have to check as I have a very early model that fell apart.
J

nearlymint wrote:Hi Drjeep,
I thought that metal strip was there on all models, just depends if the engine is this side of the plate or fitted the other side. I will have to check as I have a very early model that fell apart.
J

Thanks, Jason. I think you’re right - it’s just an error in the way the engine has been put in. It did seem very unlikely that no one had noticed such a big casting variation!

It may just be the photo, but these 2 areas look a little different.

Does the metal flange on golden body lap over the plastic flange by more than a mm or two?

Can anyone post a photo of a loose engine casting from a similar angle?

Thank you
Kurt

johnboy wrote:It may just be the photo, but these 2 areas look a little different.

Good eyes! I think the bonnet hinge area is a combination of shadow and a slightly different casting (the painted one is bonnet 3, the unpainted one is bonnet 4). The body casting is slightly different in the area you've identified. There are two small ledges on either side of the bonnet aperture that I think must be there to keep the rear of the bonnet in place. They're a little clumsy and I wonder if they're a later addition (so perhaps there's an early body without them?) They are different sizes in the two models I showed but I think this is the result of paired moulds; the number plate extension is also narrower on the Opel on the left.

MatchboxFreak wrote:Does the metal flange on golden body lap over the plastic flange by more than a mm or two?

It's hard to say. I think the engine is maybe 1 mm further back, leaving a small gap at the front of the bonnet (the right-hand car is a different one because the bonnet stays open better!)