The Opel Senator was a large sedan sold in Europe from 1978 until 1994. It was also known as the Vauxhall Royale, Chevrolet Senator, and Vauxhall Senator. The Senator shared its platform with (first) the Opel Rekord and (later) the Opel Omega.
In coupe form, it was known as the Opel Monza. (This should not be confused with the South African Opel Monza, which was the sedan version of the smaller Kadett.)
Senator A
The Senator A was a six-light, lengthened version of the Opel Rekord E. It was complemented by a three-door fastback coupé version on the same platform called the Opel Monza. The Senator A and Monza were initially sold in the United Kingdom as the Vauxhall Royale, as well as under their original names. The vehicle was also available in South Africa as the Chevrolet Senator, until 1982, when it was rebadged as an Opel.
A four-wheel-drive conversion by Ferguson was available in the UK.
The original Senator was facelifted in 1982. In the UK, this model initially sold as an Opel, before being rebadged as a Vauxhall in 1984. (The Monza continued to be sold with Opel badges.)
The Senator's bodyshell was also used by Holden in Australia for the VK and VL Commodore between 1984, and also formed the basis of the Daewoo Prince in South Korea.
Senator B
A new model, the Senator B, arrived in 1987, a long-wheelbase version of the Opel Omega. There was no Monza equivalent. This model formed the basis of the VN Commodore in Australia, which used a stretched platform.
When the second generation Omega was released in 1994, Opel considered that it was sufficiently represented in the upper end of the market by the top Omega MV6. Therefore, the Senator was cancelled after 1994.
