Editing Opel (section)

===1898–1920===
The first cars were designed in 1898 after Opel's widow [[Sophie Opel|Sophie]] and their two eldest sons entered into a partnership with Friedrich Lutzmann, a locksmith at the court in [[Dessau]] in [[Saxony-Anhalt]], who had been working on automobile designs for some time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cartype.com/pages/1444/lutzmann |title=Lutzmann |publisher=Cartype |access-date=13 June 2009 |archive-date=6 July 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170706062758/http://cartype.com/pages/1444/lutzmann |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.gm.com/company/historyAndHeritage/creation.html|title=History & Heritage – Our Company |website=gm.com|access-date=19 March 2017|archive-date=9 December 2015|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151209194417/http://www.gm.com/company/historyAndHeritage/creation.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The first Opel production Patent Motor Car was built in Rüsselsheim early 1899, although these cars were not very successful (A total of 65 motor cars were delivered: eleven in 1899, twenty-four in 1900 and thirty in 1901) and the partnership was dissolved after two years, following which Opel signed a licensing agreement in 1901 with the French [[Automobiles Darracq France]] to manufacture vehicles under the brand name Opel Darracq. These cars consisted of Opel bodies mounted on Darracq chassis, powered by two-cylinder engines.

The company first showed cars of its design at the 1902 [[Hamburg]] [[Auto show|Motor Show]]. Production began in 1906, with the licensed [[Automobiles Darracq France#Opel Darracq|Opel Darracq]] version discontinued in 1907.<ref name="Academic OneFile">{{cite news| first=Wim Oude |last=Weernink |work=Automotive News Europe |title=Opel: German Roots, Global Reach |url= http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A54998270/AONE?sid=AONE&xid=0bd17c06 |page=24B| date=21 June 1999}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.companieshistory.com/opel/ |title=Opel |date=6 December 2013 |website=companieshistory.com |access-date=1 October 2016}}</ref>

In 1909, the [[Opel 4/8 PS|Opel 4/8&nbsp;PS]] model, known as the ''Doktorwagen'' ({{lit|Doctor's Car}}) was produced. Its reliability and robustness were appreciated by physicians, who drove long distances to see their patients back when hard-surfaced roads were still rare. The ''Doktorwagen'' sold for only 3,950 marks, about half as much as the luxury models of its day.

The company's factory was destroyed by fire in 1911, and a new facility was built with more up-to-date machinery.

Opel's cars were initially tested on public roads, leading to complaints about noise and road damage. Under public pressure, Opel began construction of a test oval in 1917. The track was completed in 1919, but not open to the public until 24 October 1920 under the official name of [[Opel-Rennbahn]] (Opel Race Track).<ref name = "faz">{{cite web|url= https://www.circuitsofthepast.com/opel-rennbahn |title=Opel-Rennbahn – The old Opel Test Track |date=28 November 2018 |work=Circuits of the Past |access-date=3 April 2021}}</ref>