From sketch to series production: Sharks thrive inside Opel modelsThree’s the charm: Tiny sharks hidden in ADAM, Corsa and Zafira Tourer
Rüsselsheim. Be careful, there are tiny wild sharks on board the wild Opel ADAM. But don’t worry, they won’t bite – they are hidden and almost invisible in the car’s interior. While the kids go on their Easter egg hunt in the garden this weekend, ADAM owners can take a closer look at their lifestyle mini and get to know its more unconventional side. They won’t discover colorful eggs, but they will find at least two sharks – provided they look very, very carefully…
How the shark made it into ADAM and co.
But how did sharks actually get into the Opel ADAM? Well, since 2006, a few Opel designers have been finding discreet ways of putting shark motifs inside the cars they work on. Let’s take a short look back on the long path from the ocean into the car. It all began one Sunday afternoon in 2004 when Opel designer and amateur diver Dietmar Finger was at home working on a sketch for the new Corsa. More precisely, he was considering the rather unspectacular outer panel of the glove box, which is invisible most of the time because it’s completely covered by the closed passenger door. Dietmar’s son saw his sketch with the sharks and said they looked pretty cool. Dietmar had to smile… an idea and a new passion was born. The next day, he showed his fine-tuned shark profile to Australian-born Corsa Chief Designer Niels Loeb, who was immediately sold on the idea. The shark in the glove box went into production. It’s now a standard feature in the interior of well over two million Corsas which have been produced since 2006.
The ‘Opel Shark’ success story continued: Niels Loeb mentioned it to Karim Giordimania, in charge of interior design for the Zafira Tourer, who then created three little sharks which now secretly populate the new compact van’s cockpit. They are well-hidden – after all, the Zafira Tourer is a serious car.
Sharks must go on, thought Stefan Arndt when he was given responsibility for ADAM’s interior design development, pairing with Niels for the exterior. Given the wild nature of ADAM, the sharks could be made more visible, and more fun. And they could even get a few companions. There are now two sharks in the ADAM. One can be found quite easily. The other one is accompanied by two innocent fishes – but where exactly are they hidden? Well, everyone knows sharks like liquids... here’s to a fun Easter shark hunt!
