Opel P4 Overview: Specs, Generations and Which One to Buy
Overview of the Opel P4, a 3-door hatchback built from 1935 to 1937 with a 23 hp 1.2-liter engine, covering its single generation and the version worth buying.
The Opel P4 is a 3-door hatchback produced from 1935 to 1937 with a single power output of 23 hp. It suits collectors and enthusiasts of pre-war European cars who want a simple rear-wheel-drive machine with a manual gearbox rather than a daily driver by modern standards.
Opel P4 generations
1 generation
The first and only generation of the Opel P4 was built from 1935 to 1937, exclusively as a 3-door hatchback. The entire range consists of one modification: the Opel P4 1.2 MT (1 generation) with a 1200 cc engine producing 23 hp, paired with a manual transmission and rear-wheel drive. With just one body style, one gearbox and one drivetrain layout, the lineup is as straightforward as it gets — there are no trim or powertrain decisions to weigh between versions.
Which Opel P4 to buy
- 1.2 MT (1 generation): the only modification of the Opel P4, with a 1200 cc engine rated at 23 hp, a manual gearbox and rear-wheel drive — this was the mass version of the model, so it is the one you will actually find.
Buying used here means buying a car from 1935–1937, so the search is really about the condition of a specific surviving example rather than choosing between versions. The single-modification lineup works in the buyer's favor: every Opel P4 shares the same 1.2-liter engine, manual transmission and rear-wheel-drive layout, which makes examples directly comparable with one another.
Opel P4 at a glance
The Opel P4 lineup can be summarized in a few numbers. Production ran for three model years, from 1935 to 1937. There is one generation, one body style (hatchback 3 doors), one modification, and one engine: a 1200 cc unit with 23 hp. Every Opel P4 uses a manual transmission, and every Opel P4 sends power to the rear wheels.
Because the power range runs from 23 hp to 23 hp, there is no faster or slower Opel P4 — performance is identical across the whole model run. That also means there is no dominated version to avoid: the Opel P4 1.2 MT (1 generation) is simultaneously the entry point and the top of the range. For anyone deciding whether the P4 fits their needs, the decision reduces to a single question: whether a 23 hp, manual, rear-wheel-drive 3-door hatchback from 1935–1937 is the car you want, because that is the only configuration the model was ever offered in.