Friedrich Opel

Opel was born on April 30, 1875. His parents were Adam Opel and Sophie Opel, part of a family who were known as "The Ford's of Germany" for creating the Opel automobile manufacturing company. He had 4 siblings: Carl, Wilhelm, Heinrich and Ludwig. He was often referred to as Friedrich or Fritz. He studied mechanical engineering at Hochschule Mittweida University from 1894 to 1897 and later became the chief designer at Opel. In 1902, he was awarded a license to produce single cylinders for automobiles in Germany. In 1920, he commissioned "Villa Wenske", an estate and tourist attraction in Germany. In 1927, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Technische Universität Darmstadt. He was affiliated with the sports club SC Opel Rüsselsheim, which was named after his family and was created in 1928. He and his brothers sold the cycling department of Opel in 1936 due to financial issues.