All aboard for Opel

ALASTAIR SLOANE takes a look at Opel's latest promotional gimmick, the Millennium Express.

German carmaker Opel has set off on an unusual journey to mark its centenary this year and take the company into the future. A special train called the "Opel Millennium Express" pulled out of a siding at Opel's Russelheim plant the other day on a two-year tour of Europe.

The train is chock-a-bloc with exhibitions, interactive displays and future showcases and will spend two years touring Europe before making tracks for other continents.

Opel says the Millennium Express "will build a bridge between history and the global trends of the outgoing 20th century, focussing on the effects of mobility and transport in tomorrow's world.

"There will be spotlights on environmentally compatible power systems like the fuel cell, on innovative safety systems and on digital information technology that will make vehicles of the future mobile communications centres."

The 280m-long train is made up of 14 wagons each containing three customised glass containers. On show are futuristic and historic models, such as Opel's RAK 2, a 1920s experiment in solid-fuel propulsion.

Michael J. Burns, president of General Motors Europe, said: "The express will put people all over Europe in touch with Opel's past, present and future."

The train will complement Opel's theme park in Russelheim, a 30,000 sq m display of hi-tech.

After Daimler-Benz, Opel is the second-oldest German carmaker.

One of the exhibitions is a journey through time. Video screens show all the Opel models since 1899, including milestones in the company's history. Another has three large world globes showing what is going on at Opel's 25 international plants.

Others focus on the development of night vision and digital technology and how vehicles in the future will be mobile communication centres for business and recreation.

Visitors to what Opel calls "the digital car of the future" can tune into global in-car television, play with new satellite navigation systems or a digital instrument cluster concealed behind black tinted glass or send electronic postcards to friends anywhere in the world.

Opel's "car train" display shows how double-decker vehicles designed for different target groups - businessmen, families, senior citizens or sports teams - will work. The upper section is a parking deck for cars and motorcycles; the lower section contains seating, restaurants, bars, children's facilities and restrooms.

The three-dimensional images and the accompanying soundtrack give visitors to the future fuels display the impression they are standing in the middle of a huge fuel cell. It has been designed to enable people to understand how oxygen and hydrogen are converted directly into electrical energy.