Spotted: an Opel Corsa … as an estate car!

In terms of body shapes, the current Opel Corsa offers only one choice: a five-door hatchback. The model before that also came as a three-door, but that was it. Anyway, in Europe we really only know the Opel Corsa as a hatchback. The only exceptions were the sedan version of the Corsa A and vans Opel Combo B and C, which were strongly based on the Corsa.

The Opel Corsa outside of Europe

Looking outside Europe, the Corsa line is a lot more versatile. The most diversity was found in the second generation of the model, the Opel Corsa B. It was sold almost worldwide and often tailored to specific markets. Sometimes it was just a matter of a different brand or type name, but the appearance was also changed, sometimes even with a market-specific (thorough) facelift.

Thus, the Opel Corsa B was also for sale under the banner of Chevrolet, Buick, Holden and, of course, Vauxhall. That in turn with all kinds of type names. Besides Corsa, depending on the market (or version) the model was also called, for example, Barina, Chevy (yes, as a type name), Classic, Sail and Vita. Not to mention closely related models such as the Opel Combo, Opel Tigra and Chevrolet Celta. Counting all variants, (the technical basis of) the Opel Corsa B only went out of production in 2016.

Opel Corsa in five guises

In total, the Opel Corsa B was available in no fewer than five body styles. First, of course, there were the three- and five-door hatchback. That first one was also delivered in some countries as a semi-cabriolet, converted by outside parties. In South America and Asia, the Corsa also came as a sedan, basically the five-door hatchback variant with an ass.

A lesser-known variant is the two-door pickup version, which was sold mainly in South America and South Africa. It had a slightly longer wheelbase than the other body styles. The then Opel Combo B could possibly still be seen as a sixth body variant. Despite being positioned as a model in its own right, the Combo was a Corsa with an extra-large rear end. Incidentally, the three-door hatchback also came in van versions in some countries, which could also possibly be considered a seventh body variant.

The Opel Corsa Caravan

One body variant we have not yet covered is the Opel Corsa Caravan. The Caravan was quite literally a five-door Corsa extended slightly behind the rear wheel. This variant had been developed by the South American division of General Motors. In addition to South America, the Caravan was also delivered in some Asian countries. The Caravan also walked off the assembly line in China. In Europe, only the Italian importer saw bread in the Corsa Caravan, with imports from the Argentine factory.

The spotted specimen

So, except in Italy, it is very special to come across an Opel Corsa Caravan in Europe. When we saw one in a business park in Zwaag, of course it had to be photographed right away. The one we spotted is from 2000 and has been in the Netherlands since 2011. Very likely the car was then imported from Italy. The current owner has been driving it around since 2021. One of the owners did customize it slightly with different headlights, sport rims and striping. Didn’t need to be from us, but it’s still a very nice spot.

Through Google results, we find one other Opel Corsa Caravan in the Netherlands. That is a dark red from 1999, which has been in the Netherlands since 2014. Probably the only two Corsa Caravans in the Netherlands. According to RDW Data, although eight Opel Corsa cars are registered as station wagons, judging from the years of construction of those other examples, they must be hatchback variants of later model generations.