Opel hides something in every single car thanks to a designer's son twenty-one years ago
- One Opel designer hid a surprise in every car
- It all started back in 2004 when a designer’s son had an idea
- It stuck and became an integral part of the company’s culture
Published on Feb 05, 2025 at 5:00 AM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Feb 06, 2025 at 5:30 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
One Opel designer hides a secret in every car that rolls off their production line.
It all started back in 2004 when a designer was tasked with designing reinforcing ribs on the side of the glove box door to ensure its stability.
When he started sketching out shapes for that purpose at home one Sunday his son asked: “Papa, why don’t you just draw a shark?”
“Why not?” he thought – and the Opel shark was born.
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The surprise inside every Opel
Dietmar Finger, who was the Interior Assistant Chief Designer of Opel’s Corsa Studio at the time then ran with his son’s lightbulb moment.
As soon as he was back in the Studio, Finger shared his idea with Chief Designer, Niels Loeb.
He immediately loved it and the shark in the glove box went into series production for the Open Corsa.
From there it spread to models including the Astra, Insignia, and Zafira where they became a signature of the German brand.
We absolutely love an automotive Easter egg.
A part of the company culture
Twenty years on, towards the end of development for each it’s now customary for the Interior Chief Designer to hide one or two of the toothy fish somewhere inside the cabin.
The trickier they are to find the better.
Where the shark is placed is entirely up to the designer and is never shared with leadership.
In fact, where the shark has been hidden is often kept a secret until the launch of the car.
Opel uses the fun aquatic character to demonstrate the approachable side of our brand.
After every launch, it’s a competition for people to find the sharks in the car interior.
Much like the off-road trail coordinates and various characters hidden in Jeeps.
The brand believes the character is a sign of how ‘approachable’ the brand is – and that they have a sense of humor.
All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
