Cones of light cut through the semi-darkness, the bass booms. The crowd pushes towards the stage, smartphones at the ready. Then the cloth is removed – and the Opel Frontera GRAVEL is revealed. A show car with a winch, roof racks, sand boards. Orange accents on the sand-coloured body relay a clear message.
Developed for the fan community in cooperation with the motorsport tuning partners BlackFish, XS and carstyle.me, the show car with the Blitz celebrates its premiere at the ‘XS Carnight Wörthersee’. A highlight in the calendar of car enthusiasts. For four days, 20,000 tuning fans celebrate everything that has wheels and is different. On Friday evening, the Frontera GRAVEL takes centre stage: rougher, bolder, ready for adventure.
“With the GRAVEL show car, we are pushing ourselves to the limit – it’s about freedom, adventure, crossing borders.”
– Rebecca Reinermann, Opel Head of Marketing –
Curious about the show car? The Frontera GRAVEL is on display in the foyer of the Adam Opel Haus in Rüsselsheim until Friday (13 June).
It is an SUV with adventure as its attitude – and everyday life as a starting point. The Frontera GRAVEL is based on the all-electric production version of the Frontera. “The new Frontera already stands out: robust, practical, family-friendly,” says Opel Marketing Director Rebecca Reinermann. “But with the GRAVEL show car, we are pushing ourselves to the limit – we want to continue to inspire our fan base and at the same time test the desire for an even bolder and rougher Frontera for the future. It’s about freedom, adventure and crossing borders.” The show car is a concept, a border crosser, a topic of conversation.
And Opel is listening carefully: “Our Frontera GRAVEL is well received by the community,” says Peter Junghanns, Manager for Brand Strategy. Very much so. The desire for a production version – Junghanns hears it dozens of times during the event. The response shows that sustainability and individualised driving pleasure are not a contradiction. But the new normal.
“Our show car is well received by the community. Very much so.”
– Peter Junghanns, Opel Manager für Brand Strategy–
The cooperation between Opel and the ‘XS’ makers is well established. For example, the Astra Plug-in Hybrid has already received an ‘XS’ makeover – with clear nods to Rüsselsheim’s motorsport history. And the concentrated know-how of the scene has once again been incorporated into the Frontera GRAVEL: The design was created in collaboration with Black Fish. Conversion including foiling? Came from carstyle.me. The ‘Leather Clinic’ has upgraded the interior with a black headliner and orange accents on the seats.
The result: a vision for adventurers. Two ropes stretch from the roof rack to the hood, ready to clear away any branches. Mounted on the black foiled hood and on the roof rack: horizontal LED strips that turn the nocturnal path into day. At the C-pillar: sandboards, ready for use when the path ends in the dirt. All-terrain tyres are mounted on 16-inch Borbet rims and underline the Frontera GRAVEL’s rugged character.
The show car is a statement: No local emissions, no noise– but ready for gravel and spray. Why the premiere in Klagenfurt? Because the ‘XS Carnight’ has returned to Lake Wörthersee – with a new concept for an established fanbase. XS organizer Andreas Füllborn relies on passion, innovation and a sense of community for the new edition. Warm-up party, after-show party, welcome event – the tuning community celebrates in and with the city. The region is involved: hotels, restaurants, trade – everyone benefits from the visiting car enthusiasts. And the interest is huge. The 500 tickets for the final on Saturday at the Simonhöhe – sold out in 13 minutes. Also present here at an altitude of 1,300 metres: the Frontera GRAVEL – off the beaten track. Ready for adventure.
THANKS TO THE GRAVEL CREW
As with the transmission, every cogwheel, no matter how small, but also large, is needed to reach the finish line: “Thanks go to everyone who regularly went the extra mile during the project phase to make the Opel Frontera GRAVEL a success,” says project manager Peter Junghanns.
Design
Nils Janczewski
Andreas Füllborn
Quentin Huber
Inne Meys
Michiel van der Est
Builder Team
Michael Körner
Regina Körner
Peer Andrich
Daniel Berger
Sebastian Wojack
Claus Gersdorf
Dawid Pogorzelski
Alexandra Marowsky
Natalie Schmidt
Bastian Mayer
Phil Schmidt
Stefano Lamelza
Michael Dahlke
Simon Gross
Michael Splieth
Martin-Günter Göbel
Frank Balzhäuser
Andreas Ranogaeiz
Engineering
Alexander Leu
Daniel König
Andreas Sann
Ioannis Tsianakas
Martin Morgenstern
Dennis Flauaus
Peter Jung
Romain David
Joao Carlos Da Costa Barreira
Emmanuel Barbier
Thomas Welsch
Lukasz Cuber
Thomas Schlüter
Thomas Kistinger
Stephan Blässer
Stefan Neuhäuser
Marketing
Rebecca Reinermann
Paula Silvia Vicente Sebastian
Andrew Higgins
Özgecan Özdemir
Communication/Social Media
Martin Golka
Colin Yong
Mark Bennett
Nadja Kienzler
Andreas Liebschner
Thorsten Rodrian-Scholz
Philipp Quanz
Christoph Adam
Daniel Vogt
June 2025