Opel Laubfrosch - The Name

The Name

The official name referred to the fact that the car’s engine size gave it a tax horsepower (Steuer-PS) of 4 PS (4 hp). Where a two figure name was used, as in 4/12, the second number is the claimed actual horsepower.

The origins of the Laubfrosch soubriquet are not entirely clear, but may refer to the fact that Opel painted all the early cars green, which by tradition is a lucky colour in Germany. Emphasis on the green colour also served to differentiate the car from the similarly shaped Citroën 5 CV which normally turned up painted yellow and was accordingly sometimes known as the Citron (lemon).