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Opel Rekord
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The Opel Rekord is a family car which was built in several generations by the German car manufacturer Opel, latterly a subsidiary of General Motors.
Rekord name evolved into the main name of the model; at first the name was used in close relationship with the Opel Olympia name, which pre-dated the Rekord but was also re-instated in a separate model in 1967.
The various generations are described here with the manufacturer's, or other commonly used designations such as "Rekord P I" or "Rekord B".
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Encyclopedia
The Opel Rekord is a family car which was built in several generations by the German car manufacturer Opel, latterly a subsidiary of General Motors.
Naming
The Rekord name evolved into the main name of the model; at first the name was used in close relationship with the Opel Olympia name, which pre-dated the Rekord but was also re-instated in a separate model in 1967.
The various generations are described here with the manufacturer's, or other commonly used designations such as "Rekord P I" or "Rekord B". The car was not marketed with these additional appellations.
Opel Olympia Rekord (1953–57)
The Opel Olympia Rekord was introduced in March 1953 as successor to the Opel Olympia, a pre-World War II design dating back to 1935. The Opel Olympia Rekord was built until 1957 in four different versions. Around 580,000 units were produced.
- 1953/54: 1488 cc, 40 hp (DIN). Available as two-door saloon, cabriolet and estate (Caravan). Price in Germany: DM 6,410 to 6,710. 136,028 units made.
- 1955: 1488 cc, 40 hp (DIN). Mild facelift, comprising larger rear window, new grill insert. New base model called simply Olympia; a van based on the saloon introduced as the "delivery" variant. Price in Germany: DM 5,850 to 6,710. 131,586 units made.
- 1956: 1488 cc, 45 hp (DIN). New grill insert, bumpers now without guards. Price in Germany: DM 5,410 to 6,560. 144,587 units made.
- 1957: 1488 cc, 45 hp (DIN). New grill insert again, flatter roof, chrome strips along belt line. The cabriolet was no longer part of the line. Prices in Germany: DM 5,510 to 6,560. 169,721 units made.
General data:
- Wheelbase
- Length
- Width
- Height
- Kerb weight -
- Top speed approximately
Opel Rekord P I (July 1957–July 1960)
The Opel Rekord P I (known in some guises as the Opel Olympia or Opel Olympa Rekord) had a slightly larger, more modern body with wraparound windscreen and rear screen and remained in production until 1960. A semi-automatic gearbox ("Olymat") became available for model year 1959, and a 1.7 L engine for model year 1960.
- 1958–59: 1488 cc, 45 hp (DIN). Available as two-door "Olympia" base model or more luxurious two-door "Olympia Rekord" and as three-door estate ("Caravan") and "delivery" van based on the saloon. Price in Germany: DM 5,785 to 6,845. 509,110 units were made.
- 1959: 1488 cc, 45 hp (DIN); on request 1680 cc, 55 hp (DIN). Also available as four-door saloon. Several refinements including padded dashboard, ignition lock, electrically driven windscreen wipers. The new base model "Opel 1200" replaced the former Olympia (1196 cc, 40 hp (DIN), DM 5,835); the 1200 remained in production until December 1962, while the P I was superseded in August 1960 by the Rekord P II.
Price in Germany: DM 6,545 to 7,110. 307,000 units (P I) + 67.952 units (1200). In 1959–60, Autenrieth of Darmstadt, Germany converted P I two-door sedans to coupés and cabriolets, in very limited numbers. Prices were DM 9,380 for the coupé and DM 11,180 for the convertible.
General data:
- Wheelbase
- Length
- Width
- Height
- Kerb weight -
- Top speed –.
For more details, see
Opel Rekord P II (1960–63)
The Rekord P II grew in size, if not in wheelbase, and received a totally new body that did away with wraparound windows. It was available in several body versions: 2-door and 4-door saloon, a 3-door estate ("Caravan") plus delivery van, a pick-up, and a convertible. From August 1961 on, a works coupé became available, and in June 1962 a more luxurious "L" version was added with a new top engine of 1700 cc "S" and a higher compression ratio. The latest versions had an optional four-speed gearbox.
Prices in Germany: DM 6,545 to 7,770. 787,684 units made. Autenrieth continued to sell a handful of convertibles at DM 11,635.
General data:
- Engines: 1488 cc, 50 hp (DIN), or 1680 cc, 55 hp (DIN) or 1680 cc, 60 hp (DIN)
- Wheelbase
- Length
- Width
- Height
- Kerb weight -
- Top speed -
Opel Rekord A (1963–65)
The Rekord A line-up was a repeat of the Rekord P II (two- and four-door saloon, two-door estate and delivery van, two-door coupé with 1500 or 1700 or 1700 S engines), but the bodies were completely new and the wheelbase stretched to . March 1964 saw the introduction of the Rekord L-6 with the Opel Kapitän's 2.6 litre inline-six.
Prices in Germany: DM 6.830 to 9.370; front disc brakes: + DM 200, four-speed with floor shift: + DM 180. 885,292 units. In very limited numbers, Karl Deutsch of Cologne sold a convertible version with either 1700 S or 2600 engine at DM 11,765 and 13,060 respectively.
General data:
- Engines: 1488 cc, 55 hp (DIN), or 1680 cc, 60 or 67 hp (DIN), or 2605 cc, 100 hp (DIN)
- Wheelbase
- Length
- Width
- Height
- Kerb weight -
- Top speed -
Opel Rekord B (1966–67)
While the Rekord B consisted of only a mild facelift compared to the A, it received Opel's new, more oversquare four cylinder CIH (cam in head) engines (1500, 1700 S, 1900 S). The CIH engines were used in all subsequent Rekord generations until 1986, when Rekord was replaced by the Opel Omega. The 2600 cc six-cylinder engine remained unchanged. The line-up was identical to the Rekord A.
Prices in Germany: DM 6,980 to 9,570; power brakes: + DM 95, automatic gearbox: + 950, four speed gearbox: + 95. 296,771 units.
General data:
- Engines: 1492 cc, 60 hp (DIN), or 1698 cc, 75 hp (DIN), or 1897 cc, 90 hp (DIN), or 2605 cc, 100 hp (DIN)
- Wheelbase
- Length
- Width
- Height
- Kerb weight from
- Top speed -
Opel Rekord C (1967–71)
With 1,276,681 units built, the Rekord C was the most successful Rekord so far. The car proved to be a solid hit with the public: it was reliable, roomy and pleasant to look at with its coke-bottle line.
The range consisted of the two- and four-door saloon, two- and (new) four-door estate, delivery van, and two-door hardtop coupé with 1500, 1700, 1700 S, 1900 S fours or (until 1968) a 2200 six. Very short-lived (1967 only) was a special taxi version on a longer wheelbase (113 inch) with division, that sold for DM 9,950; with it, Opel tried to get a foothold in the German taxi market, then (as now) dominated by Mercedes-Benz. Again, Karl Deutsch of Cologne offered a convertible version in limited numbers.
There existed several variations of the Rekord C, as well as version made under different names in different countries.
A variation on the Rekord C was the Rekord Sprint coupé (1967–71) with driving lights, sport steel wheels, sport stripes and a sporty interior; the Sprint received exclusively the so-called 1900 H engine with two double-barrel carburettors, good for 106 hp (DIN) and .
The former Rekord L-6 was replaced by the new Commodore A, a slightly disguised and better-equipped Rekord C available as two- and four-door sedan and hardtop coupé with six cylinder engines only.
It was during the life of this model (in fact 1967–70) that the Opel Olympia name was revived, but in a separate, smaller car which was based on the period Opel Kadett.
Ranger
The Ranger was a Rekord-based range built at the GM Continental plant in Antwerp, Belgium, for the overall European market, and at Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
Styling was similar to the Rekord, although the Ranger had a 4-headlamp grille setup, similar to the Vauxhall Victor FD range of the time. Initially, there were two models: Ranger 130 and Ranger 153. In 1970 additional models were announced, being the Ranger 1900 and Ranger 2500, and a "SS" variant, based on the Ranger 153.
Other markets
The Rekord C was also built as the Chevrolet Opala and Comodoro in Brazil from 1968 on, available in saloon, coupé and estate forms and featuring either Chevrolet's 2.5 L four or 4.1 L inline-six. These models received several facelifts and remained in production until about 1992.
A Rekord C coupé was locally-built in South Africa as a Chevrolet SS during the 1970s.
Prices in Germany (1966): DM 7,630 to 9,560; Sprint (1967): DM 9,775.
General data:
- Engines: 1492 cc, 58, later 60 hp (DIN), 1698 cc, 60, later 66 hp (DIN), 1698 cc, 75 hp (DIN), 1897 cc, 90 hp (DIN), 1897 cc, 106 hp (DIN), 2239 cc, 95 hp (DIN)
- Wheelbase
- Length
- Width
- Height
- Kerb weight -
- Top speed -
Opel Rekord D (1972–77)
About 1.1 million Rekord Ds were made. Because the name Rekord D was easily mistaken to connote a diesel-powered car, the name Rekord II was often used in sales literature. The first prototype was ready in 1971. The engine types available were 1897 cc, 1698 cc and 2068 cc CIH (cam-in-head) four-cylinder gasoline engines. There was also a diesel version with an engine whose displacement was initially 2.1 litres and afterwards reduced to 2.0 litres. The diesel engine was higher than gasoline variants, so diesel model hoods have a raised mid-section. The six-cylinder variant of this car is called the Commodore B. Transmissions available were standard four-speed manual with either floor or steering-column shifter and TH-180 automatic transmission. The body is of unitary construction. Body types available were four-door saloon, four-door estate and two-door coupé. There was also a variant called "Berlina" with more luxurious interior and wheels.
The Rangers were also transferred to this new generation, with the dropping of the 130 and 153 and the adding of a 1.7 L engine. In 1972, the line-up consisted of the base Ranger 1700, the mid-level Ranger 1900, and the top-of-the-line Ranger 2500. In 1974, a 2.8L engine was introduced to the Ranger family. However, by that time the Rangers were unpopular, and were discontinued after the 1976 model year. Most of these were sold exclusively in Continental Europe, especially the Benelux region.
South Africa used this body type for their Chevrolet 2500, 3800 and 4100 series. They looked visually almost identical but had the Chevrolet 2500 (4 cylinder) or 3800 and 4100 (6 cylinder) engines installed. They were available as four door saloon or estate. The six cylinder versions could be differentiated from the "fours" as they had four round headlights as opposed to the two rectangular units.
UK Models
Opel Rekord E (1977–86)
The E model can be subdivided into Rekord EI (1977–82) and Rekord EII (1982–86). Over 1.4 million units were made.
A version of the EI was sold by Vauxhall in the United Kingdom from 1979 as the Carlton, which featured the distinct slanted front end shared with the Chevette and Cavalier. The Carlton quietly succeeded the (by then long since discontinued) Vauxhall Victor FE. In the UK both models were outsold by the Ford Granada.
After the release of the EII in 1982, Vauxhall Carltons were distinguishable from Opel Rekords only by their badging, with no sheet metal changes. Models sold in the United Kingdom had 2.0 L petrol and 2.3 L diesel engines in base, Berlina and Berlina S trim levels.
The Rekord EI was the basis of the original 1978 Holden VB Commodore. However, to cope with Australian conditions it was strengthened substantially and used the Senator's nose (like the Opel Commodore) to accommodate the Holden straight-6 and V8 engines.
In South Africa the model was sold as a Chevrolet until 1982, when it was rebadged as an Opel. Delta Motor Corporation, which bought out GM's South African subsidiary after it divested from the country in 1986, produced EII model until the early 1990s. Later South African Rekords featured the Opel badge above the grille, similar to the smaller Kadett.
In Venezuela, the Opel Rekord was sold as the successor of the Chevrolet Chevette, but keeping the name. It sold through 1982 to 1986, in sedan and wagon models. This car is still commonly seen and restored, since its spare parts are still made and sold. It keeps a high level of popularity mainly because of the low prices of cars and parts.
A version of the Rekord, known as the Royale, was produced by Daewoo in South Korea, featuring the front end of the larger Senator. This should not be confused with the Vauxhall Royale, which was effectively a rebadged Opel Monza/Opel Senator.
UK Models
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