Opel Rekord
Opel Rekord is an automobile from Opel.
Opel Olympia Rekord (1953-1957)
The Opel Olympia Rekord was introduced in March 1953 as successor to the Olympia, a pre-war design dating back to 1938 and built until 1952. It was built until 1957 in four different versions. All told, about 580.000 units were produced.
A: 1953/54: 1488 cc, 40 hp (DIN). Available as two-door sedan, cabriolet-sedan and station wagon ("Caravan"). Price in Germany: DM 6.410 to 6.710. 136.028 units.
B: 1955: 1488 cc, 40 hp (DIN). Mild facelift, comprising larger rear window, new grill insert. New base model called simply "Olympia"; sedan delivery introduced. Price in Germany: DM 5.850 to 6.710. 131.586 units.
C: 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.
D: 1957: 1488 cc, 45 hp (DIN). New grill insert again, flatter roof, chrome strips along belt line. The cabriolet-sedan was no longer part of the line. Prices in Germany: DM 5.510 to 6.560. 169.721 units.
General data: wheelbase 97.9, length 166.9, width 64, height 61 inches, curb weight 2020 to 2200 lb, top speed 73 - 76 mph.
Opel Rekord PI (July 1957-July 1960)
The P I had a slightly larger, more modern body with wraparound windscreen and backlight and remained in production until 1960. A semi-automatic gearbox ("Olymat") became available for model year 1959, a 1.7 L engine for MY 1960.
A: 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 station wagon ("Caravan") a sedan delivery. Price in Germany: DM 5.785 to 6.845. 509.110 units.
B: 1959: 1488 ccm, 45 hp (DIN), on request 1680 cc, 55 hp (DIN). Also available as four-door sedan. Several refinements, padded dashboard, ignition lock, electrically driven windscreen wipers. New base model "Opel 1200" replaces the former "Olympia" (1196 40 hp (DIN), DM 5.835); the 1200 remained in production until December 1962, while the P I was superseded in August 1960 by the Rekord P II.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).
Note: In 1959/60, Autenrieth of Darmstadt (Germany) converted P I two-door sedans to coupes and cabriolets, in very limited numbers. Prices were DM 9.380 for the coupe and DM 11.180 for the convertible.
General data: wheelbase 100, length 174.9, width 63.6, height 58.7 inches, curb weight 2010 - 2210 lb, top speed 74 - 82 mph.
more details: http://www.opel-p1.nl
Opel Rekord P II (1960-1963)
The Rekord P II grew again in size, if not in wheelbase, and received a totally new body that did away with wraparound windows. The body versions were 2-door and 4-door sedan, a 3-door caravan and delivery van, a pick-up and a convertible. From August 1961 a works coupe became available, in June 1962 a more luxurious L version was added and top engine was a new 1700 S with higher compression ratio. The latest versions had an optional four-speed gearbox. Prices in Germany: DM 6.545 to 7.770. 787.684 units.
Autenrieth continued to sell a handful of convertibles at DM 11.635.
General data: 1488 cc, 50 hp (DIN), or 1680 cc, 55 hp (DIN) or 1680 cc, 60 hp (DIN). Wheelbase 100, length 177.8, width 64.3, height 58.6 inches; curb weight 2075 - 2240 lb; top speed 77 - 87 mph.
Opel Rekord A (1963-65)
The Rekord A line-up was a repeat of the Rekord P II (two- and four-door sedan, two-door station wagon and sedan delivery, two-door coupe with 1500 or 1700 or 1700 S engines). The bodies were completely new, the wheelbase stretched to 103.3 inches. March 1964 saw the introduction of the Rekord L-6 with the Opel Kapitän´s 2.6 liter 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 resp.
General data: 1488 cc, 55 hp (DIN), or 1680 cc, 60 or 67 hp (DIN), or 2605 cc, 100 hp (DIN). Wheelbase 103.9, length 178, width 66.8, height 57.7 inches; curb weight 2140-2510 lb; top speed 81-104 mph.
Opel Rekord B (1966)
While the Rekord B was only mildly facelifted 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 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: 1492 cc, 60 hp (DIN), or 1698 cc, 75 hp (DIN), or 1897 cc, 90 hp (DIN), or 2605 cc, 100 hp (DIN). Wheelbase 103.9, length 178.3, width 66.6, height 56.7 inches; curb weight from 2190 lb; top speed 83-104 mph.
Opel Rekord C (1967-1971)
The Rekord C finally did away with the tradtitional leaf springs at the rear and replaced them with a more mordern coil spring rear axle. The car proved to be a solid hit with the public, it was reliable, roomy and pleasant to look at with its swoopy coke-bottle line. The line comprised two- and four-door sedan, two- and (new) four-door station wagon, sedan delivery and two-door hardtop coupe with 1500, 1700, 1700 S, 1900 S fours or (until 1968) a 2200 six.
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 coupe with six cylinder engines only.
An interesting variation was the Rekord Sprint coupe(1967-1971) with driving lights, sport steel wheels, sport stripes and a decidedly sporty interior; the Sprint received exclusively the so-called 1900 H engine with two double-barrel carburetors, good for 106 hp (DIN) and 108 mph.
Very short-lived (1967 only) was a special cab 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 cab market, then (as now) dominated by Mercedes-Benz.
Again, Karl Deutsch of Cologne offered a convertible version in limited numbers.
Prices in Germany (1966): DM 7.630 to 9.560; Sprint (1967): DM 9.775.
General data: 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 105, length 180, width 69.1, height 57.5 inches; curb weight 2265-2585 lb; top speed 81-108 mph.
With 1.276.681 units built, the Rekord C was the most successful Rekord so far.
In addition, several more units were built under the name of Ranger. This was partly an excuse to boost up production of GM Continental, N.V.'s plant in the Netherlands (although there could be a possibility that it was built at GM Continental, N.V.'s plant in Antwerp, Belgium). Initally, there were two models: Ranger 130 and Ranger 153. In 1970, the Ranger 1900 and Ranger 2500 were added. Around 1971, an SS version of the 153 was added. The models were so-named according to the engine size, with some of the engines also found in the Rekord and from elsewhere in the Opel engine stable. These cars were sold in Contiental Europe and also exported to South Africa.
Of note is the fact that the Rekord C was also built as the Chevrolet Opala and Comodoro in Brazil from 1968, available in sedan, coupe and station wagon form 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.
The Rekord C was also sold in Australia - their version was badged as the first-generation Holden Monaro between 1968-70.
Opel Rekord D (1972-1977)
About 1.1 millions made. First prototype was ready in 1971. Because the Rekord D was easily mistaken to be a diesel-powered car, the Rekord II name was often used in sales literature. Engine types available were 1897 cc, 1698 cc and 2068 cc CIH (cam-in-head) four-cylinder gasoline engines. There was also a diesel engine whose displacement was 2.3 liters. 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 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 salon, four-door estate and two-door coupe. There was also a variant called "Berlina" with more luxurious interior and wheels.
The Rangers also were transferred to this new generation, with the dropping of the 130 and 153 and the adding of a 1.7L engine. In 1972, the lineup 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 Contiental Europe, especially the Benelux region.
Opel Rekord E (1977-1986)
The E model can be subdivided into Rekord EI (1977-1982) and Rekord EII (1982-1986). Over 1.4 million units were made.
A version of the EI was sold by Vauxhall in the UK as the Carlton, which featured the distinct 'droop snoot' front end shared with the Chevette and Cavalier. After the release of the EII in 1982, Vauxhall Carltons were distinguishable from Opel Rekords only by their badging, with no sheet metal changes.
In South Africa the model was sold as a Chevrolet until 1982, when it was rebadged as an Opel. This model remained in production until the early 1990s.
A version of the Rekord, known as the Royale, was produced by Daewoo in South Korea, featuring the front end of the larger Senator.
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