CarBrandLogos archive · Opel · 1953

OpelRekord

Thirty-three years as the default German family car and taxi.

The story

A defining chapter in Opel history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Opel Rekord, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

The Rekord was Opel's mid-size mainstay from 1953 to 1986, and for much of that time it was simply what a German family bought when they had outgrown a small car. It began as a development of the Olympia and shed the older name entirely in 1957.

Opel Olympia Rekord, Bj. 1955

Design and engineering

Early generations wore their American parentage openly, with wraparound windscreens and chrome that arrived in Rüsselsheim by way of General Motors' Detroit studios, but from the Rekord C of 1966 onwards the styling became more restrained and more European. Body styles multiplied across saloons, estates, vans, coupes and convertibles, which is how one nameplate covered so much ground.

1966 Opel Rekord C2 Kombi 5T Heck · Kroelleboelle · CC BY-SA 3.0

In production

Its most useful trait was mechanical plainness. Simple overhead-valve engines, rear-wheel drive and a body that repair shops understood made it a fixture of German taxi ranks, particularly once diesel versions arrived with the Rekord D in 1972. The same qualities made it a success in South Africa, where it was built and sold under local names for years.

GMRanger South Africa · Arbon42 (talk) · CC BY-SA 3.0

Legacy

The Rekord E gave way to the Omega in 1986, by which point the market had moved to front-wheel drive and the name had come to sound like the previous era. It was never an exciting car and never needed to be.

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Produced

1953–1986

Body

2/4-door saloon

Technical specification

The Rekord, in detail.

Production: 1953–1986
Class: Family car (D)
Body style: 2/4-door saloon; 3/5-door station wagon; 3-door van; 2-door convertible; 2-door coupé
Manufacturer: Opel

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