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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 Opel Olympia, a pre-war design dating back to 1938 and built until 1952. The Opel Olympia Rekord was built until 1957 in four different versions. All told, about 580.000 units were produced.

Opel Rekord P I (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, and a 1.7 L engine for model year 1960.

For more details, see 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. It was available in several body versions: 2-door and 4-door sedan, a 3-door caravan and delivery van, a pick-up, and a convertible. From August 1961 on, a works coupe became available, and in June 1962 a more luxurious L version was added with a new top engine of 1700 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. 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), but the bodies were completely new and 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 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 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)

With 1.276.681 units built, the Rekord C was the most successful Rekord so far. It finally did away with the traditional leaf springs at the rear and replaced them with a more modern 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 consisted of the 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. 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.

There existed several variations of the Rekord C, as well as version made under different names in different countries.

• One interesting variation on the Rekord C 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.
• 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.
• 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). Initially, 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 Continental Europe and also exported to South Africa.
• The Rekord C was also built as the Chevrolet Opala and Comodoro in Brazil from 1968 on, 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.

Note: The first-generation Holden Monaro between 1968-70 while having some styling similarities to the Reckord was a uniquely Australian made car. The Monaro was a significantly larger car than the Rekord built on a larger platform and wheelbase, being more closely related to the US Chevrolet Camaro and Nova SS and using some imported North American V8 engines in addition to the Australian made sixes. Some Monaros were also partialy assembled in South Africa from Australian parts as with minor cosmetic changes (changed grill etc) were sold as the Chevrolet SS.

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.

Opel Rekord D (1972-1977)

About 1.1 million Rekord D's 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 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 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 salon, four-door estate and two-door coupe. 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 1.7L 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 Continental 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.

External links

• http://www.opel-rekord.de/
• http://www.geocities.com/monaroshrine/hkmonaro.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Sport
• Opel Rekord Body History
• GMInsideNews Forums - GM Trivia

Rekord Category:Rear wheel drive vehicles