(first posted 2/28/2015) I’ve always wished I could shoot more curbside finds with their owners. It adds something…personal, to see who owns and drives a certain older car. decampos posted this and another shot of a Morris Minor Traveler with its owner at the Cohort, shot in Berlin. The Rekord D coupe is a rare car, and a quite finely styled one at that. It was GM designer Chuck Jordan’s work, one of his best during his years as head of Opel’s design, when he woke up what had been a rather sleepy operation in Rüsselsheim.
The Rekord D arrived in 1971, and needs to be seen from other angles than just profile to appreciate what a handsome car this (and its six-cylinder derivative, the Commodore) was. Imagine this a slightly smaller Chevy Nova in 1971, to go along with the smaller Ascona as a Vega-substitute. Oh never mind…GM knew better what Americans wanted.
Chuck Jordan’s work is invariably dynamic, aggressive, handsome and refined. The fact that he was passed over for Irv Rybicki as head of GM Design to replace Bill Mitchell undoubtedly had a not-insignificant effect on GM’s massive market share loss in the 80s. By the time he finally got his shot at the job, it was largely too late, although some fine work ensued. But his years at Opel undoubtedly gave him the European influence that was so lacking at GM at that crucial time.
The Rekord, very much Opel’s Nova (or Chevelle), was powered by Opel’s CIH fours, in 1.7, 1.9 and 2.0 L versions, and by a new 2.1 L diesel four as of 1972, which allowed the Rekord to compete more effectively for the taxi market. The Commodore got the six cylinder engines, and a slightly longer nose to make room for it, as well as higher trim and details.
One thing I remember about these coupes when they were still new was the amount of tumblehome in the greenhouse; the profile comes in much more than the equivalent saloon making them quite distinctive. That’s a nice metallic green too!
Nice, all we got was the four door Holdenised and the odd Vauxhall that went astray no two doors pity its a great looking car.
Wow, that is a seriously good-looking car. Also, 1971?? Maybe some of it is the Euro rectangular lamps, but I think that design would have still looked fresh at the other end of the decade. Can you see it sharing showroom space in ’78 with the downsized Malibu and Caprice? I certainly could.
Well, the Opel Rekord E was introduced in 1977.
The Rekord E is clearly more modern, but less attractive. But I was making the point that I see some family resemblance, and the downsized Malibu premiered for ’78. Obviously it would have been towards the end of its design cycle in this “alternate universe vision”.
Absolutely less attractive. This 2-door “coupe” was supposed to replace both the Rekord D coupe and the 2-door sedan, which was much better looking, too.
That looks seriously gawky by comparison. Surely not the same designer?
Dunno, it looks rather mid-1960s to me. Compare to the BMW 2002CS, e.g. (pic below) And the front end looks like a toned-down version of the 1972 Riviera to me (especially the Riviera Silver Arrow III concept).
Malibu and Caprice were very conservative styled by the European standards of the late 1970s (which was a good thing, IMO, for full-size / large mid-size sedans). The Opel of the late 1970s was the Monza –
http://bestcars.uol.com.br/bc/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Opel-Monza-1982-02.jpg
The Silver Arrow III:
Vauxhall’s 1972 FE Ventora front was closer to the Riviera
http://car-from-uk.com/ebay/carphotos/full/ebay903379.jpg
No coupe version though.
have you seen the A-Special/G body version – what Bill Mitchell wanted it to be a bit smaller than the E-body (B-body derivative) it became.
Designed for the A-Special body it could have been a Grand Prix – Monte Carlo mate. Instead of being on the E-body along with Cadillac Eldorado
Oldsmobile Toronado – oddly it didn’t go FWD till 1979. Kind of weird to use B-body suspension on an E-body car though.
https://web.archive.org/web/20201130131251/http://www.deansgarage.com/2020/1971-boat-tail-riviera-a-body/
To each their own, but i think you have it backwards. The BMW 2000 coupe was very attractive, except for its front end, which was pretty universally panned. When it got a new front end in 1968 or so, with the six cylinders, it looked much better. But it’s the product of a different era; a lot changed since the BMW first came out, looking very much like a 1960 Corvair coupe.
I’ve found this BMW styling mockup in the Bertone catalogue dated 1966. Hoping to find out more about it but at first glance it struck me as very similar to the Rekord.
Well, you know how it is…the American designers were always looking to Italy for their inspiration. The point is that the Rekord is an excellent execution, not necessarily 100% original; as if anything is.
I love the Rekord’s shape and I doubt Jordan saw this. In fact I can find no mention of it despite the text saying Nuccio put a lot of effort into this proposal. Interesting are the rear taillight chrome ‘bezels’ with grille that found it way onto the early E3s
Nice find Don. Bertone often came up with some nice proposals, but not wholly original ones. Check out this proposal for Simca Projet 929, which eventually became the Chrysler 180, also from 1966.
60s Opel Coupe looks like this Commodore not the featured car
The Monza is also a favorite of mine, but to my eyes, it also seems a little ahead of its time, much more of an ’80s vibe than ’70s. I guess European car design in general was less conservative than American at the time, plus it didn’t have the Brougham movement to deal with.
The top model of the range was the Commodore 2.8 GS/E with Bosch D-Jetronic fuel injection. Inline-6 engine, 160 hp. Top speed 200 km/h. Sweet !
Super sweet.
Also, the driver seems to wear period-correct headgear and sideburns.
Damn, he reminds me of this guy. Their win, our loss.
Same nose, not longer on the Commodore.
Then why is the Rekord listed at 4567mm length, and the Commodore at 4607mm?
Probably the bumpers, or bumper guards. Possibly combined with extra lights (like on the GS/E above). The difference is only 4 cm.
I remember from old car brochures that the overall length of a model was stated with and without rubber (or chrome) bumper guards. Evidently the one with the bumper guards was slightly longer.
4567-4607 mm is also mentioned on the German Wikipedia site for the Opel Rekord D,
even 4567-4635 mm further down on the page.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opel_Rekord_D
Edit: the Opel Rekord D Caravan (wagon) might also be longer than the other ones…
The 70s really were the golden years for Opel.
I never realised Chuck Jordan deserved so much of the credit ( the German suspension and powertrain engineers did a pretty good job too).
Great looking car, I had never seen on.
It reminded me of the 2nd Gen Toyota Celica Coupe (not hatch).
If you just like at side profile above the wheelbase (cover the ends), you’ll see the “new” 79 Celica—which I thought looked great back in the day!
The influence on the Celica coupe is unmistakable. That’s a car I like very much too.
It also looks a lot like the 1979 626 coupe.
Opa had one of these in the 70s. I don’t think he ever drove anything but Opels. I’m sure he could have afforded something nicer, but that would have seemed ostentatious.
This car is a stunner. In my minds eye, I was thinking the styling of the first-gen Mazda 626 might hvae been influenced by this Rekord, but looking more closely at pictures fof the latter car from Jim Klein’s post https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/coal-1979-mazda-626-coupe-the-first-of-forty-cars-and-bikes/, maybe it’s just the silhouette that looked similar to me.
That rear three-quarter shot of that gorgeous, green Rekord looks almost Italianesque. I’ll have to read more about Chuck Jordan.
“Oh never mind…GM knew better what Americans wanted.”
I think the styling would have suffered a bit with the change to the required round headlights. Other than that it’d be a fun car with a healthy Small Block under the hood. The Americans themselves knew they didn’t want wheezy 4 bangers. Yet.
I don’t think this is stock, but this video shows a Rekord D with roundies and I think it works.
Not sure whether those were available on the Rekord, but I think those headlamps came off a Ranger, GM’s dumb attempt to recreate the competing brand structure it had at home in Europe. Difference between the Ranger and the standard Rekord: round headlamps, different front grille, different bonnet, bit more trim, availability of only the bigger Rekord 4 engines and, of course, a higher price. It didn’t go anywhere and the Ranger brand was canned quickly. If only GM had not made the very same mistake over and over again.
That Rekord would had been a nice update of the Brazilian Chevrolet Opala for the mid-1970s. Btw, when the 1980 Opala got a new front end, it looked a lot like the Opel Rekord E
I always wondered what the Vega would have been like with the Opel 2.0L CIH.
Vega, torque free for 73. Watch the cam drop. Be glad we dropped the Powerglide because this no longer has the power to glide.
The ad copy writes itself.
The CIH 4 engines were rubbished in Aussie mostly because they got a V8 in the same bodyshell but they were better than the Starfire 4 that replaced them.
Yeah, those Opel engines were rubbished in the press, but that was because of the weight they were made to carry in the Torana body. Massively overbuilt to cope with the torque loadings of a V8 almost nobody ordered, just so they could race it. Something wrong with the logic there…….
Then the ‘Starfire 4’ showed us what rubbish really felt like to drive!
It’s too bad Opels were never sold in Canada, such good looking cars. The early seventies Rekord really appealed to me. Spotting this model whether on vacation in the U.S. or seeing a tourist in one up here always got my attention.
The seventies, Opel’s peak era.
The GT (early seventies), Kadett, Ascona / Manta, Rekord / Commodore and the big Admiral and Diplomat sedans. In the late seventies the Senator and the Monza.
Sedans, hatchbacks, coupes, wagons. From very spartan to all the luxury you wanted. Four cylinder and inline-6 engines. Even a Chevy 327 in the top model Diplomat. Fuel injection in the sporty and fast models, throughout the seventies. Manuals and automatics.
An Opel Rekord was a poor man’s Mercedes W115. The next best thing, excellent price-quality ratio. And even people who had the money still preferred the Opel. It was “our” perfect brand back then: Thou Shalt Not Show Off. The undisputed number one in the sales charts, year in-year out.
Volkswagen had the Golf in the seventies. Look what Opel (and Ford) had !
VW had its head very far up its ass in the early ’70s, the car supposed to compete with the Rekord was the VW 412! And look at the situation now: Opel became a mere shadow of itself, while VW ate its lunch.
Olympia was to Kadett what Commodore was to Rekord.
Rekord D and Commodore B were beautiful cars.
The coupés with fixed B-posts.
The C-post was flowing like the first Toronados.
The front on Rekord D looked a bit like Mercedes-Benz SL.
The Rekord D was called Rekord II at first.
Remenber the ads by Art Fitzpatrick/Von Kaufman.
Paul, I totally agree with you on Chuck Jordan. He was highly talented and would have been the right successor to Bill Mitchell. If that had worked out, I think the 1980s could have been much less painful for GM, at least from a design standpoint. Jordan innately understood how to combine European and American influences together into cohesive, handsome designs.
Another massive blunder from GM was not offering the Rekord/Commodore here, either with the Opel badge through Buick dealers, or Americanized and built here for Chevrolet. Looking at this car just fills me with “what if’s” about how differently GM’s fate could have turned out..
In a word, hubris.
The ‘not invented here’ syndrome has afflicted management in so many car companies over the years, coupled with the inability to sense the changing of the times. While it’s natural to want to do everything on our own, whatever the nationality, there comes a time for realizing when a subsidiary company can do the job better, and save your branch all the development costs.
It’s rather amusing to read the comments here about the “missed opportunity” with Opel in the US, while on the other site, Buick badged Opels are routinely dismissed as badge engineering.
I guess in another 40 years we’ll be wishing to get back the Opels (Buicks) that are available today.
Well, the seventies certainly were not Opel’s Malaise Era…On the contrary.
Just an example below, the V8 (as in Chevy 327) badge is right there on the center console. Top build-quality and fit and finish, and a real bargain compared with a contemporary Mercedes W116 with a V8.
Agreed, Johannes. I was in Germany in the late 1970’s, I quickly became a big fan of Opels during that time. I saw an Irmscher Opel or two in my travels in Bavaria and I was thoroughly intrigued.
However, outside of VWs, BMWs and Mercs, there was little interest in German cars in the late 1970’s. The Japanese invasion had started in earnest and they were grabbing all of the headlines. With good reason, too, many of the cars were inventive and innovative.
Again, a nice mid-70’s Opel Manta would make me a happy Ami.
Count me as a big fan of Buick’s Opel strategy of today!
A very good looking car, but the frontal proportion is off…too wide and slab-like. A bit of Jaguaresque width taper might have helped.
And with the rear tapered as well. Maybe not as successful, a little too much resemblance to the Kadett.
I’m not that fussed about the front, but the tapered rear looks good.
As another alternative rear, here’s the slightly larger rear lights and tail trim from the related Vauxhall FE, which would integrate the whole rear panel:
The connecting panel is nice, but the whole assembly is a little too tall. I would reduce the height to bring it up off the bumper.
I wouldn’t say the proportions are off, but I do think there’s something to say about the “slab”-sidedness of the car. The completely smooth flanks, without any relief in them at all, make the car look a little fragile. As if it’s very light, or weak. Relief in the sides will give any car some perceived chunkiness, make it look more solid, although that is only perception. A major reason why many cars today look the way they do. The Rekord’s flanks lack such relief almost completely, and as a consequence it appears more fragile than it really is (no more so than its contemporaries). One can almost compare the beauty of the car to a stunningly beautiful but fragile-looking lady (again, looks can be very deceiving).
The Rekord D’s successor, the E, had distinct creases on its flanks to appear thicker, but is less graceful as a result. The Omega A, again, had an even more flush body, and seems even frailer than the Rekord D. A choice made for the sake of aerodynamics, and a particularly successful one at that (it didn’t attract a lot of buyers though, and the Omega gained a pair of very chunky bumpers on its midlife revision).
Not sure if it makes any difference in the overall scheme of things but I live just up the street from where this picture was taken. Never seen her or the car and I am sure I would have noticed.
Beautiful looking car. I’ve never seen an Opel Rekord. Was it ever sold here in the USA, or Canada?
Here is my project in Norway 🙂 1.9 1972 , I m doing some modifications , hood from a diesel , some air intakes , nicer wheels , gt steering wheel , and others 🙂
front
Those styling cues echoed around all GM operations I can see the 71 HQ Holden front and the 72 HC Vauxhall Viva rear and the FE Vauxhall Victor all present in that car.
Sorry, folks, as a teen ager in Germany in the 70s we were eager to learn technical details of the then new cars. Ford Germany had the reputation of delivering lousy quality and swampy steering combined with low efficiency, a car frequently owned by a family with roots in the middle east . Opel, yes, they were the poor man’s Benz, distinctive less quality of workmanship and materials, and they were as well rear wheel driven! That was a major issue then: Safety on the road, winter driveability and brake power. Opel was almost a decade behind others, so no wonder Audi, Volvo, Saab and such frequently won contests of car magazines and gained buyers. Very quickly the mainstream public valued the qualities of front wheel driven VW Golf, Passat, Polo, Audi 80 and Audi 50 then! Yes, some Opels were styled beautifully, no question, but that was all of their qualities. My mother once owned a Manta. Just have to tell a year later she traded it in for a Passat.
A shame we never got the Rekord in Canada.
Although there were a few Opel GTs sold in my city. I suppose the exchange rate was a factor back then although the Canadian buck was worth more than the US dollar around 1972. Two thumbs up for Jordan’s styling work.
Wait, wait, wait. GM passed over the guy who designed this…for Irv Rybicki?!!
Not one of their wisest decisions.
Yes; a deadly sin for sure.
Beautiful looking car. I’ve heard of the Opel Rekord, but for some reason, I’d never seen one before. Was it ever offered in the USA? or possibly Canada?
We never got them in Canada unless an American moved to this country. I’m speaking from western Canada. Never saw one on a used car lot up here. They Opel GT was sold at Pontiac -Buick dealers. And that model sold quite well. Again, That is based on what I saw back then where I lived.
I had a neighbour when I was a boy who had a 1971 Opel GT coupe. It was referred to as the “German Corvette”. Looking at it, I didn’t think it looked anything like a Corvette. I thought it was better looking than the Corvette of the time. The only thing I didn’t find attractive was its colour. His was chocolate brown. I thought it ruined an otherwise beautiful looking car.
Chuck Jordan was held in high esteem at Opel – many of my colleagues in the studio still reminisced fondly of his years there a quarter century after he had returned to the US mothership.
I had the pleasure to work for him when I did my “rotation” from Opel to the Tech Center in the early 90s. He was always very gracious to us Opel guys and used to tell us stories of his time there. Some cool tales of trips in a very special (Irmscher or Steinmetz) highly tuned metallic blue Commodore coupe with box flared arches…
One should also remember that Chick was a super talented designer who carried out a great many projects for GM in their heyday. Unfortunately, when he did get the top job, design’s power within the company had been much reduced and I feel he was frustrated that the great show cars done under him were watered down so that the production versions bore little resemblance….
Every time I used to take my son on the 1/2 scale GM Aerotrain at Portland Zoo I would remember Chuck…