How do old cars survive, far away from any support? Mostly, by owner pigheadedness. After all, the last time Opels were sold here in Central America was sometime in the mid-70s. Since then, the brand has had no support whatsoever in any form.
Still, a few appear. Most in nonrunning condition, like this old Rekord Series A found in San Salvador. However, can you blame the poor car? It’s, I think, a test of perseverance on the locals to cling to their old heaps, in the hope that some miracle will appear to revive their once precious possessions. True; events that will doubtfully occur. But on the other hand, isn’t that just as well for us curbside hunters?
We’ve never had a Rekord A entry here at CC. The previous Rekords from the ’50s have showed up, occasionally. While most of the following ones have appeared as well. So, I guess this find will finally provide the Rekord A its well-deserved ten minutes of CC fame.
Now, I hope no one is expecting an exciting storyline with these. As far as I have read, here and elsewhere, these were synonyms with “a known quantity”. Outside of its very ’60s Chevy II-inspired shell, they were traditional and safe to the core. Which was fine by Opel, and its parent company GM.
And well, if you wanted boldness and innovation, there were plenty of other German makes to take that risk with.
I won’t pretend I know more about these than our Chief Editor, who grew around Opels and can tell much better where the brand stood in the German/European market. Here is his summary of the Rekord’s trajectory:
The Opel Rekord can be best compared to the traditional full-sized Chevrolet, in terms of the role they both played in their respective continents. Yes, there were bigger Opels, but they’re more like an Oldsmobile, Buick or Cadillac. The Rekord was mostly a conservative car, which evolved steadily through its nine generations, but never forgot what its purpose was: to provide decent and reliable transportation, at a favorable price point.
So, yes, nothing too innovative or exciting for Opel buyers. Which was precisely their appeal. As a brief recap, the Rekord name first showed up in 1953, as the Olympia Rekord. That ’53 model carried the traditional –by then– Opel attributes; a trusty 1,488cc 4-cyl. engine dating to 1937, along with a 3-speed manual, in standard FR-layout. Suspension was double wishbones up front, with semi-elliptical leafs on back.
Now, against all this traditional hardware, the body was fully unitized. A trait inherited from the first Olympia of 1935, the first mass-produced German car that made use of the technology.
What Opel always offered with the Olympia/Rekord were up-to-date bodies, in a rather trendy American-styled wardrobe. All for a bit more money than the economy class.
So, you may look at the ’57 Rekord brochure image above and think “It looks like a tiny Chevy!” And well, that was the whole intent and worked rather well. Opel’s known mechanicals and trendy bodies were a recipe for success in postwar Europe, with the brand quickly becoming a powerhouse in the continent for many decades.
Now, Opel may have been playing the traditional role, but it wasn’t stagnant. At the dawn of the ’60s, a revamped lineup was to appear. Most significant, their Beetle fighter 1962 Kadett A (a chapter still pending here at CC, though a period review has been posted). Meanwhile, the Rekord would gain new up-to-date clothes for the decade. Clearly, with heavy cues taken from the Chevy II, penned with considerable input from the Mothership in Detroit.
It was a change so significant in appearance that these became the A Series. A symbolic new dawn for the Rekord dynasty.
Clothes aside, what lay underneath wasn’t much different. Outside the 1960s era shell, the engine remained the same 1,488 cc mill dating to 1937, with 55hp on tap. An additional 1,680 cc was also offered, in either 60hp or 67hp states of tune. Brakes were drums all around, slightly expanded from the previous P2 series.
A standard three-speed synchromesh provided shifting by column or floor-mounted shifter, while a 4-speed was optional. Meanwhile, suspension and steering were basically carryovers from the P2, with tuning updates.
In the best Opel/GM tradition, the Rekord A came in different bodies and trims. From the basic to the ‘luxurious’. The entry-level 2-door sedan, the 4-door, in entry and luxury levels, the 2-door coupe and the 2-door wagon, or Caravan in Opel-speak.
In the cabin, while slightly more spartan, the feel of Detroit still permeates. It’s a layout that just about any Chevy II user could quickly learn to feel at ease with. Also, not all Olympia references had faded, with the moniker oddly appearing in the Rekord’s glovebox.
An additional 2,605cc six-cylinder engine was offered on the Rekord A starting in March of 1964, with discs upfront to deal with the added weight. It provided 100hp and could propel the Rekord to speeds –according to the maker– of 101mph. Performance numbers aside, testers found the 6-cyl. unpleasant to drive. The unassisted steering made around-town driving a chore, plus fuel efficiency suffered.
Those up-to-date ’60s clothes would eventually get their own modern powerplant in 1965 with the Rekord B. A chapter already covered at CC.
For all effects, the new Rekord A proved a success in its respective middle-class market bracket, built in numbers generally higher than the previous generations. Still, by the early’60s it was clear that Opel’s postwar rise had left an open flank in the economy class across Europe. Something the brand was attending to with its new Kadett. But still;
That was actually a huge failing on Opel’s part, to completely ignore the smaller car market (until the 1962 Kadett), which exploded on the back of the Volkswagen. It’s instructive to remember that Opel was once Germany’s biggest auto maker before the war, and either the biggest or second-biggest in all of Europe. But VW pushed Opel into the number two spot, and Opel became sandwiched between VW and Mercedes, which essentially is somewhat the problem still facing Opel today, although the problem has become even more acute in recent years with the rise of the premium brands.
Now, leaving aside the European continent, Opels were just that odd-sounding brand that GM occasionally threw around to some markets. From the US, to here Central America. And as such, the make had a brief appearance in this region, from the mid-50s to the mid-70s (The one above is from a Salvadorian sales ad).
As far as I understand, the make had a slightly bigger presence in some South American countries, but I fail to see much of a fandom for it in any form. Unlike Fiat, VW, or even Chevrolet, who have faithful pages of followers in Colombia, Brazil and Argentina.
Yet, even if the arrival of Opel to this region was a haphazard affair, that ‘American’ feel stuck to them. Or so, the few people that remember them around here say so.
Curiously, just a day after finding this old forlorn Rekord, I came across an older couple who had owned one just like it back in the mid-70s. Paraphrasing their words “We drove an Opel Rekord, 11 years old by the time we bought it, that took us all over Central America!” Also, in the words of the wife, who remembered the car fondly: “It was such a big American car…”
I almost jumped from my seat. AMERICAN?!
Still, I held my tongue. After all, I could see the origin of her confusion. Plus, is not like she was a gearhead who would care about my detailed explanation of Opel’s history.
So, yes, a few Opels sold here back in the day, with a few occasionally appearing. Like this one, barely surviving to this day. I found it, of all places, in a difficult to shoot location in a lower middle-class neighborhood not far from my home. Brand-wise, the oddest car in the area, by a large margin.
How about a bit of detail? Here, an Opel Rekord badge for you. Upside down, and on the wrong panel. But at least, it still exists, right?
Now, the photos you have been looking at are from my second visit to the car. In my first, the car was almost fully blocked by a neighbor’s garbage bags.
Oh, the indignities old metal must endure!
So, a couple of days later, I arrived and found a clearer view. Much better, thank you. And isn’t curious how this used-to-be middle-class hauler now looks almost puny against more modern compacts?
In any case, I’ll forgive that Salvadorian elder lady for not being able to tell an Opel from an American car. After all, is not like Opel’s promotional machine made big efforts around here to establish itself as that “other German make”. And well, wasn’t that ‘confusion’ almost by intent?
Related CC reading:
CC Capsule: 1965 Opel Rekord B Caravan – The Only One Like It In The World (With 1963 Tags Anyway)
Cohort Pic(k) of the Day: Opel Rekord (P2) Coupe – The German Buick Invicta
Those Opels we didnt get, We did get the lookalike Vauxhalls which were quite popular but have now all but gone especially the Vivas even the Vauxhall owners club has no HA Vivas in it, I found a NOS carby for a friends HA recently it had been offered to the club their response was nobody has any, well my friend did and carbs are unobtanium having only been made for the HA engine her little car ran like a top once it was fitted
Those two companies seem to have ignored each others markets possibly by order from daddy GM in Detroit but somewhere must have had both, NZ got later Opels instead of some of the rubbish GMH was spitting out in OZ but they were behind the Japanese in tech.
Opels were sold alongside Vauxhall’sin the UK from.the 70s onward. The Mantra was a common sight and they were pushed as being premium. But as Vauxhall individuality faded away, so did the Opels.
It seemed a pointless thing to do, because by the time they were on sale in the UK Vauxhalls were rebadged Opels anyway.
I like it when I see a Vauxhall whose Griffin has fallen off the grille leaving the Blitz on view from underneath.
I’ve referred to the Rekord as being the German equivalent of the full-size Chevrolet. And the analogy has another similarity: the elderly ohv four in these was created in 1937, the same year that the Chevy six used through 1962 firs appeared. They were both reliable, simple, long-lived lumps that made both the Chevy six and the Rekord appealing to those looking for that combined with some style, room and a reasonably low price.
I wonder what degree of input from Detroit that 1937 Opel engine had?
Chevy’s stovebolt went all over the place, Bedford trucks used a clone of the Chevy 6 2 cubes smaller but full pressure crankshaft elderly Vauxhall fours have a similar appearance so Opel likely got the idea from there too.
A neat unknown car, I like the styling of it .
-Nate
It is interesting to compare the progress of Opel & Vauxhall post-war.
Generally, I found the Opels’ design rather neater and classier – the quality was way better, too. Though still rusty…
That’s not to say Vauxhall didn’t have some good ideas, but by the 1970s the economic and industrial problems of the UK made making cars here pointless and Opels gradually took over.
I can understand the confusion of said lady not knowing her Opel from her Edsel…if you’ve only seen photos. It’s that 1/24 vs 1/25 scale thing in real life.
It has curved side windows! Puts the lie to the oft-mentioned statement that “the 1964 A-bodies were the first that the General made with curved side glass”. A bunch of authors who never looked beyond the United States, I guess.