1978 Opel Rekord E image from the Cohort by r0b0tr10t.
In our previous installment, we concluded with a small ’78 Chevrolet Chevette, produced in Brazil and assembled in Uruguay. It was a car that did the job—nothing more, nothing less. While no one was thrilled with it, it served its purpose. The only nod to luxury was an AM/FM stereo, power brakes (which seemed to have little effect), and yellow driving lights on the grille—why yellow, I’m not sure. The rear windows could also pivot out, a minor feature that, in hindsight, didn’t add much to the car’s charm.
As you might recall, my father had a preference for larger cars, so the Chevette wasn’t quite what he had in mind. Unfortunately, in 1980, he suffered a severe stroke, just in time for my 15th birthday. I was allowed to stay with him in Intensive Care for a couple of hours, as hospital protocols were more relaxed back then—and, of course, it also helped he’d attended medical school with the unit’s head. After spending about six weeks in the hospital, he spent several months recovering, regaining a bit of strength each day.
By September, he asked my brothers to take him back to the hospital to resume his work with patients. While everyone agreed that he would benefit from returning to his daily rounds, it was clear that he wasn’t yet fit to drive. So, my brothers took on the task of driving him to and from his appointments until he was well enough to take the wheel again. A couple of months later, he expressed interest in a new car with power steering.
Naturally, I was eager to help. I began accompanying him again on Saturday mornings, searching for a suitable replacement. I had long admired the Opel Rekord, especially since my uncle had bought a light green 1900 Rekord D, which I first saw on December 31, 1974—almost 50 years ago. At the time, my uncle wasn’t impressed with it and quickly sold it, but it was his first “good” car, and at 9 years old, I thought it was great.
1977 Opel Rekord D image from the Cohort by Roshake.
The Opel Rekord D, produced from 1972 to 1977, was a car I fondly remember. When we went to take delivery of our 78 Chevette, the dealer had a dark green one-year-old D, pristine, with velour upholstery. I told Dad if it would be possible to take that home, but the answer was “no”. At the same time, the new Rekord E was being presented, so there were 4 or 5 in the front showroom, one of each available color, as there weren’t other options. White, blue, red, metallic brown, metallic green. All of them had a vinyl roof. I sat down inside, both in front and rear, and realized that’s what I wanted to have, conveniently forgetting I was just 13. And now it came the time to find one!
Over the next year, we looked at nearly 40 Opel Rekords from 1978 to 1980. We rejected many due to high mileage, repaints, questionable conditions, or dubious sellers. Dad had made it clear he wouldn’t spend more than 15K, while a new Rekord cost about 20K. In October 1981, we finally found the right one: a 16000-km Rekord with a rear fender being repaired. It drove like a dream, and we knew it was the one. Something to note is that up to 1980 the only available body was the 4 door sedan, then the 5 door Caravan began to be offered, somewhat decontented but more expensive anyway. Both bodies were available with the basic 1979 cc CIH standard gas engine, or the 2.3 Diesel that delivered all of 65 hp. As could be expected the Diesel was popular with cab drivers, but with the great difference in cost between gas and Diesel fuel in Uruguay at the time, regular customers were plentiful too.
1978 Opel Rekord E image from the Cohort by r0b0tr10t.
The Rekord we found was a standard model, as optional features were rare at the time. Some dealers, especially those that had direct contact with GM, offered automatic transmissions; it was said GM was using leftover parts from the Opel Commodore 6-cylinder models, but they were scarce. I don’t know if that’s true. Air conditioning was introduced as an option in 1980 but proved problematic in the Rekord, which wasn’t equipped to handle the cooling demands of the local climate. On the other hand, the heating system was excellent.
Standard features on the Rekord included a vinyl top, tinted glass all around with degraded windshield (the tint varied by year, this being a 1979 had a greenish hue akin to American GM’s SoftRay, 1980 and up had brown tint), and a rear window defogger. The steering wheel was upgraded in 1979 to a more luxurious version with better grip and additional horn buttons, while the classic Opel clock was replaced by a tachometer, with the clock relegated to a smaller space on the dash. The interior was black leatherette, simple but functional.
As the cars were assembled locally, dealers began offering customized versions with options like power windows and leather interiors, though these often looked less factory-standard. For example, power window switches were often installed on the dash instead of their intended place behind the parking brake lever. One exception was a brown interior, which was exceptionally well done and even offered tan carpeting. This version was even available in the Chevette.
The top-tier version, known as the “LUXUS,” included air conditioning, headlight washers, and special alloy wheels. However, it still had the standard black dashboard. Here’s a photo of the luxury dash compared to the standard one:
No, you didn’t need to drive on the left to get the luxury package, it was simply the best pic I could get.
By October 1981, Dad was enjoying his first drives in his new Opel Rekord E and then tragedy struck.
As I mentioned earlier, my father, like many doctors, lacked self-awareness when it came to his health. Despite being fit, never smoking or drinking, his diagnosis came too late. In February 1982, just a month before his 60th birthday, he passed away from colon cancer.
In the aftermath, we decided to keep the car for a while. My brothers had just bought their own vehicles, so they didn’t need the Rekord, but I wanted to hold onto it. Eventually, they started using it. As I approached my 17th birthday, my older brother decided it was time for me to drive, even though I wouldn’t be eligible for my license until I turned 18. We would drive to quiet, undeveloped areas with no people or houses, and I’d practice behind the Rekord’s wheel.
When I turned 18, I got my driver’s license, and even though the Rekord was a five-year-old car, it was still considered a significant investment in a country where cars retained their value longer. It felt like a bit of an excess, having such a car just to drive to university, pick up my girlfriend, and hang out with friends. Speaking of which, that girlfriend is now in the next room watching TV—maybe there was some magic in that Opel after all?
1980 Opel Rekord E image from the Cohort by Roshake.
The car was a gas guzzler. Driven carefully, it could manage about 6 km/l. On highways, it might reach 7 or 8 km/l, but it never did better than that—even on the open road, cruising at 50 mph with an empty car going downhill. Technology has certainly advanced since then.
In 1985, we decided to sell the car. I placed an ad in the local newspaper asking for 1,080,000 pesos –11K USD at the then current rate. The first person who came to see it bought it. At the time, it had just under 65,000 kilometers on the clock. A K per year in depreciation wasn’t too bad.
There are a couple of conclusions on this purchase, which I can make after so many decades, and they have nothing to do with my father’s passing. It’s especially important not to hold on to assets that cost money in terms of insurance, property tax (which we do have on cars…), depreciation, and risks (it was robbed once, luckily it appeared before any major damage had happened). As everywhere else, the best that can happen to a stolen newer car is to be totaled. Of course, supposing it’s insured.
It’s clear my late Mom spent way too much money to keep me at ease when she could probably have saved something like 6K in the mid-80s by selling the car as soon as possible. Regarding the purchase itself, I understood that to afford a really expensive car, at least one that is really expensive to your environment, there must be more than one breadwinner interested in having it and willing and able to put up the money needed. If that’s not the case, everyone will be losing.
Just one year ago I bought my first “expensive” brand-new car. The quotations are not because of the price itself, which was about 35K, but because a mid-level professional executive like the typical buyer of this car (not my case either way, I won’t discuss my profile publicly) makes about 90.000 USD a year if he’s really lucky. So, taking into account salaries, expenses (Uruguay is the most expensive country in Latin America in living costs), taxes, and car prices, it might be on the side of too much. Of course, there are really higher salaries in Uruguay, including for the same kind of position, but it’s about the information we use to decide on a purchase.
This column has been more about my personal journey than the car itself, but it sheds light on some of the decisions I’ve made in the years since, particularly in the realm of cars. It also explains why I never made certain choices, thanks to the wisdom of my girlfriend of 43 years (yes, after 8 years, we got married—35 years and counting).
Next time, I’ll share the stories of my brothers’ cars. Remarkably, they both owned identical models. One of those cars led an interesting and long life, which I won’t spoil today. And we’re still a few years away from the day I finally got a car with my name on the title. See you soon!
Related CC reading:
As a kid in grade school circa 1978, I could only appreciate some cars that intrigued me considerably, via black and white pics in car magazines. The Rekord, Senator, UK Granada, UK Escort, Cortina, and Chrysler Sunbeam, were all cars that appealed to me. But I could only see photos of, and read about, in occasional reports in the US car publications. Loved their clean, and modern designs. So glad, we got the Fiesta, Omni, and Horizon.
I finally was able to ride in a friend’s parents Fiesta. Recall appreciating, and enjoying it. Didn’t feel as low grade as the Chevette, I rode in. As a kid, I felt I could embrace this newer generation of cars. And hoped, we’d get more here. Loved the sophisticated design of the Senator, so much more attractive to me, than the similar-looking domestic Fairmont.
A good and interesting read, I knew next to nothing about Uraguay. I too am a fan of the Rekord D.
Great german car. It was widely used as a taxi in different countries in Europe.
It is a larger Ascona.