P
rojectingAmericantastesand
proportionsonto European-sized
carshas not alwaysdelivered
happyresults,but it was an art
that General Motors had
masteredto nearperfectionby
the mid-1960sat its German
outpostin Rüsselsheim.Thus,thereis an elegant
confidenceaboutthe RekordC range– built
between 1966 and ’71 – that is as easy on the eye
as a HerbAlperttune is on the ear.
The worldhas ratherforgottenthesecompe-
tent,unpretentiousyet stylishmiddle-range
Opelswith theircurvedhips and neatlyresolved
detailing.In West Germany, the RekordC and
CommodoreA wereso ubiquitousthey became
mobilestreetfurniture–producedto the tune of
1.2 millionexamplesfor a homeaudiencethat
wantedsomethingmoreglamorousthana VW
but couldn’t stretchto a Mercedes.
In the UK,theyrepresentedmostpeople’s
first awarenessof the Opelmarque,and come
froma long-forgottentimewhenalmostany
foreign car was seenas upmarket. WhenGM
startedimportingthe RekordC in 1967, it care-
fully pickedvariantsthat wouldn’t harmsalesof
the superficiallysimilarVauxhalls.Instead,it
aimedthemat the posher‘youngexecutive’
2-litresaloonsectorthat was dominatedat the
luxuryend by Roverand Triumph,and aspired
to by the flas hy FordCorsair 2000Eat the other.
The four-speed,90bhpRekord1900L,with
its heatedrear windowand alternator, was as fast
as the £1400Rover 2000 but cost £250less. It
sold not only on its equipment,such as reclining
seats,but on an imageof West Germanquality
and reliabilitythat was alreadygainingcredence.
Behindthe glitzylooks,therewas an auraof
sensible,practicaldurabilityaboutan Opelthat- as well as the optionof a 2.2-litre‘six’ – all with
Opel’s ruggedcam-in-headarchitecture.
The Rekordand Commodorecoupésyou see
here reflectedthe West Germanlove affairwith
two-doorsin the 1960sand ’70s – rememberthe
weirdGranadasthey sold in Germany?– and it
is the fastbacksthat mostpeopleseemto recall,
if they recognisetheseOpelsat all.
So that’s whatwe have assembledhere,thanks
to Opel’s museumcuratorUweMartin.The
bonus car is a Rekordcabriolet thatyou will
perhapsbe less familiarwith– a low-volume
odditybasedon the two-doorsaloonbodyshell
and builtby coachbuilderKarlDeutschon
behalfof Opel.But moreon that later.
162 Classic&SportsCarDecember 2015distancedit nicelyfromVauxhall’s well-earned
(and hardto shakeoff) ’60s rust-bucketimage.
As wellas boastingmid-Atlanticstyleand
Te utonicquality, Opelofferedgoodold-fash-
ionedAmericanchoice.Its productsechoedthe
Detroitidiomof variety,beingproducedand sold
on a Statesidemodelthat encouragedendless
optionsof trim and specification.The Rekords
and Commodoresformedarangethat embraced
31 differentversions,and no fewerthannine
distinctbodystylesif you factorin the two-and
four-doorsaloons,the ‘CarAVan’ estateand not
forgettingthe panelvan. Commodoreswere
alwaysstraight-sixeswhilefour-cylinder
Rekords spanned 1.5-, 1.7- and 1.9-litre enginesBodyshellisthesameon
both,buttheCommodore
hasmorebrightwork;it’s
plusherinside,too,with
clothinsertsandfake
wood;smoothstraight-six