Classic & Sports Car - December 2015 UK

to itsshorter, lighterengine.Grabbingthelong,
robust-lookingcentrelever, youurgeit forward
throughfourusefullyspacedbutlong-throw
gears.If youcaretouseanuncouth6000rpm
(500overthepowerpeak),it willdoa handsome
85mphinthirdandfeelslikea faster, more
aggressivecar, gettingtherewithquitea lotof
throatyboy-racerintakeroarfromits twincarbs.
Infact,thefiguresshowthattheSprint’s
straight-lineurgeis aboutonparwitha manual
Commodore.It is thesortof a carthatencour-
agesyouto donyournylonrallyjacket anddoa
lotofsuperfluousthrottleblippingbetween
gears.Thereis noromanceaboutthis1900H
engine,thoughit justfeelsunburstablylusty.

In someways,theRekordsoft-topis thenicer
placeto beona hot,stickyday. It is basedona
two-door1700Lsaloonandis oneofonly 50
builtbyKarlDeutschof CologneontheRekord
C/CommodoreA platform.TheOpelMuseum
alsohasoneof thefirm’s earliercabrioletefforts
ontheRekordA in itscollection.
AtDM 4000 ontop of the DM 8000 base pric e
of theRekordC saloon,theywererarebutunde-
niablypretty– withtheroofchopped2inabove
the’s creenrubberanda hoodthatstowsflat
behindthebackseat.Thatrobssomeshoulder
roomfromtherearpassengersandleavesthe
impressionof alongslenderreardecknotunlike
a Corvairconvertible.Butit is a genuinefour-

seaterdrophead,anincreasinglyrarefiedtypeof

car in the world of family motoringin the 1960s.

Deutschbuiltthelastof itsragtopOpelsin ’71

andthenpromptlystoppedtrading.This 1967

examplehasa cheerfuldemeanourthatgivesan

insightintotheflavourof lesserRekords.It is

smoothandflexible,witha prosaicexhaustnote

andthesortof performancethatgivesbystand-

ersplentyof opportunityto admiretheshape.

TheRekordsandCommodoreswereamong

thefirstproductsof Opel’s DesignCentre,a styl-

ingfacilitymodelledontheGMset-upin Detroit

andheadedbyAmericanClareMacKichan.

Theyarenotgreatcarsbutarecertainlyvery

goodonesthatdidallthatwasaskedof themand

December 2015 Classic&SportsCar 167

lookedgooddoingit. TheseOpelsrepresented

a perfectexercisein genericinternationalgood

tastethatwasat homein anysituation,beit as a

taxi,executiveexpressorcompetitioncar. The

famous180bhp‘BlackWidow’campaignedby

ErichBitter(anda youthfulNikiLauda)was

basedona two-doorRekordC saloon.

Buil t under different marquenames in South

Africa(Ranger)andSouthAmerica(Chevrolet

Comodoro),theywerefamiliarvehiclesaround

theglobeandprobablydidmorethananyother

singledesignto changeOpel’s previouslydour

imageforthebetterin the’60s.

ThankstoUwe MartinandJensCooperofOpel

‘THEYWEREAPERFECT

EXERCISEINGENERIC

GOODTASTE,ATHOME

INANYSITUATION’

UnderstatedOpelsgave
AmericanideasaEuropean
twist;spotaCommodore
fromverticalgrillebars;
extralamps,matt-black
panelandsculptedsteels
onSprint;Commodorehas
posherhubcapsthantheL