Opel Rekord

Opel Rekord at a glance

From Olympia Rekord to Rekord B, 1953-1966

Opel launched the Olympia Rekord in March 1953 as a two-door version of its post-war Olympia, with a 1,488 cc engine of 29 kW (40 PS) and styling influenced by General Motors in Detroit. The P1 of 1957 added a wraparound windscreen, and the P2 of August 1960 a new body without it, selling 787,684 cars. Our history of Opel puts these years in the context of the company as a whole.

The Rekord A of spring 1963 dropped the P code. Its wheelbase grew by almost 10 cm to 2,639 mm, torsional stiffness rose by about 30%, and front disc brakes became part of the range. Prices started at DM 6,830, and 887,304 were built in two years, more than 200,000 of them Caravan estates. From 1964 the Rekord 6 used a 2.6-litre six with 74 kW (100 PS) and passed 170 km/h. The Rekord B of autumn 1965 lasted only a year and sold 296,771 cars, but it introduced the camshaft-in-head (CIH) four-cylinders that Opel used until 1986.

Rekord C: the coke-bottle Opel

The Rekord C arrived in August 1966 with a curved line over the rear doors that earned it the "coke-bottle" nickname. Technical director Hans Mersheimer had set its proportions in 1963. A live rear axle located by four trailing links and coil springs replaced the leaf springs of the first Rekords, and the front disc brakes worked with dual-circuit hydraulics. The range ran from a two-door saloon to a five-door Caravan and, from 1967, a pillarless coupé; Karl Deutsch converted a few into cabriolets for DM 4,000 over the coupé price.

The sporty version was the Rekord Sprint of 1967 with a 1.9-litre engine, twin carburettors and 78 kW (106 PS), priced at DM 9,775. It reached 175 km/h and 100 km/h in about 12 seconds. The C also became Opel's first mid-size car to pass one million, and in September 1971 a Rekord C estate was the ten-millionth Opel. In Brazil the body lived on as the Chevrolet Opala from 1968. Its six-cylinder role passed to the Commodore A, which used the same body.

Rekord D and E: diesel, injection and a global platform

The Rekord D, styled under Chuck Jordan, went into production at Rüsselsheim in December 1971 and sold from early 1972. In September 1972 it gained a 2,068 cc diesel with 44 kW (60 PS), the first diesel Rekord and, according to the Dutch magazine Auto Motor Klassiek, Opel's first diesel passenger car. The petrol range ran from the 1.7 to the 2.0 S of September 1975 with 74 kW (100 PS). The one-millionth Rekord D was built on 7 September 1976, and production stopped in July 1977 at 1,128,196 cars. Vauxhall's Victor FE shared its floor pressings.

The Rekord E of August 1977 had a longer, smoother body with a drag coefficient of 0.42. The 2.0 E with Bosch L-Jetronic was the first fuel-injected Rekord, with 81 kW (110 PS), 181 km/h and a price of about DM 17,810. The September 1982 facelift, known as E2, cut the drag coefficient to 0.36, dropped the two-door saloon and added a five-speed Getrag gearbox. In 1984 a 2.3-litre turbodiesel with 63 kW (86 PS) became Opel's first turbocharged engine, and from 1985 a 1.8-litre injection engine with a catalytic converter was offered. The E1 alone sold 962,218 cars before the Omega took over in 1986.

Vauxhall Carlton, Holden Commodore and other relatives

The Rekord E carried GM's plans beyond Germany. In Britain it was built at Rüsselsheim and sold as the Vauxhall Carlton; from 1982 it differed from the Opel only in badges, and our Vauxhall history follows the brand's move onto Opel designs. In Australia the 1978 Holden VB Commodore combined the Rekord E body with the nose of the Opel Senator and Holden's own six and V8 engines, as described in our history of Holden. South African versions ran until 1994, and Korea built the car as the Daewoo Royale until 1993.

Opel Rekord today: what to check when buying

Rust is the main reason the earlier Rekords are rare. Classic & Sports Car reports that most German Rekord and Commodore coupés of the late 1960s were lost to corrosion during the 1980s, and survivors often come from dry climates such as southern France. Sills, floors and wheel arches deserve more attention than the engine. The CIH four-cylinders are simple, though Classic & Sports Car notes that the Sprint's twin carburettors are not easy to set up.

Parts supply is better than the survival rate suggests. Opel Classic Parts lists body panels, trim, seals and mechanical parts for every Rekord from the P1 to the E2. Prices remain low: at Bilweb Auctions in Stockholm in April 2026 a 1972 Rekord D coupé with the 71 kW (97 PS) 1.9-litre engine and automatic gearbox passed its reserve at SEK 55,000, about EUR 5,000 in April 2026. Opel's smaller family car of the period is covered in our Opel Kadett history, and more Opel models are in the Opel catalogue.