The Opel Rekord is really such a car that was intertwined with the Dutch street scene for decades, but nowadays it is worth stopping and taking pictures when you see one. Certainly the old ones we hoist on stage today.
With its large grille, wings on the back, numerous chrome accents and huge rear, this Rekord is a stately case in today’s street scene. We can understand that Techzle reader Robert Elderman took these photos of it. Thanks, Robert! Not only is it a wonderful heirloom from completely different times, but unfortunately it is also a true rarity nowadays. Certainly such a P2, a Rekord ‘from the old era’. After all, this was the last Rekord before Opel changed its vision of the middle class.
The one that shines in your image here dates from 1962. That was the last year before the Rekord A was introduced. With the A, Opel said goodbye to the elegant ‘old gentlemen appearance’ of the Rekord. Although the P2 is now so nice to see precisely for these reasons, Opel wanted to appeal to a more modern audience with its successor. The gloss level was reduced somewhat and the almost Mercedes-like lines gave way to a somewhat smoother appearance.
Anyway, back to the P2, because that’s the car it’s all about now, of course. Don’t let its stature fool you, because in the early 60s a middle class weighed less than a ton. This copy also has the more than 60 hp 1.7 petrol engine in the nose, the most potent power source. The Rekord was not rap, but for its time it was an excellent weight-to-power ratio. If you pressed the accelerator all the way, 140 km / h was achievable. The Rekord A did (as a coupé) not much later 27 km / h on top of that, because Opel then also made the six-cylinder from the Kapitän available. To show once again why this Rekord P2 really was one of the old school. Wonderful that it is still there and even better to see that the current owner has been driving it for almost seven years and has received a fresh MOT this year.