Opel Rekord C
| Opel Rekord Series C | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Opel (General Motors) |
| Production | 1966–1971 |
| Assembly |
Rüsselsheim, Germany Biel, Switzerland Johor Bahru, Malaysia |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Executive car (E) |
| Body style | 2/4-door saloon 3/5-door station wagon 3-door van 2-door coupé (from 1967) |
| Platform | V body |
| Related | Chevrolet Opala |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 1,492 cc I4 1,698 cc I4 1,897 cc I4 2,239 cc I6 |
| Transmission | 3-speed manual offered till 1970 4-speed manual included or optional according to model Automatic optional with 6-cylinder and high compression 4-cylinder engines from 1968 |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Opel Rekord Series B |
| Successor | Opel Rekord Series D |
The Opel Rekord Series C is an executive car that was introduced in August 1966, by Opel as a replacement for the short-lived Opel Rekord Series B. It was slightly larger all round than its predecessor, from which it inherited most of its engines. It continued in production until replaced by the Opel Rekord Series D at the end of 1971.
The Rekord C's 4 1⁄2-year production run was longer than that of any previous generation of Opel Rekord, and during that period 1,276,681 were produced. This made it the first "middle-class" Opel to exceed the one million mark. Cars based on the Rekord C were also built at other General Motors plants both inside and beyond Europe, notably in South Africa and (with Chevrolet engines) Brazil.
After less than a year of production, in August 1966, the "stopgap" Opel Rekord B was replaced with the Opel Rekord C, featuring completely new bodywork. Hans Mersheimer, Opel's Technical Director and Chief Engineer, until his retirement in 1967, had set down the parameters for the new Rekord back in 1963.
The design of the Rekord C has been characterised by some enthusiasts as "erotic" on account of the "hip-curve" („Hüftschwung“ ) on the lower window-line ahead of the C-pillar, which reminded some observers of a Coca-Cola bottle and so gave rise to this becoming known as "Coke-Bottle line" Rekord ("(Cola-Flaschen-Rekord)". The "Coke-Bottle line", which was also picked up by GM's English, subsidiary, with the Viva HB and seems to have originated in the United States with one or two mid-1960-s "muscle-car" designs: it was also picked up for a sedan design by the 1968 Chevrolet Chevy II. There was a concern at Opel throughout this period that their designs might be rejected by European buyers as being simply "too American", and it was presumably a reflection of this that an alternative design without the "hip-curve" line on the back doors was also prepared by Opel designer Herbert Killmer. There was certainly a perception that Opel's great rival fell foul of the "too American" complaint with their Ford 17M launched in 1967 featuring a variation on the "hip-curve" which then had to be relaunched with a simplified form less than a year later because of poor sales which, rightly or wrongly, were attributed to an excessively American design. Ford's stumble with their 1967 17M model was Opel's gain in the market place, however, and there was no sign of market resistance the exceptionally well balanced overall design of the Opel Rekord C, hip-curve and all.
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