Opel Rekord Series D
| Opel Rekord Series D | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Opel (General Motors) |
| Production | 1971–1977 |
| Assembly |
Rüsselsheim Biel (-1975) |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Executive car (E) |
| Body style |
|
| Related | Vauxhall Victor FE/VX |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | |
| Transmission | 4-speed manual column shift ("Sportschaltung" floor mounted shift optional on petrol powered versions) 3-speed automatic optional |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Opel Rekord Series C |
| Successor | Opel Rekord Series E |
The Opel Rekord Series D is an executive car that replaced the Rekord C on Opel's Rüsselsheim production lines during the closing weeks of 1971 and launched on the West German market at the start of 1972. It shared its wheelbase and inherited most of its engines from its predecessor, but the bodies were completely new. Also new, announced in September 1972, was the option of a diesel powered Opel Rekord. Early advertising and press material called the new car the "Opel Rekord II" but in due course, the "Rekord II" appellation was quietly dropped and the Rekord D was replaced at the end of the 1977 summer holiday shut down by the Opel Rekord E.
The Rekord D's 5½ year production run was longer than that of any previous generation of Opel Rekord: during that period 1,128,196 were produced. It was the second Opel Rekord to exceed the million mark, although its final year saw a marked decrease in demand, challenged after 1975 by second generation Opel Ascona. By now the eye watering increases in fuel prices were encouraging middle market customers to downsize, at a time when the Opel Rekord had, over the years, grown to occupy a market slot at the top end of "medium sized" category in northern Europe, being already seen as a "large" family car in Italy and even France.
Various cars based on the Rekord D were also built at General Motors plants outside West Germany, both within and beyond Europe.
The car that appeared at the end of December 1971 featured an all-new body styled by Chuck Jordan. The Rekord C's "coke-bottle" style was not repeated, but the new car, with its larger glass area, did introduce a discrete tribute to the Hofmeister kink, a styling cue which had identified BMW cars for ten years. The Rekord D was close in form to the Vauxhall Victor "Transcontinental" launched three months later by Opel's sister company in England. In fact none of the exterior body panels were the same, but the two cars shared their principal floor panel pressings and a number of other components in places where customers would not notice them. Evidently there were close contacts between the teams at Vauxhall and Opel during the development phase. The shared design philosophy and aspirations of the European General Motors cousins are hard to gainsay, however, when the cars are viewed together.
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Wikipedia