Opel Rekord P1

On 13 August 1957[1] the Opel Chairman Edward W. Zdunek presented the Opel Olympia Rekord P in the local town hall at Rüsselsheim.[2] The "P" in the name stood for "Panorama", a reference to the view out of the wrap-around windscreen. However, in 1960 the successor model appeared, branded as the Opel Rekord P2, and at this point the car launched in 1957 became known retrospectively as the Opel Rekord P1. At a time when mid-range incomes were expanding fast on the back of West Germany's so called post-war "Wirtschaftswunder" (economic miracle) the Olympia Rekord targeted the family car market, which was also a strength of the mother company in the United States.

The panoramic front and rear windows were believed to be copied from recent North American designs such as the latest Special and Roadmaster.[1] Quickly the car was dubbed in the motoring press as the „Bauern-Buick“ (Peasant's Buick), although chief designer Hans Mersheimer was thought to have taken particular inspiration from the 1955 version of the Chevrolet Bel Air. Other unusual features redolent of the new optimism of the age were the two tone paint-work, complemented by two tone interior trim.

The 1957–60 Opel (Olympia) Rekord P1 came with different names, depending on date and type. At the 1957 launch it was called the "Opel Olympia Rekord", or, sometimes, the "Opel Olympia Rekord P". The next year a reduced specification 1,196 cc powered version was introduced called simply the "Opel Olympia".

In July 1959 the standard model, at the same time as receiving more power, became simply the "Opel Rekord". The cut-price "Opel Olympia" was now stripped even of its former name, being branded from 1959 simply as the "Opel 1200". This stripped down, cut-price version continued to be produced with the Rekord P1 body for over two years after the mainstream model had migrated to the Rekord P2 body.[1] The Opel 1200 was only available with two-door sedan bodywork.

It was also offered as the Opel 1500 with a 1.5 litre engine.[3]

The new car received a newly developed front axle with negative camber and a new steering system incorporating paired control arms of uneven lengths.

The transmission was a three speed manual system controlled using a column mounted lever. That was a similar arrangement to that on the previous model which had received an all-synchromesh gear box for its final year: for the new model synchromesh was included for all three forward ratios from the beginning.

The 1488cc engine had also been uprated for the final year's production on the previous model's production run, and now provided a claimed 45 hp maximum power output at 3900 rpm.[1]

Although the P1 changed very little outwardly during its year production run, the three-year period would be characterized by several important changes to the engines and to other mechanical elements.

The car was launched as a two-door saloon/sedan in 1957. In 1958 a four-door version became available: a three-door station wagon and panel van versions were also introduced in 1958. The panel van used the same body as the station wagon but with the rear side windows replaced with metal windows. Applying the English language statement "It is a car and a van" Opel branded this version as the CarAVan, a name which would continue to be applied to Opel station wagons, albeit in later years without the eccentric use of upper case letters, for several decades. For this version, the standard three-leaf rear leaf springs were replaced with more robust four-leaf equivalents. The CarAVan was particularly popular with self-employed tradesman, combining most of the driving characteristics of a car with the load-carrying potential of a small commercial vehicle.

A small number of cabriolet and coupé versions were also produced by the Darmstadt body builders Autenreith.[1] These are extremely rare. It is thought 25 cabriolets were produced of which 4 survive: 2 of the 3 recorded coupés are also believed still to exist.

A year after the introduction of the Opel Olympia Rekord P1, Opel introduced a more basic version of the same car, featuring a reduced bore version of the otherwise familiar engine, to provide an engine capacity of 1205cc. This car had a higher compression ratio of 7.5:1, but the maximum power was nevertheless only 40 hp (29 kW) at 4,400 rpm and torque was also reduced. On introduction this car was branded as the "Opel Olympia", although in 1959 it was rebadged as the Opel 1200. Apart from the reduced name and engine size, this version also made do without most of the chrome adornment which was a feature of the standard Olympia Rekord, and the interior was also simplified.

Since 1934 General Motors had operated a small assembly operation on a site behind the train station in Biel. By 1959 a small number of Opel Rekord P1s were being assembled at the General Motors factory in Biel. These cars came only with the larger 1,680 cc 55 hp engine. They carried even more exterior chrome than the "normal" Rekord P1, and came in two-tone paint work, the roof colour being always white. The interior trim was also finished in a two-tone colour scheme, and employed leather upholstery. The Swiss assembled cars were sold only in Switzerland: only ten are thought to survive.

Perhaps of most significance to subsequent generations of Opel driver was the name of the Swiss assembled Rekord. It was badged as the "Opel Rekord Ascona", after the resort on the Ticinese north shore of Lake Maggiore. The Ascona name would reappear just over ten years later on a new volume model introduced as Opel's answer to the Fords Taunus and Cortina.

The Rekord P1 was also assembled (like its successor) at the General Motors plant in South Africa: here the steering wheel had to be positioned on the right side of the car. A special pickup truck version was also produced for the local market. A few of these were produced with the steering wheel on the left side of the car and exported to Europe.

South African Rekords and Olympias originally received the 1.5-liter engine with 55 hp (41 kW) SAE. For 1960 the 1.7-liter engine was installed in all but the lowliest two-door Olympia, offering 63 hp (47 kW) SAE.

At launch, the entry level 1,488 cc two-door Rekord came with a manufacturer's recommended price of DM 6,385. In this price bracket its most obvious competitor was the slightly shorter but also slightly wider and more powerful Ford Taunus 17M.

During the three-year period between 1957 and 1960 Opel recorded production of 817,003 Olympia Rekords.[1] It was still produced at about half the rate of the Volkswagen Beetle, but it was repeatedly West Germany's second best seller. During the same three years Ford recorded production of 239,978 Ford Taunus 17Ms.[1]

Slightly more than 50% of the Rekord P1s were exported, mostly within continental western Europe. The manufacturer also promoted the model strongly in the USA where arrangements were put in place for it to be sold through the Buick dealer network. The Rekord P1 won a reputation as a reliable car representing good value for money. Its memory endured and on 2 October 2003 it was commemorated in a ceremony attended by the German President who was presented with a greatly enlarged image of a new 55 Pfennig postage stamp depicting the Rekord P1.[4]

Werner Oswald: Deutsche Autos 1945–1975. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1975, ISBN 3-87943-391-7, S. 88–93

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