If you’re the type of enthusiast who wants to show up at a Cars & Coffee in a low-mileage classic and be virtually guaranteed that you won’t park beside an identical vehicle, this 1970 Opel Rekord is worth a close look. These cars weren’t rare in Germany, but the fact that we’ve seen only six Rekords of any description at Barn Finds confirms they aren’t common domestically. The car presents nicely and is a turnkey proposition. The seller has listed the Opel here on eBay in Duluth, Minnesota. The auction opened at $4,388, but there have been no bids at the time of writing.
Opel released the Rekord Series C in 1966, and it remained on sale until the end of 1971. It was considered a large car in Germany, but the wheelbase is 6″ shorter than a 1966 Ford Falcon Sedan, which was marketed locally as a compact. The company offered six body styles, with this car’s first owner ordering this 1970 example as a 2-Door Sedan. It makes a strong first impression, thanks to its shining Gold Metallic paint. Close-up shots reveal chips with developing surface corrosion, but it still presents impressively for a survivor of this vintage. However, the roof is a different story. It looks like Black vinyl, but move closer, and you’ll see it is a spray-on faux-vinyl product that looks pretty awful. I believe the seller planned to take the Opel to a shop to remove the coating, address a couple of small roof dents, and color-match the roof to the body. That sounds wise, and would be my first port of call if I were the winning bidder. The paint chips might exhibit surface corrosion, but this classic has no penetrating rust. The trim and glass are in good condition, presenting acceptably for a survivor with over five decades of service under its belt.
If we remove diesels, two-strokes, and the Wankel rotary from the equation, internal combustion engines broadly fall into two categories. Some feature pushrod operation, while the rest have overhead camshafts. Opel followed a different path with the 1,897cc four beneath the Rekord’s hood. The motor features cam-in-head architecture, with the camshaft situated above the cylinders, but beside the valves. It operates the valves via lifters and rockers, as typically found in traditional pushrod engines. The company never explained the logic behind this configuration, although some people believe that it lowered the engine’s overall height, allowing for a lower hood. The seller says this car originally delivered around 90hp to the rear wheels through a four-speed manual transmission, and that figure sounds plausible. The car also features power front disc brakes, which should provide excellent stopping power. The seller recently installed new tie-rod ends, spark plugs, ignition points, and a condenser. The Rekord runs and drives well and is a turnkey proposition with a genuine 31,000 miles on the clock.
Although it isn’t pristine, this Opel’s interior is comfortably acceptable for a survivor. Trimmed in a combination of Tan cloth and vinyl, the seats look excellent. There is no significant wear or visible staining. The vinyl door trims look respectable, though a few lumps and bumps are developing on the passenger side. The dash and pad are excellent, and the only headliner issue is staining on the outer edges as the factory glue has leeched through. It isn’t lavishly equipped, but does feature a heated rear window and an AM/FM radio.
The 1970 Opel Rekord sold well in Europe, with crisp, clean styling. However, the motor makes the car genuinely interesting, as the company took an unusual approach to camshaft placement. My only concern surrounds the roof, because I don’t believe the spray coating does the car any cosmetic favors. A reputable shop would have little trouble fixing that, and my understanding is that this was the seller’s plan before deciding to part with this classic. I found something interesting while researching this story. This listing isn’t the seller’s first recent attempt to send the Rekord to a new home. They advertised the Opel on another auction site, and bidding stalled at $4,388, which was below the reserve. That explains the opening figure on this listing, but since the action previously was quite subdued, I won’t be surprised if history repeats itself. Do you agree?
Was fur ein toller Fund, or what a great find. ( pardon my German, remember it was forbidden in my parents house) Duluth, you say? Scotty Gs stompin’ grounds, I hope he was one of the bidders. SHIP IT OUT, SG!!!
Never saw one. Most of our recollections of Rekords, were the late 50s that looked like 50s GMs. Once the Kadett came ashore, the Rekord vanished,,,until right now. It looks like a downsize Ford Torino, or a Kadett on steroids, as if, and has all the pieces of a Kadett( or Chevette later) into a more pleasant package. I believe the motor was created for simplicity and lower build costs, but turned out to be one of the most reliable motors. They made an in line 6 too, that was used in many applications. It really is an amazing find, I’d love to have it!
I don’t see how these are rare and VW bugs are not. This is a great looking car.
5 million Beetles sold in the U.S. vs less than 1% that number of Opel Rekords might have something to do with it.
These were never sold by dealers in the US.
I had a ’66 Taunus 20M 2 door wagon that was
given to me, without an engine.It still had one of
the cool glass headlights,with a round sealed beam
one on the other side of the grille,& there were lots of
NOS 17M parts in the back.
I gave it away to a German guy (Chris Trosh),who
lived in the Los Angeles area.
I wonder if it’s still around.
I though tit was an interesting starting bid amount, then remembered that this car was on Bring a trailer and it ended there at $4388.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1970-opel-rekord-2/
You mean besides the fact that they mentioned it in the article?
Nice work/love old style cars 🚗 and Trucks/ It’s a great idea for our history/ heritage to see how it has changed over time/ keep up the tradition 🇺🇸🚜🚑🏎️⛵️🚁 bye/ bye 👋 Thanks
I never saw one of these before. It’s a very clean and crisp styled car in good condition. It definitely is not a Manta. Overall appearance I don’t think the fake vinyl top is a bad choice style wise. But we all know what happens under a vinyl top. I wouldn’t kick it off the driveway. But I also wouldn’t be a player for any serious money. A paper plate Opel.
My family had a 59, called it the beep. Because of the horn. This was around 1963 to 1966 and the Buick dealer couldn’t find a tie rod for it, so it wore out front tires pretty quickly. I was in high school and this is the car that I got to drive most of the time. Loved it.
Also had a 1964 rekord when I was stationed in Germany in 69-70. It was larger and had a larger engine and would get down the Autobahn at 80 to 85 mph with no problem.
Really nice . Good to see a car from my childhood days. Too bad I can’t get very excited about a gasoline car these days anymore.
Practical and nice-looking car: too bad it’s so far away!
Definitely unique. But it’s another car that probably won’t sell to anyone that doesn’t have a specific affection for these. I’d be curious to know what the reserve is, because I can’t see it being much more than 6-8k.
I live in The Netherlands. Back in the sixties and seventies the Rekord was about the most common car you saw on the streets. The car has nothing ti do with US comfort of that era. A nasty, loud drive. But yes extremely reliable and a very good trade in. But fun. No. The better option but far too expensive for most was the up market lookalike named Commodore GSE with a strong 6 cylinder 2.5 litre and more like a luxurious american trim level.
I forgotten how simple a car can be. This is a very cool ride. The radio is great only seen them in European models. It must be fun to drive around. I remember my cousin had a 70 Opel Kadet 2dr white. That was also fun to drive around. So simple to work on. Compare to the hi-tech we have today. I will take the old days anytime!! I heard about this design of an engine. Now seeing it is cool looking. Its a shame how Government and politics ruin our rides. I hope it goes to a good home. 🇺🇸🐻
neat looking but looks like an early Toyota. appears to be really clean. a 68 Opel Kadet sold yesterday at mecum for 68k.thats just nuts.
I lived 4x in West Germany growing up as an ‘Army Brat’ from 1966-83,so I remember these cars. And yes,they were very popular & common. But to address that ‘Spray on Roof Covering’ it likely is either original,or was done when the car was new at the dealer. That was also quite common on these cars, likely to make it look a bit more like the ‘Commodore’ based on the same body as a Rekord,which was available with a Vinyl Roof? (And a standard 6cyl,Automatic also was an option on those.) Also: The ‘Rekord C’ (What it’s called in Europe) actually debuted in the fall of ’66 as what we’d consider as a 1967 model.
I got this car as a 2-door wagon (called a “Caravan”) from 1968, drive it since about 15 years as my daily, very reliable, never let me down.
The “Rekord” is the big brother of the “Kadett”.
The “Kadett” is considered a economy car in Europe, the “Rekord” is a step higher, then there’s the “Kapitän”, the “Admiral” and finaly the “Diplomat”.
Which were considered luxury cars with inline 6 and V8 engines.
If you like the shape of the “Rekord C” then you should look up the “Commodore B”, which is 2-door fastback version of it with a inline 6 engine.
Sharp looking car in my eyes.
Sorry I made a mistake.
The fastback version is not the “Commodore B” but the “Commodore A Coupé”.
The “B” is the successor, as is the “Rekord D” for the “Rekord C”.
Actually, both the Rekord and the Commodore existed as 2- and 4-door sedans as well as the good looking Hardtop Coupe. The Rekord came with 1.7 or 1.9 liter 4-cylinder engines, the Commodore with 2.5 or 2.8 liter 6-cylinders. The top of the line was the Commodore 2.8 GS/E that had for its time a very respectable 160 hp.
My father got a new 1970 Rekord 1900 L Hardtop Coupe in gold metallic when my sister had just been born. 3 small kids, still no need for a SUV or even a wagon. I was 10 when he traded it in -73 for a regular 2-door Rekord Sedan and I cried.
Thanks for the details Beyfon.
The Hardtop Coupe for sure is a nice looking car.
The Rekord also came as a 2- and 4-door station wagon, called “Caravan”.
I prefer the older one from a little while ago.
Practical and nice-looking car: too bad it’s so far away! I have had this up here for nearly three hours: please POST it! Thank you.
Not a bad looking car in great shape, rectangular headlights and rhino liner roof notwithstanding.
I pumped gas all through high school, back in the 70s… I thought I’d seen just about every make and model of car. I have never seen one of these. Very rare in the USA.
Probably also never saw the bigger Opels, cause they also never where officialy sold in the US.
The Kapitän, the Admiral and the Diplomat.
Some models even had a V8 in them.
https://www.autoflotte.de/mediathek/60-jahre-opel-3563382
Remember those cars. Mostly it was the Diplomat that had the V8 in them. The 327/300 hp Chevrolet.
Way cool and I like it. But just where the hell would you get parts for this thing here in Florida?!! And if it doesn’t say Ford, Chrysler, or GM on it, you can almost forget about having it
serviced here unless you live in a
big city like Miami, Tampa, or Orlando. The engine reminds me of the type Ford put into Pintos and Escorts. Bust a timing belt,
and you bend every valve in the
engine. There was a friend of mine that had a ’71 (?) Kadett wagon parked at his place in Lake Alfred (Polk County) about
10 years ago and I almost bought
it were it not for the fact that it needed to have the cylinder head
replaced. He was selling it for someone that lived in the trailer
park and was asking $2K for it in.
2016. Well, the party that had the
car for sale finally had it crushed
as there were no repair shops in
the county that could service it. Hell, you couldn’t even get metric
tool sets in that county until about 2020. If you wanted or needed metric tools, you had to
drive to a big city or have them shipped in from out of state. And
yes folks, the mechanics in Polk
County were that backward! Maybe that’s why this car only has 19K miles on it. It was more than likely driven sparingly as parts and service for them is very
hard to find. The seller was afraid that the engine would take
a 💩 and he’d have a very expensive piece of yard art.
Parts easy to find on ebay.de, many enthusiasts and clubs in Germany.
My memory served me well here, I came to think about Lillebror Nasenius who was a Swedish rally driver who usually drove Opel Rekord. I found a nice picture here.
https://www.jornaldosclassicos.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Header_Opel-Rekord-B.jpg
I have seen one of these in my lifetime ( 73) and this is the second! It reminds me of an old Dodge subcompact………interesting find and amazing condition for an odd car……….
Auction ended at $4,388.
Reserve Not Met.
2 bids.