As you probably know by now, I do have a thing for old Opels. Finding a Kadett Rallye 1900 near my house was one of the highlights of my car hunting career so far, but I’ve rather given up finding a Rekord of this vintage. Or more like I never had any hope from the get-go. But CC reader Bob has stumbled into one, and what a rare one at that. The Rekord B was only built for ten months, and never imported to the US, so finding this on the road in Seattle makes it especially unusual. And if it weren’t exotic enough, it’s wearing 1963 Washington tags. Trying a bit too hard to make sure there’s none other like it in the world?
image: wikipedia
In production only ten months? Well, the Rekord B only differs from the Rekord A (above) in two main ways: its rectangular headlights, and the all-new Cam In Head (“CIH”) engine that finally replaced the venerable push rod four dating back to 1937. The Rekord A, which arrived in 1963, was designed and styled with considerable involvement from the GM Mothership in Warren, Michigan, and its similarities to the 1962 Chevy II are all-too obvious.
This generation of Rekord was never imported to the US. Opel sales in the US were handled by Buick dealers, and after its compact 1961 Special arrived, the Rekord was dead wurst. Supposedly a few were sold as late as 1962, maybe even a couple of leftovers in 1963, but that was the prior generation. So this 1700 Caravan was brought over from Germany by private hands; when is anybody’s guess, but it wasn’t in 1963.
In addition to two and four-door sedans and the Caravan wagon (two-door only), there was also a sporty coupe, although this one pictured frolicking in the winter snow is a round-eyed A model.
Bob didn’t snag any interior shots, but a bit of googling finds this car at another website, seattlesclassic.blogspot.com (there are a lot of CC-wanna-bes out there, which is a good thing). They featured this car last summer, and this interior shot is from there. These Rekords came with either three or four speed transmissions. Folks in the flat lands were well-enough served by the three-speed; in the Alps, the four speed was the obvious choice. Both were column shifted, except for the coupe which was graced with a floor-mounted stick.
The CIH engine came in 1492, 1698 or 1897 cc versions, with horsepower ratings of 60, 75 and 90, correspondingly. The Rekord A and B could also be had with the old 2605cc OHV six from the Kapitän, but it only brought an additional 10 hp and a lot of excess weight over the front wheels, making for unbalanced handling.
Why did Opel bother with a new model for only ten months? The new CIH engine was supposed to go in the all-new next generation Rekord C, but its development was running late. But the new engine was ready, hence the B, with the new headlights to show the world that it had something new under the hood as well. And why the 1963 Washington tags on it? Unless we hear from the owner, we’ll probably never know.
Remember the days when almost everybody had one, many small entrepreneurs had an Opel station wagon, a workhorse during the week and a family runner during the week end.
Holland was always an Opel country, and these were a very common sight.
I believe -correct me if I’m wrong- this is a Rüsselheim built Opel, the Belgian ones we Dutch had always had metallic silver rims.
A Belgian one was of slightly poorer built quality.
This latest version with rectangular headlights and the sedan and coupe had 4 round tailights
Here’s a picture of a later coupe.
Guess somebody was inspired by Corvette at GM in Rüsselsheim
I actually talked to the owner while I was taking pictures of this in the summer. At the time, It was parked next to a Kadett fastback. Old guy, hard of hearing, came out of his house and started quizzing me on 60s Opels. Unfortunately, I don’t have any further info, but he was somewhat of an Opel enthusiast.
It looks very much like the Vauxhall Victor of the same era, Opels that vintage are very rare here in any form. Nice find.
I see a lot of Vauxhall in it’s lines.Opels were quite rare in 60s Britain the last thing Vauxhall needed was an insider fighting for sales in the showroom although the odd one turned up now and again.
In WA a car registered as a collector vehicle can use vintage plates, though they technically are supposed to have been restored.
Washington’s year-of-manufacture license plate program for collector cars seems to be as popular as California’s. The plates themselves don’t need to be restored if they’re in decent original condition as quite a few are in this area of mild climate. Washington has one edge over California with respect to this program in that a single plate can be used. I suspect this is due to the fact that Washington’s dmv itself only issues single plates for horseless carriage or collector vehicle types.
People in the Tacoma or Seattle area who want to license their vehicle under this program would do well to go to the main county auditor’s office, where photos of Washington plates from all years are posted, and where the clerks are much more likely to be aware of the YOM program and its ins and outs. I’m a long-time license plate collector and am happy to answer questions about the Washington YOM program.
The contract agents I’ve used have been aware of the option to use vintage plates with a collector car registration. I considered it for one of my Scouts but the restrictions were just too restrictive for how I use it.
Still looks like a Chevy II. I recall reading somewhere that Germans had some sort of cultural affinity for 2 door cars, and that 2 doors in Germany usually sold at a higher rate than in other countries. Any truth? Offering a wagon only as a 2 door would seem to indicate some truth to a Teutonic preference for two doors.
Otoh there has always been a noticeable lack of 2-door Mercedes cars except for the higher-priced sport models. This suggests to me that any German preference for two-door cars would be limited to cheaper models.
Good point!
There is some truth to that, with Mercedes being the obvious exception. Two door Opels and Fords, even the mid-sized ones, sold well back then. And the station wagons were often only made as two-doors. But I can’t really explain it…
Some countries just wouldn’t touch two-doors, like the French. And the Brits preferred four doors too; there were not many two-doors except for the Mini and sporty versions of others. Well, Ford and Vauxhall did sell a reasonable number of two-doors.
Back then, station wagons in Germany were strictly for tradesmen and such; no one bought them if they didn’t need one, and they had a very definite image problem. Hence two-doors, since they were mostly loaded from the rear.
That’s ironic, as Germany really led the way with the station wagon becoming very in with younger buyers in the 80s. In the past few decades, the image has reversed, and sedans are seen to be old men’s cars.
True. Station wagons were more commercial vehicle than car, way into the seventies. A station wagon meant extra cargo space without offering comfort and handling. Our baker always drove an Opel Rekord station wagon (C, D and E) for example. The Ford Taunus station wagon was also very popular among salesmen, bakers, plumbers etc.
Later on they became more “lifestyle-vehicles” for the younger sporty guys.
That also meant less cargo space.
Here in Denmark most Opel Kadett and Rekord models were sold as two-doors due to the higher cost of four doors.
Ill never understand the apparent idea that 2-doors don’t sell or aren’t popular here in the States. All 3 ponycars are doing VERY well. Audi had been bringing the pain with the 2nd gen TT and its 5 series are finding plenty of takers. BMW, well…the M3 coupe speaks for itself.
I wouldn’t be caught dead owning a 4 door sedan. Paul, you nailed it: Ive always seen them as old mens’ cars. Having grown up in the awesome 80s and seeing pics of my dad in his glory days with his ’71 Cuda and ’67 Buick G/S as well as his general gearheadery rubbing off on me forever locked in a stodgy image for all sedans. From the current crop of panty waisted latte drinking hipsters who are ok with a new kia or hand-me-down cammacord since they ‘aren’t into cars anyway’, to the stuffed suit yuppie in a Mercedes, to the doddering old coot in a panther….Im nothing like ANY of those guys. Me, Im the spitting image of the unseen ‘Wild uncle…who introduced you to speed metal and gave you fireworks for your birthday’ in that Dodge commercial about 2 months ago. The Challenger is not only approved, but a goal. The Charger…not so much! But then again, I have German blood from both my parents sides….
Apples and Oranges-
Ponycars only represent 3 nameplates, and not one exceeds 85,000 units a year. In addition, not a single ponycar appears on the top twenty sales chart. The success Audi and BMW are having with two-doors could point to future changes, but don’t currently represent the mainstream market.
The meat of the market is the midsized sedans (200-300k sales nameplate) and include 10 or 12 nameplates, 6 of which reside in the top twenty sales chart (Camry, Accord, Altima, Fusion, Sonata and Malibu).
Of those six, only 2 offer two-door versions (Accord and Altima) as it appears Toyota has dropped the Solara. Ford, Chevy and Chrysler don’t offer a two door midsize, leaving that market to the Ponycars.
So while ponycars sell OK (let’s not ignore the fact that both the Camaro and Challenger went through a sales hiatus), it appears other two door cars do not.
I’ve not lived in Washington for a number of years, but wouldn’t a 1963 plate be only allowed on a 1963 automobile? If this is truly a Rekord B from 1965, it would have the ’65 plate. Could this be a Rekord A with the B grille?
Of course, there could have been a mistake at the Department of Licensing. (No, there really couldn’t have been, they are always right. This is why I keep getting tolled on the 520 bridge on a car I sold last year…)
It seems to me that whichever license agent did the year-of-manufacture registration for this car went by the 63 date on the plate and ignored the sticker. Of course to be correct the stickers should be removed, but there may be some reason that the owner wanted it kept, such as “Those were the original plates when the car was new…”
I wonder if this Opel is actually a 1965 since those plates were only issued until late 1964? Though if you buy a 1965 car in 1964 you would end up with the Wash 63 plates.
http://www.15q.net/wa.html
Neat Shooting Brake and I love its simplicity.
The Washington plates were still county-coded until 1980, and the change from the WASH. 63 to the WASHINGTON plate happened at different times in different counties. The change did happen in late 1964 to early 1965 in the Seattle-Tacoma area, but there was considerable variation from county to county, and at least Mason and Stevens Counties went directly from the 63-dated base to the reflective type in 1968, never having issued any of the interim WASHINGTON base.
Now that’s a nice Opel. I had no idea the Rekord B was so rare, or that it was only produced for a few months – but then, until a few years ago, I didn’t even know there was another model between the A and C Rekords.
However, there’s a Rekord B four-door sedan – in white, too – usually parked just around the corner from where I work. That one sure looks like a car that’s still in regular use, and while a bit rough around the edges, it’s still in decent shape inside and out. Well, back in the day, Opels did have a reputation for durability, or so I’ve heard…
Hello, my blog is dedicated to the Opel Rekord A and B models and this Rekord has been the only one I have found (online) in the United States.
( http://opel-rekord-a-b.blogspot.com/p/rekords-in-usa.html )
The strange thing is how can a ’66 model have ’63 plates?
Some one mentioned the possibility of the headlights and grille being swapped to the latter model but I will rule out that because of the badges.
The rekord badge on the front fenders corresponds to the B model (A models have a shield style badge) and the Rekord 1700 badge on the rear door is also different from the “carAvan” badge found on the A models.
Nice old Opel. Just drove my 74 ((V6)) Sportwagon on the street for 1st time in 15 years! Woot for random surfing.
As for the plates… You would have gotten that plate stamped 63 to a newly registered car until 66. Any tags on it are irrelevant. . It either went by manufacture date or model year. As long as the car is legit, I don’t think how or when it got here matters either. You can take a plate that COULD have been issued to it new and register it instead of a collector plate. Pretty cool, my parts car has a 70’s plate I can use.
hello interesting to find this kind of Opel in USA .Yes its a B model , interior , badging , everything .Its a rare opel but I have two B models , my friend has one , identical 2 door sedans , an also Im struggling to buy a coupe , but the man is not selling it.In my town where I live there are 4 B models in running condition , so i suppose its not so rare after all 🙂
regarding the car , my rekord B is in perfect condition, its my favorite car for driving, mechanical parts I buy new ones for very very cheap since CIH was produced until the 90 s( gasket for 5 eu, fuel pump for 20 eu, water pump 30 eu etc.) , it drives like a new car ( 2.0 liter CIH 5 speed getrag )
it gives a pleasure of driving like no other new model , for european standards its a poor man’s hotrod
we are a retro car club from Macedonia , greetings and welcome to visit our page ( still working on an English version of the site )
http://retrofreaks.mk/
General Motors Mexico assembled the Rekord B & C series for Mexican buyers until 1972 & there is a vintage Opel owners club in Mexico City. If you’re hankering for old Opels, Mexico would the logical place to find them
Look at my Instagram account: @boxy_clunkers. Scroll down to the bottom (3rd last photo) and you’ll see an Opel Rekord I spotted in Ecuador.