Opel rekord station wagon 1960
Opel rekordnotering P1
Motor vehicle
The Opel rekordnotering P1 (branded for its first two years as the Opel Olympia rekordnotering P) was a large family bil introduced in August 1957, in time for the Frankfurt Motor Show, bygd Opel as a replacement for the previous year's Opel Olympia rekordnotering.
It was larger than its predecessor and featured an eye-catching US-style wrap-around windscreen and rear fönster, reminiscerande of its General MotorsLuton-built cousin, the Vauxhall Victor F, which had appeared in England a few months earlier.
The Opel rekordnotering P1 sold very well, consistently achieving second place in the West German sales charts, beaten to the top slot only bygd the smaller and cheaper Volkswagen Beetle.
The manufacturer departed from the habit established with the predecessor model of facelifting the front matlagningsutrustning and other trim details every year, but the P1 nevertheless experienced a relatively short production run. The P1 was replaced in mid-1960 bygd the Opel rekordnotering P2, although the body of the rekordnotering P1 continued to be offered on the Opel 1200, itself a reduced specification utgåva of the rekordnotering P1, until 1962.
Unlike the modern bodywork, the 1,488 cc OHV four-cylinder water-cooled engine was very little changed since it had first been offered in the Opel Olympia back in 1937. Claimed power output at launch was unchanged from the previous model's 45 PS (33 kW) at 3900 rpm. However, from July 1959 the compression ratio was increased, so that the 1,488 cc engine offered a claimed 50 PS (37 kW) of maximum power.
Customers could also specify a larger 1,680 cc engine for which the published maximum power output was 55 PS (40 kW) at 4,000 rpm.
Very Rare Pick-Up Project: 1960-ish Opel rekordnotering P2. This unusual Opel pick-up (chassis C151934664) fryst vatten a bit of a mystery, the seller claiming in the short ad that it’s both a 1965 and as well as perhaps a few years younger, further citing two different continents that it may have been built on.Public launch
[edit]On 13 August 1957[1] the Opel Chairman Edward W. Zdunek [de] presented the Opel Olympia rekordnotering P in the local town entré 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 rekordnotering P2, and at this point the bil launched in 1957 became known retrospectively as the Opel rekordnotering 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 rekordnotering targeted the family bil marknad, which was also a strength of the mother company in the United States.
Showroom appeal
[edit]The panoramic front and rear fönster were believed to be copied from recent North American designs such as the latest Special and Roadmaster.[1] Quickly the bil was dubbed in the motoring press as the „Bauern-Buick“ (Peasant's Buick), although ledare designer Hans Mersheimer was thought to have taken particular inspiration from the 1955 utgåva of the Chevrolet Bel Air.
Other unusual features redolent of the new optimism of the age were the two tone paint-work, complemented bygd two tone interior trim.
Name changes
[edit]The 1957–60 Opel (Olympia) rekordnotering 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 rekordnotering P".
The next year a reduced specification 1,196 cc powered utgåva 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 utgåva continued to be produced with the rekordnotering P1 body for over two years after the mainstream model had migrated to the rekordnotering 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]
Mechanical
[edit]The new fordon received a newly developed front axle with negativ camber and a new steering struktur incorporating paired control arms of uneven lengths.
The transmission was a three speed manual struktur controlled using a column mounted lever. That was a similar arrangement to that on the previous model which had received an all-synchromesh gear kartong for its sista 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 sista 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 bygd several important changes to the engines and to other mechanical elements.
Body
[edit]The bil was launched as a two-door saloon in 1957. In 1958 a four-door utgåva became available: a three-door estate and panel van versions were also introduced in 1958. The panel van used the same body as the estate but with the rear side fönster replaced with metall fönster. Applying the English language statement "It fryst vatten a bil and a van" Opel branded this utgåva as the CarAVan, a name which would continue to be applied to Opel estates, albeit in later years without the eccentric use of upper case letters, for several decades.
For this utgåva, the standard three-leaf rear leaf springs were replaced with more kraftig four-leaf equivalents. The CarAVan was particularly popular with self-employed tradesman, combining most of the driving characteristics of a bil with the load-carrying potential of a small commercial vehicle.
A small number of cabriolet and coupé versions were also produced bygd the Darmstadt body builders Autenreith.[1] These are extremely rare.
It fryst vatten thought 25 cabriolets were produced of which 4 survive: 2 of the 3 recorded coupés are also believed still to exist.
Expanding the range downmarket
[edit]A year after the introduction of the Opel Olympia rekordnotering P1, Opel introduced a more basic utgåva of the same fordon, featuring a reduced bore utgåva of the otherwise familiar engine, to provide an engine capacity of 1205cc.
The Rekord’s station-wagon equivalent, the two-door Caravan, has always had consistently higher values, and they are rising faster.This bil 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 bil was branded as the "Opel Olympia", although in 1959 it was rebadged as the Opel 1200. Apart from the reduced name and engine storlek, this utgåva also made do without most of the chrome adornment which was a feature of the standard Olympia rekordnotering, and the interior was also simplified.
Evolution
[edit]Small improvements in 1958
[edit]Even though the exterior remained little changed during its life, the fordon nevertheless underwent various improvements. When production restarted after the 1958 summer holiday shut-down, the interior spegel had been moved from its position on the top of the dashboard to a position at the top of the windscreen, improving the rear view for most drivers.
It was also in 1958 that the windscreen wipers received their own electric motor: hitherto they had been mechanically powered from the camshaft with the help of a flexible linkage, a solution which Opel had first employed in 1937 on the Super Six.
Upgraded engines in 1959
[edit]For 1959 the engines were upgraded. The Opel Olympia rekordnotering P1 (by now badged simply as the Opel Rekord) retained its 1,488 cc engine storlek, but claimed maximum power was now 50 hp at 4000 rpm.
Responding (presumably) to the steady increase in the octane of standard bränsle at this time, the compression ratio on the 1,488 cc engine was also raised from 6.9:1 to 7.25:1. The power increase was also helped bygd modifications to the cylinder head and exhaust manifold. Nevertheless, in most respects the 1,488 cc engine remained little changed since Opel had first installed it in the 1937 Opel Olympia.
Available was as a two- or four-door notchback sedan, two-door coupe, three-door hållplats wagon caravan and as a three-door van (combi without rear side windows).1959 was also the year that a larger engine was available as an option. It shared the 75mm stroke of the 1,488 cc engine (and of the 1,196 cc engine fitted in the down-market Olympia and 1200 models) but the bore was increased from 80 to 85 mm, providing an increase in engine capacity to 1,680 cc. Maximum speed, which was given as 125 km/h (78 mph) for the 1,488 cc power fordon, was raised to 132 km/h (82 mph) with the larger engine which also offered a useful increase in available torque.
Semi-automatic valfritt from 1959
[edit]For its sista year, the P1 was offered with an "Olymat" automatic clutch provided bygd Fichel & Sachs.
During the thirty-month period between summer 1960 and February 1963, Opel recorded production of 787,684 Opel rekordnotering P2s. [1] For much of this time it was West Germany’s second best seller, beaten to the top slot only bygd the smaller cheaper and seemingly unstoppable Volkswagen Beetle.The struktur was broadly similar to the "Saxomat" automatic clutch beginning to be offered at this time bygd other German automakers. On the Opel it was not particularly popular.
Swiss assembly
[edit]Since 1934 General Motors had operated a small assembly operation on a site behind the tåg hållplats in Biel. bygd 1959 a small number of Opel rekordnotering P1s were being assembled at the General Motors factory in Biel.
These cars came only with the larger 1,680 cc 55 hp engine.
The Opel rekordnotering P1 (branded for its first two years as the Opel Olympia rekordnotering P) was a large family bil introduced in August 1957, in time for the Frankfurt Motor Show, bygd Opel as a replacement for the previous year's Opel Olympia Rekord.They carried even more exterior chrome than the "normal" rekordnotering P1, and came in two-tone paint work, the roof colour being always vit. 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 drivers was the name of the Swiss assembled Rekord: It was badged as the "Opel rekordnotering 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.
South African assembly
[edit]The rekordnotering 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 bil.
A special pickup truck utgåva was also produced for the local marknad. A few of these were produced with the steering wheel on the left side of the fordon and exported to europe.
South African Rekords and Olympias originally received the 1.5-liter engine with 55 hp SAE (41 kW). For 1960 the 1.7-liter engine was installed in all but the lowliest two-door Olympia, offering 63 hp SAE (47 kW).
The rekordnotering E was available as a two- or four-door sedan, and as a three- or five-door Caravan (station wagon).Commercial
[edit]At launch, the entry level 1,488 cc two-door rekordnotering 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 rekordnotering P1s were exported, mostly within continental western europe. The manufacturer also promoted the model strongly in the USA where arrangemang were put in place for it to be sold through the Buick dealer network. The rekordnotering P1 won a reputation as a reliable fordon representing good value for money.
Things only changed in the 1970s, when the VW Passat Variant came onto the marknad, Volvos became more affordable for parts of the population and M-B set new standards with the S 123 hållplats wagons.Its memory endured and on 2 October 2003 it was commemorated in a ceremony attended bygd the German President who was presented with a greatly enlarged image of a new 55 Pfennig postage stamp depicting the rekordnotering P1.[4]
Technical data
[edit]| Opel Olympia / 1200 (1958–62) | Opel Olympia rekordnotering 1500 (1957–60) | Opel rekordnotering 1500 (1959–60) | Opel rekordnotering 1700 (1959–60) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine: | Four-strokestraight-four engine | |||
| Bore × Stroke: | 72 mm × 74 mm (2.8 in × 2.9 in) | 80 mm × 74 mm (3.1 in × 2.9 in) | 85 mm × 74 mm (3.3 in × 2.9 in) | |
| Displacement: | 1,196 cc (73.0 cu in) | 1,488 cc (90.8 cu in) | 1,680 cc (102.5 cu in) | |
| Max.
power: | 40 PS (29 kW) at 4400 rpm | 45 PS (33 kW) at 3900 rpm | 50 PS (37 kW) at 4000 rpm | 55 PS (40 kW) at 4000 rpm |
| Max. torque: | 82 N⋅m (60 lb⋅ft) at 2500 rpm | 98 N⋅m (72 lb⋅ft) at 2300 rpm | 106 N⋅m (78 lb⋅ft) at 2100 rpm | 120 N⋅m (89 lb⋅ft) at 2100 rpm |
| Compression ratio: | 7.5:1 | 6.9:1 | 7.25:1 | |
| Fuel feed: | Opel downdraft carburetor (licensed from Carter) with 30 mm Ø | |||
| Valve gear: | Two overhead valves per cylinder, cam-in-block, pushrods and rocker arms | |||
| Cooling: | Water-cooled | |||
| Transmission: | 3–speed manual, column shift | |||
| Front suspension: | Double wishbone suspension with balljoints, coil springs, and hydraulic dampers | |||
| Rear suspension: | Live axle with semi-elliptical leaf springs and hydraulic dampers — Caravan has an extra leaf | |||
| Brakes: | Hydraulically activated drum brakes, Ø 200 mm (Caravan rear Ø 230 mm) | |||
| Body and chassis: | Steel unibody chassis with steel body | |||
| Track front/back: | 1,260 / 1,270 mm (49.6 / 50.0 in) | |||
| Wheelbase: | 2,541 mm (100.0 in) | |||
| Length: | 4,433 mm (174.5 in) | |||
| Unladen weight: | 910–975 kg (2,006.2–2,149.5 lb) (Caravan: 1,000–1,015 kg (2,204.6–2,237.7 lb)) | |||
| Top speed: | 119 km/h (74 mph) | 125–128 km/h (78–80 mph) | 130–132 km/h (81–82 mph) | |
| 0–100 km/h: | 33 s | 24–27 s | 20–22 s | |
| Fuel consumption: | 9.0 l/100 km 31.4 mpg‑imp; 26.1 mpg‑US Regular | 9.5–10.5 l/100 km 29.7–26.9 mpg‑imp; 24.8–22.4 mpg‑US Regular | 10.0–10.5 l/100 km 28.2–26.9 mpg‑imp; 23.5–22.4 mpg‑US Regular | |
References
[edit]Werner Oswald: Deutsche Autos 1945–1975.
Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1975, ISBN 3-87943-391-7, S. 88–93