Opel Olympia Rekord

The Opel Olympia Rekord was introduced with a new generously proportioned body and an old 1,488 cc engine in March 1953. The top seller, by far, was the two-door saloon. From August 1953 Opel also offered a 2-door cabriolet ("Cabrio-Limouisine") which, despite costing only an extra DM 300, sold in very small numbers. Also available from August was a 3-door estate which Opel branded as the Opel Olympia Rekord CarAVan. The resulting eleven syllable name was evidently no handicap in the marketplace, since the "Caravan" name would turn up on many subsequent Opel estate models. The styling was upbeat and an unapologetic tribute to the designs that General Motors were producing in Detroit, with a particularly striking open mouthed front grill which reminded commentators of a shark's mouth (der "Haifischmaul-Kuelhergrill").[1] Some customers may have been irritated that all the cars were delivered with their standard steel wheels painted black regardless of the colour of the car body, although sellers of after-market wheel trims were no doubt delighted by Opel's cost-cutting approach to painting the car's wheels.[2]

The advertised price in Germany was DM 6,410 for the 2-door "Limousine" (sedan) and DM 6,710 for the "Cabrio-Limousine" and "Caravan" (estate). By July 1954 Opel had produced 113,966 "Limousine" (sedan) or "Cabrio-Limousine" Olympia Rekords along with 15,804 "Caravan" (estate) versions and 6,258 Olympia Rekord panel vans.[2]

Production of the first Olympia Rekord ended in July 1954 and in late summer 1954 the mildly facelifted 1955 car was presented. The advertised power output of the 1,488 cc engine was unchanged at 40 hp (29 kW) despite a slight increase in the compression ratio from 6.3:1 to 6.5:1. The back window grew in size and the front grill was modified, through he addition of a single thick horizontal bar across the hitherto "open-mouthed" grill. This new adornment earned for the 1956 model, when coloured green, the soubriquet "Gurkenraspel" ("cucumber grill").[1]

A new base model was offered at DM 5,850, which was slightly above DM 1,000 more expensive than the market leading Volkswagen. Opel's new entry level family car also received a reduced name, being badged simply as the Opel Olympia, while the other models in the range continued with the Opel Olympia Rekord name. The 1955 model year also saw the introduction of a light panel van version.

The 1956 model, introduced towards the end of 1955, featured simplified bumpers from which the over-riders had disappeared. The hitherto "open-mouthed" grill was now filled with closely packed thin vertical bars. Further price reductions followed the trend also followed by other German auto-makers during the mid-1950s and the advertised German market price for the 1956 model ranged from 5,410 to 6,560 marks. The old 1,488 cc engine was also upgraded with a further increase in the compression ratio, now to 6.9:1, and advertised maximum power was increased to 45 hp (33 kW). In other respects the old engine was very little changed.

In July 1956 the 2-door cabriolet version was withdrawn. It had not sold well: the few survivors are much prized by enthusiasts and collectors half a century later.[1]

The 1957 model appeared in July 1956. The grill was again modified, the roof was slightly flattened and the exterior acquired even more chrome embellishment. Although the company had previously shunned significant mechanical changes when making their annual upgrades, they did now introduced an all-synchromesh gear-box.

German market advertised prices now stood between DM 5,510 and 6,560. By way of comparison, 1957 was the year that Volkswagen finally managed to sink the price of their entry level Beetle to just below DM 4,000.

The Opel Olympia Rekord was superseded in August 1957 by the new, larger and more flamboyantly styled Rekord P1 which would for the first time be offered with four doors. The 1937 Opel Olympia engine would continue to power entry level Opel Rekord models till 1965, however.