Opel Rekord E - Terje's cars

A stylish German from General Motors

The last record

Opel uses a letter to indicate model order. Rekord E is thus number 5 in the series, and the last time Rekord was used as a model name. Rekord was in production from 1953 to 1986. The last Rekord was in production from the 1978 model year up to and including 1986. It received a facelift for the 1983 model year. The two series are often referred to as E1 and E2. The facelift involved a completely new front and rear, as well as new engines.

Record E1

Model history

Like its predecessors, the Rekord E was produced in different variants. The most popular were the 4-door sedan and 5-door station wagon, but it was also available as a 2-door sedan and 3-door station wagon. The latter are rarer – and considered by many to be more beautiful. The engines found in most Rekords are the 2,0 S with 100 HP. Other engines are the 2,0E with 110 HP. The Rekord E2 could be delivered with the 2,2i – an engine that was chosen by many. The diesel option was the 2,1 D and 2,3 D as well as the 2,3 TD for the E2. Standard gearboxes were 4-speed manual, but cars after the facelift could order 5-speed gearboxes. A 3-speed automatic was optional.

Record E2

About the pictures

Opel Rekords were proper utility cars. As new cars, they were popular as company cars, often chosen by customers with good advice. In the next stage, they were driven as family cars for most people. Finally, they were often used as youth cars. Many ended up as robber cars. There are actually very few well-maintained examples left. The green Rekord is a pre-facelift E1 photographed at Frognerkilen Marina in Oslo. The red 2-door car is a Rekord 2.0 S E1 photographed at the Veteran Car Day 2022 in Tofte. The ivory-yellow E1 car was also photographed at the same place. The white car is a Rekord E2 that participated in the Veteran Car Day in Skien 2026. The photos of the beige car in winter light were taken at Fornebu. It is a 1985 model year E2 with a 2.0 S engine.