This means that customers could choose between a two-door and a four-door sedan, a Caravan (station wagon), a delivery van and a coupe. The sedan and the coupe also came with optional luxury features.
The Rekord P2 managed to convince a total of 786,411 customers, with the delivery van registering sales of 32,026 units between 1960 and 1963. Thus, the vehicle became the best-seller of the mid-size segment, also managing to claim the second spot in the German car registrations charts for a while.
The vehicle came in standard with a 1.5 liter engine developing 50 hp, with an optional 1.7 liter unit that delivered 55 hp also being offered. The coupe and the sedan later became available with a 60 hp 1.7 liter engine. At the launch, the car was available with a three-speed manual gearbox, but Opel offered a four-speed transmission and a semi-automatic gearbox subsequently.
“The slight bulging, curved shape and lines have been replaced by a striking emphasis on the horizontal,” said a press release at the time. “For the design of the new models, Opel started with the interior. Its dimensions were established before the body was formed.”
The “P” designation was used to underline the most important design feature of the car, the panorama windshield. This was also found on the Olympia Rekord P1 model produced between 1957 and 1960.
You can check out the entire Rekord P2 story in the PDF file below.
Google News