"Just act, then you're acting crazy enough." That is the motto of the Opel Rekord, an unpretentious working class hero. He supports a report full of seven and seven and a half. Without outliers up and down. Okay, in this Opel Rekord E2 2.0 S Berlina you experience a bit more opulence. But he remains neatly within the lines. Nothing wrong with it.
Text & photography: Aart van der Haagen
You can visit a hundred classic events without spotting one Opel Rekord E2 in the wild. Unless Kees van Rumpt happens to let his blue 1983 Berlina stretch his legs. “Very underrated, this series,” he rightly notes. For the earlier model - the D, logically - people are quite enthusiastic. And among a modest group of enthusiasts, the interest in the following Omega is slowly developing.
The Opel Rekord E2 is undervalued
But the E1 (1977-1982) and the Opel Rekord E2 (1982-1986) fall a bit between the walls. Not classic enough to pass for the archetypal old-timer, too simple and too raw to survive alongside the new-named young-timer, which got an independently sprung rear axle and more refinements. The E largely adopted the D.'s engines and platform, including a rigid connection between the rear wheels. After the drastic model renewal in 1982, in which the cw value dropped from 0,42 to 0,36, that changed little. With its reliability and practical design, the model had to cope with more modern competition.
Twin
Fortunately, Kees van Rumpt certainly honors the Opel Rekord E2. In addition to a number of beautiful Mantas B. He is also exactly the man for it: down-to-earth, uncomplicated and reliable. In his yard you will not easily find an exclusive Senator and not even an Omega. “I like the simple technique. No difficult situations. Just a rigid rear axle and other solutions every idiot understands. ”
That worked out equally well with the twins that he took over from another Opel fanatic, not far away. “A guy who mainly deals with Kapitäns, Admirals and Diplomats. He wanted to say goodbye to his two Rekords, both blue, both a 2.0 S. One of them had a bad carriage and very healthy technology.
With the other, this Opel Rekord E2 Berlina, it was exactly the opposite. The differential made noise. There was play in the shift mechanism and the engine felt tired. In addition, the high crankcase pressure of the Opel Rekord E2 stood out. I thought to myself, "Then let me transfer the entire drivetrain into that lovely Rekord." The surviving specimen, made riding by me, was given a destination by another enthusiast. ” Saved, too. A nice thought.
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For my wife, the steering was too heavy, so it missed power steering.
Power steering was available as an extra.
I have always found this a beautiful model, precisely because of the modest and restrained appearance. When I had driving lessons, there was a driving school with us that used the diesel version.
This E2 is chiselled as an excellent companion on longer trips. Best size had a light green metallic 2.0S, basic so basic but fortunately with bronze tinted windows, central locking and a good sliding roof. Four years in a row towards the South of France in the summer, cycling on the back and once with a trailer with a bungalow tent. The KJ-15-FP did not budge, just uphill and downhill on the Route Napoleon and 140-150 on the Autoroute without missing a beat. In between, drove 1 to 12 with two fingers in the nose. World car, I would buy one like that.
The rigid rear axle was outdated, but what did you notice? As long as you did not take right turns on bad roads, very little and because of the beautiful geometry and constant tracking, the Rekord (and the Manta and the Ascona, because they were nothing else) were fine on the road. Add to that the modern (well, Ford had them twenty years earlier) McPherson struts and the Rekord was quite good. Also the engines were not yet to be renewed, the cast iron CIH was still in service for years afterwards and was well tested, it was reasonably quiet, reasonably economical, reasonably fast, all reasonable so, but it was very reliable and there were no valves in this version to be asked. It was a typical short-stroke engine that wanted to be driven on revs.
The Rekord has never promised top performance and chic and exclusivity. You bought a sturdy workhorse that you always brought home and that never caused strange surprises on the bill. The water pump was no surprise to Opel drivers, it would leak and squeak every 50.000 kilometers unless you put in a cheap Italian fake thing, because it lasted a lot longer. After 200.000 kilometers, a new distribution chain, at least the long running shoe, came into view and the engine was eager to sweat some oil along the crankshaft. Furthermore: completely hassle-free, very solid, with a small tool box to maintain and yet a spacious and fine travel car.