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The 'Rekord B' was presented in June 1965 and was manufactured only for 11 months. Basically it is a modified Rekord A with wider wheelbase, new engine and redesigned front and tail. It helped to extend the life of this breed of car until the Rekord C was ready for release in late 1966. I own a Rekord B myself, that's why this is the most comprehensive page of this Opel site.
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The main feature of the Rekord B was the new CIH (Cam In Head) engine range introduced
on this model. The 1900 engine produced a respectable 102 hp (SAE) and gave the model a class lead in performance
.vs. price. This engine in various capacities was used throughout all the Rekord series up to 1986.
Find below the six body types offered, if you include the 6-cyl option there were ten different models in production
during the eleven months !
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Model |
Picture |
Code |
Notes |
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2-door sedan |
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LZ |
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4-door sedan |
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LV |
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4-door sedan De Luxe |
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LVL |
4cyl or 6-cyl (LVL-B6) |
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2-door Sport Coupé |
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SZ |
4cyl or 6-cyl (SZ-B6) |
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3-door Caravan |
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KW |
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3-door Delivery Van |
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L |
(no rear side windows) |
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Gearboxes: 3-speed, 4-speed floor operated (on 1900) or automatic ('Olymat'). The models could be ordered in many colors
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The 4 cyl engine was available in 1500, 1700 or 1900 capacities, only cars with 1700/1900 engines were sold by dealers in Sweden. The car was available in a number of model variants (and combinations of engine/gearboxes, not to mention all colour combinations (27 colours for the Rekord A/B) and other options. |
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The Rekord B was also available with a 6 cyl engine, in 4-door sedan or coupe body styles. Click
here for images of a fine restored Norwegian car. These were imported to Sweden on special order only.
The 6-cyl model provided great performance as long as the road was
straight. High speed on twisty roads was not a recommended combination due to
the heavy front engine which produced understeer characteristics in combination
with a light rear end. The sight of the straight six shoehorned into the short engine bay
is an impressive sight for anyone interested in mechanical engineering. As for any car with
a sporty appeal and low price, a generation of young owners drove most of the few 2nd hand cars
to pieces, so few remain today.
The
B model shares the major body structure with the previous Rekord A range but has a revised front and tail treatment.
It is visually identified in the exterior by its four circular tail lights 
(same as on the 1965 Experimental
GT ) , and rectangular headlights. The Rekord B has some unique parts only used this year and on this particular
model. These include : rear axle, front grille, driveshaft, rear lights, tail body structure, front wings. There
are more examples. This can make it difficult for anyone trying to restore or maintain this model today.
The author's own Rekord B 1900 2-door (LZ), color is 'Strandbeige' (BB = Beach Beige) Bill Gates should get one
for his Corvair collection !! It's the same type of rear end treatment..
These unique images show a 2-door (LZ) Opel Rekord B 1900 1966 in fierce rallye
competition, a very brief but successful career. The B model was driven to victory in the Swedish Rally standard
class by Lille-Bror Nasenius, a well known Opel driver on the Swedish rallye scene in those days.
The main feature of the Rekord B in competition was the standard 102 hp (SAE) engine which
put out enough power to leave other standard cars of its class behind it. The Rekord C which was released shortly
after had a much more modern chassis (rear axle with spring suspension) and the Rekord B soon disappeared from
the rallye scene.
The CIH engine, which continued to be used in
new Opel cars for 20 more years,
(last model was the 1986 Opel Rekord) became a popular tuning object for increased power output.
A large aftermarket of tuning equipment for this engine developed. This engine was the basis of Opel rallye cars
for 20 more years, in cars like the Kadett, Manta and the Ascona. These are still attractive and fun platforms
for people competing in national low budget car sport classes (Folkrace, Rallycross, etc..)
Extremely rare poster from 1966 that I saw for sale on german Ebay....
and no, I did not bid to win it.
B Coupe(left) (right) B Caravan
Excerpt from Swedish 1966 brochure on the new models. The slogan 'Släpp Loss' was used eveywhere in the Swedish 1966 Opel sales campaign
and was meant to emphasize the new range of more powerful engines. The slogan GRRR!!! also referred to the new more powerful engine range.
The new Cam In Head (CIH) engine was introduced in 1966.
The 1966 model uses a downdraught dual port SOLEX 'DIDTA' carburettor setup with vacuum controlled
secondary port and water temperature controlled bimetal spring choke mechanism. Tuning this setup for optimum performance
is a familiar activity for the DIY Opel hobbyist. The same setup was used on most of the Rekord
C series.The Weber 36 DCD carburettor is a popular replacement for more reliable operation
and manual choke.
A 1900 engine produced 102 hp (SAE) = 90 DIN.
Read original
1965 Swedish GM 'Service-Nytt' publication about the new engine !! (Swedish)
'Service-Nytt' was a monthly bulletin distributed to Swedish service stations by General
Motors during the 60's.
The same basic engine remained in production in many models up to 1986, 20 years with different
setups of carburettors/fuel injection, different capacities, etc.
The Rekord range attracts both women and engineers
