The Luxury of Space.
As an estate, the new Astra Sports Tourer matches up well with the trendsetting 1963 Rekord A.
Red alert: almost 50 fun years separate the current Astra Sports Tourer and its spiritual predecessor, the elegant Rekord A estate from 1963. Opel had introduced its first estate 10 years before.
It looks good, has modern accessories, is brimming with fresh ideas and is ever practical in terms of packing and unpacking – who wouldn’t want to travel in such a vehicle? In 1963 it was the Rekord estate, and in 2011 it goes by the name of Astra Sports Tourer. This link between the Astra name and the hatchback design is new. But it offers the same strengths and assets as its predecessors: state-of-the-art technology, plenty of space and exciting design.
When Opel introduced the new Opel Rekord in March 1963, it gave an indication of development in the future. A big step was taken going from the seemingly elegant predecessor, the Rekord P2, to the functional, modern-style Rekord A. As if to break from old traditions, Olympia, the long-known model name introduced in 1935, was dropped, only appearing still as a logo on the cover of the glove compartment.
The smooth, plain body with its generous space represented a new use of design, except that the large Rekord model range was as extensive as ever. Apart from the 2-door and 4-door saloons, with and without luxury accessories, there was also the estate and sports coupe with 1.5 and 1.7 litre 4-cylinder engines to choose from.
Prestigious: luggage rack, radio and clock, lots of room and plenty of chrome. The Rekord A offered a whole load of space at an affordable price.
Powered by the same 100 hp 2.6-litre 6-cylinder engine as the Opel Kapitän, the Rekord 6 was introduced as a saloon and coupe in 1964 and became the first Rekord sports car. A top speed of 170 km/h certainly made it worthy of this claim. There was no scrimping on comfort either. As the ad stated: “A Rekord with a racing car engine? Impossible – it’s far too quiet for that.”
However, the silent star of the range was the Rekord estate. Since 1953, the first year in the estate’s great history, Opel had been Europe’s first manufacturer to use this combination of car and van in its range, helping it pioneer the estate movement that was to quickly take off. The first Olympia Rekord was a 3-door vehicle in a modern, round pontoon style, combining the benefits of a saloon with the practical aspects of a van.
Whitewall tyres, fog lights and a chrome luggage rack provided luxury touches to this space sensation made in Rüsselsheim, although only storage space was requested. The Rekord estate had clearly drawn lines and a generously proportioned shape, could effortlessly accommodate five passengers plus luggage and had a fold-down back seat. It looked especially good in Granada red, the loudest shade among the body paint range.
The Astra Sports Tourer must be its successor in spirit. With its elegant shape, dynamic engine and a load volume of 500 to 1,550 litres, which is of considerable practical benefit, you cannot escape the estate idea. The new name is very apt. Dynamic motion and athleticism are priority features in the current design thinking behind the Astra. Petrol and diesel engines of up to 180 hp make promises come true. The Astra Sports Tourer has nine engines to choose from.
A good dozen special accessories were available in 1963 for the Rekord, including wheel trim rings (35 deutschmarks), a 4-gear box (95 deutschmarks), individual front seats (100 deutschmarks) and a steel sunroof (345 deutschmarks). Daytime lights, a two-area climate control system, a FlexFold back seat with remote control, a start/stop system and ergonomic seats all come as standard with each Astra model. Optional innovative features that are available include the FlexRide chassis, which adapts to road conditions and driving style, the adaptive driving light (AFL+) or the front camera with road sign recognition. All these would have been the stuff of science fiction novels some 40 years ago, but are nowadays the mark of a class vehicle.
