Cars based on the Rekord C were also built at other General Motors plants both inside and beyond Europe, notably in South Africa and (with Chevrolet engines) Brazil.

Hans Mearsheimer, Opel's Technical Director and Chief Engineer, until his retirement in 1967, had set down the parameters for the new Rekord back in 1963.

[3] There was certainly a perception that Opel's great rival fell foul of the "too American" complaint with their Ford 17M launched in 1967 featuring a variation on the "hip-curve" which then had to be relaunched with a simplified form less than a year later because of poor sales which, rightly or wrongly, were attributed to an excessively American design.

Opel also offered a three-door delivery van which was essentially identical to the estate except that the rear side windows were replaced with metal panels.

This version had no fixed B pillar and excited positive reactions to the stylish "pillarless" profile on show when both side windows were fully opened.

Opel's so-called (CIH) engine configuration similarly enabled the Rekord to incorporate the low bonnet lines that style-conscious product development departments demanded.

As with the "1500", Opel returned to the old home produced "Carter Licence" carburetter for the first year of production, giving rise to a claimed power output of just 60 PS (44 kW).

The four-cylinder water-cooled 1897 cc unit, providing a maximum 90 PS (66 kW) of power known as the "1900 S" had also first appeared in 1965 in the Rekord B.

With a compression ratio of 9.0:1 and a Solex twin chamber 32 DIDTA carburetter it powered the fastest four-cylinder version of the Opel Rekord C at its 1966 launch.

However, in November 1967 a new version of the 1897 cc engine appeared with a modified "high efficiency" cylinder head and with the compression ratio further raised – now to 9.5:1 – and, for the first time in a Rekord, two Italian twin chamber Weber 40 DFO carburetters.

In March 1964, Opel had introduced Rekord customers to the option of a six-cylinder engine, installing a well-tried unit that was already powering the larger Admiral and Kapitän models and could trace its origins back to 1937.

In fact the new six-cylinder engine shared its cylinder dimensions with the entry level Rekord's 1492 cc unit which will have reduced usefully the variety of components needed.

In southern Africa the six-cylinder Rekords were available with four-door sedan or two-door coupé bodywork, and only in combination with an automatic transmission.

The standard transmission package for the saloon and estate-bodied Rekord Bs featured a manual all-synchromesh gearbox, controlled by a column-mounted lever.

As long as the three-speed transmission was offered customers could specify with it an "Olymat" automatic clutch provided by Fichtel & Sachs.

In 1968, the "powerglide" two-speed automatic being seen as technically outdated, the manufacturer replaced this with the option of a three-speed TH180 unit from the new General Motors transmission plant in Strasbourg.

The old fashioned simplicity of the rear axle on the previous model gave way to a system involving four trailing arms and coil springs which made for a much more stable ride and much less exciting cornering.

Passive safety – protection of the driver and passengers in the event of a collision – was being pushed up the agenda in Germany at this time by Mercedes, while internationally some of the same themes were being pursued with evangelical effect by a future candidate for the US presidency called Ralph Nader.

Specialist journals commended the lack of distortion of the Rekord C's central passenger zone following a succession of crash tests.

Towards the end of the Rekord C's production run, in July 1971, a special edition "Rekord Holiday" appeared in the showrooms, attractively priced and laden with a package of (normally optional) extras including a steel panel sunroof, supplementary front lights and even a heated rear window.

It was launched at the São Paulo Motor Show in November 1968, and combined the body of the Opel Rekord C (using a different front grille and lights) with Chevrolet engines.

In 1970, the 3.8 was overhauled to 4.1 litres, which made it Brazil's fastest production car until that title was seized by a 5-litre-engined version of the Ford Maverick.