Yahoo Autos Junkyard Gem: 1957 Opel Olympia Rekord P
Starting in the middle 1950s, General Motors made a real effort to sell Americans its vehicles built on the other side of the Atlantic. Pontiac dealers here got the British-built Vauxhall Victor, while Buick dealers sold the Victor's cousin, the German-built Opel Olympia. We saw a discarded '58 Victor Super Estate a few years back, and today's Junkyard Gem showed up recently at the very same car graveyard in northeastern Colorado.
The Olympia name goes way back in Opel history, when the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games inspired its selection. You'd think that the notoriety of the 1936 Olympics as a Nazi Party propaganda festival might have encouraged Opel to change the car's name after World War II, but Olympia badges went on various Opels (with some pauses) through 1970.
Just as the Malibu name began its life as a trim-level designation for the Chevelle, so did the Rekord name get appended onto the Olympia. The Rekord name eventually took over completely, with the last Rekords coming off the assembly line in 1986.
The "P" in this car's name comes from the panoramic wraparound front and rear glass, a feature inspired by the gorgeous machinery coming from GM's Detroit car divisions at the time. Starting in 1959, this model became known as just the Opel Rekord.
The influence from snouts seen on the 1955 Buick and 1955 Oldsmobile is unmistakable.
There's a great deal of 1956 Chevrolet inspiration visible in the side view.
