1978 and newer Chevrolet Rekord and Commodore info

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IndianaJones
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1978 and newer Chevrolet Rekord and Commodore info

Post by IndianaJones » Sun 08 Mar 2015, 13:56

Found this interesting post while browsing:
http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/f32/ ... ndex3.html

"GMSA were still selling everything under the Chevrolet brand in the late 70s. Up until 1978 (and through that year), GMSA offered two "big" models: the bigger being the Kommando/Constantia/Caprice models based on the Holden HJ series, and the smaller being the "Chevrolet 2500/3800/4100" series, which used the 72-77 Opel Rekord body, but was fitted with locally-manufactured Chevrolet engines (153, 230, and 250-cube to Americans).

GMSA was producing a mishmash of Vauxhall, Opel, and Holden designs and the company decided to concentrate strictly on Opel products. So by late 1978 the Vauxhall Viva derivatives were gone, and both the Holden-based and Rekord-based models would be replaced by local versions of the Opels Rekord, Commodore, and Senator.

The first to appear, in July 1978, was the "Chevrolet Rekord" available in "L" and "GL" trim levels, and powered by a 2.3-litre 90-horsepower (68 kW) four-cylinder engine derived from the big Chevrolet 230/250-cube six. A wagon followed later.

The next model was the "Chevrolet Commodore", which, like its Aussie counterpart, matched the Rekord body with the Senator's long nose. It too came in "L" and "GL" trims and featured either the 3.8-litre 120-hp (88 kW) or 4.1-litre 132-hp (97 kW) Chevrolet units.

During 1979, the "Chevrolet Senator" was launched, using the Opel body, but with the 132-horse 4.1-litre engine matched to an automatic transmission.

GMSA sourced some of its components from Holden, namely body panels.

Those old Chevy-based engines were tough as nails, and could eat up endless highway miles with no stress. They had a reputation among the South African public for being long-lasting and reliable, and it was popular to refit Land Rovers with these torquey units. But the big-block designs had their roots in the early 1960s (local manufacture started in 1965) and were quite thirsty. GM decided to gradually supplant them with imported Opel engines.

For 1981, The Rekords were available with a choice of either the 2-litre Opel cam-in-head unit, or the old 2.3-litre o-h-v Chev motor. Midway through 1982, the Chevrolet Commodore "2.8 GL" was added, using the German base Senator engine with a new five-speed gearbox.

GM retired the old Chevrolet motor for 1983, concentrating solely on the Opel engines. That year, the Senator got a big power boost, when the fuel-injected 3-litre Senator engine was fitted to local models. GMSA had reintroduced the Opel brand in 1980, with the launch of the Kadett, and for 1983, the Opel Ascona replaced the Chevrolet Chevair, which was an Opel Ascona with a Manta front clip. To streamline things, the Rekord, Commodore, and Senator dropped Chevrolet badges in favour of Opel that year.

The range was restyled for 1984, and the Commodore continued in South Africa, where there was still a market for big non-luxury six-cylinder cars. With the Rekord and Senator now sharing front bodywork (the Senator had different bumpers though), South African Commodores were distinguished from the Rekord visually by using the Senator's grille insert and unique wheel trims.

Big car sales were hit hard by the political and economic chaos of that period, and by '86, the Senator was gone, and the sole Commodore now being the "3.0E" model with luxury goodies and the Senator's fuel-injection engine.

In December, 1986, GMSA Upper Management pooled resources, found local money, and bought the local operation from GM in a deal that consisted of the new company obtaining all the local assets, while GM in the USA wrote off remaining debt. A month later, the new company was christened "Delta Motor Corporation."

Inflation was running near 25% and car prices were multiplying at an even higher rate. Everyone thought the new company was doomed, especially since GM's market share in SA had slid dramatically in previous years, but to everyone's surprise, the new company managed to not only survive, but increased sales nearly 20%, though all those extra sales were of Isuzu pickups and the popular Opel Kadett and Opel Monza models, the latter being the local version of the Kadett sedan, introduced to replace the Ascona and battle the popular VW Jetta.

The Opel Ascona was dropped, and in the big car line, the Commodore bid adieu, leaving just the Rekord variants. Since the local unit was dependent on Germany for some crucial components, and couldn't afford to tool up for the new Omega, Delta in late '88 launched a revised Rekord, using the old locally-made body, but with the Omega's rear suspension, dashboard, and Opel's new fuel-injection 2-litre engine.

But big car sales were dead in South Africa, except for Toyota's phenomenally successful Cressida range, which was usually the country's #2 or #3 best-seller behind the Corolla. Nevertheless, the Rekord soldiered on, and in mid-1991, was revised again, adding two new models, the "380 CD" luxury model with automatic and "380 GSi" sporty model with a five-speed. Both were fitted with a Holden-sourced 3.8-litre V6 modified to run on leaded fuel.

By this time the Rekord was seemingly being built solely as company cars for Delta management and the model was dropped in mid-1993.

While the Rekord and its variants never came close to the sales number of similar-sized cars like the Ford Granada, Toyota Cressida, and Nissan Skyline and Laurel, they nevertheless provided local buyers the option of buying a European-designed larger car over the prevailing Japanese designs. "

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