What's up with y'all guys, Frederic here again with another episode of the gangster ride Opel Rekord. Let us dive right back in to the historie of this ride, Eline.

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But before I truly dive into the spanners and grease, I want to share with you, why she was named "Eline".

I named her as a tribute to my grandmother, Jacqueline. She and my grandfather meant the absolute world to me, and even though they passed away a few years ago, they still do. The coolest twist—which I only discovered later on—was that my grandfather actually drove a very similar car back when they first met! So naming the Rekord in their honor just felt like destiny. Their wedding photo hangs on the wall in my home office, and their "first date" picture sits inside my Corsa, Aurora, right alongside their wedding rings. Giving this car a name tied to them was my way of keeping their memory alive in everything I build.

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So, back to the build!

Right after buying the car, getting new numberplates, re-inspected the car, hand over everything from/to the previous owner and watching him drive off, I was so hyped I couldn't wait a single second. I immediately jumped in and started fixing and redoing stuff myself.

I started simple: repainting the brake calipers and drums red and building a custom trunk setup using whatever minimal tools and materials I had back then. I already had a vague vision of where I wanted to take this project.

Now, I have to confess: I should have kept my hands off the dashboard... Everything on it was actually fine and worked (more or less). But as a young guy fueled by Pinterest and way too many episodes of Overhaulin', Gas Monkey Garage, and Wheeler Dealers, my head was spinning with crazy ideas. I ripped it out and built a completely new dashboard with a custom center console—again, made with whatever limited stuff I had in my garage.

I know what you’re thinking: "Why?!"

Honest answer? Because I was young, dumb, and way too motivated to build something unique. Was it high quality? Heck no! Every time I look back at those old photos now, I cringe and think: "What on earth were you thinking?!"

But hey, as they say: we all have to start somewhere. I had a clear vision and knew where I wanted to go, but I simply lacked the tools, the experience, and the know-how I have today.

Was it a waste of time and money? Should I have just kept my hands off? Honestly... yeah, probably. But as we all know in the car scene: if you never make mistakes, you’ll never learn a damn thing.

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After finishing all those initial tweaks, I took her on a weekend night to one of her very first car meets in Houthulst (a small town in Belgium, just north of Ypres).The trip there was a real adventure: the speedometer wasn't working, and my headlights only worked half the time... Luckily, I wasn't alone. My friends rode along with me, and since they knew my driving skills and the car's quirks, they helped escort me and Eline safely from A to B without any trouble. At the end of the night, during the trophy presentation, they suddenly called out my car... I walked away with my very first Top 5 Oldtimer award! 🏆

Taking home that Top 5 Oldtimer award made every doubt disappear. I was riding high, doing photoshoots, and enjoying the moment. But the honeymoon phase didn't even last a month.

Suddenly, the Rekord started falling apart. The motor was vomiting oil, the wiring was a melted deathtrap wrapped in cheap tape, and underneath the paint lay a nightmare of pure body filler. I was terrified the car would burst into flames at any given second.

But the ultimate nightmare was yet to come: a 70 km/h rear-end crash that crushed the entire rear end.

Was this the end of Eline, or just the beginning of the real build? Drop a comment and find out in part 3! 💬👇

This is my ’69 Opel Rekord C Coupe, bought a few years back from a guy near Antwerp, Belgium. The photo's you're looking at are the very first pictures I ever took of it. And honestly? As one car guy to another: the second I laid eyes on this beauty of a beast, I was completely sold.

It seemed totally fine at first... right up until two weeks later, when the paperwork was done and the seller had disappeared with my cash. From that moment on, life turned into a non-stop rollercoaster. But hey, let's go back to where this dream actually started, shall we?

A decade ago, I had one clear goal: I wanted a classic car. As a die-hard Mopar fan, a '69 or '70 Dodge Charger was the ultimate dream. But after endless late-night searches, reality hit me hard—there was just no way I could afford one. Disappointed, I shifted my focus. I started looking for something that captured that muscle car essence without the Charger price tag.

I spent days, even months comparing models, but every single time I ended up with the exact same frustration: "This is NOT what I want!"

Friends and colleagues jumped in to help me hunt, until one day, the Opel Rekord C Coupe popped up on our radar. It was love at first sight. Right then and there, I knew this wasn't going to be "just another Rekord C"—I was going to build it with a serious Dodge Charger edge.

Now, I can already hear you thinking: "Dude, just be patient, save up, and buy the actual Charger." Yeah, I could have... if 23-year-old me had any patience or the wisdom I have today. I was young, reckless, and obsessed. I spent weeks drowning in forum threads, technical specs, and old documentation, obsessing over every line and curve of the bodywork.

I knew exactly what I wanted to build, and I knew it would take time. So when I finally found the one, I didn't hesitate for a single second. I rushed over, handed over the money, and proudly drove it home to my parents' driveway.

Little did I know I had just bought a total pig in a poke (or as we say in Flemish: 'een kat in een zak'). Let’s just say the previous owner had slapped the car together as fast as possible, purely to fleece a naive buyer who was too blinded by passion to notice. (Yep, that was me.)

When the hidden flaws surfaced, almost everyone told me to cut my losses, scrap it, or sell it off. But I refused—and to this day, I still refuse to give up. Why? Because the vision is too clear, and the dream is too big to abandon.

So welcome to my story, my journey. I'm sharing it with anyone who loves watching a guy turn a rough dream into reality, one breakdown at a time! 🛠️🔥