The vehicles are displayed on 5 floors in the attractive, curved building with gently sloping floors that wind their way to the top. In general the displays were excellent, with cars grouped along several different themes, and with adequate, well-placed lighting. A few cars sat off by themselves on the ramps leading to the different floors, and these were often missing the year and model information the main displays featured.
I recently made a visit to the Shanghai Automotive Museum. Opened in January 2007, the museum is a little off the beaten path to the northwest of the Shanghai city center, and a bit of a hike by metro and taxi. This is why, despite knowing about the museum since I arrived two years ago, I had not yet visited. I finally decided to go, and was not disappointed! The over 10,000 square meter building houses an impressive collection of classic cars, from China, Japan, Europe, the UK, and North America. The vehicles are displayed on 5 floors in the attractive, curved building with gently sloping floors that wind their way to the top. In general the displays were excellent, with cars grouped along several different themes, and with adequate, well-placed lighting. A few cars sat off by themselves on the ramps leading to the different floors, and these were often missing the year and model information the main displays featured. One such car was this Opel Rekord. Not even the year was displayed, but with a quick search I discovered that this model, the Rekord 1700, was produced between 1963 and 1965. It was also available as a sedan, wagon, and van, though this was the 2-door coupe model. The dark blue paint looked almost black, and was the perfect contrast for all of the excellent trim. The grille was especially attractive, and somehow managed to look simple yet intricate at the same time. The integration of the headlights into the grille surround really gave the nose of the Rekord a tidy look. There were many other more impressive, well-known, and flashy vehicles at the museum, but something about the Opel Rekord really appealed to me. It has a clean, timeless profile that will keep it turning heads for many years to come. And while I'd rather see it on display in a more prominent area of the Shanghai Automotive Museum, I'm just glad this understated classic coupe has been included in the collection for curious visitors to discover.
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AuthorWelcome! My name is Paul, and I am an old-fashioned, low-pressure, low-buck car fan with lots of automotive stories to tell! Archives
February 2020
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