Bertha Augsberger remembers as if it had been yesterday. It was in 1963, in November. Josef, her new friend at the time, only knew each other for six or eight weeks, picked up the 23-year-old at home. He drove up on the courtyard of her parents in Ursul Pope at Amberg. In a new car, and what a: an Opel Rekord A sedan, two-door, in Lapislazuli blue. She had never been picked up to a rendezvous so elegant. “I was blown away,” says the 87-year-old today. “Where did you get it from?” She asked. The young farmer, a year older than her, replied: “I deserve it. On the combine harvester.”
Over 61 years later, the now 88-year-old Josef Augsberger drove in Rüsselsheim, in front of the Opel Classic building on the factory premises. Again in his record A sedan, two-door, lapis lazuli blue with royal blue roof. The keepers of Opel history are no less astonished than Bertha at the time: “This is all original,” says Classic employee Jens Cooper. “That something like this is still in private hands …”
“Where did you get it from?” She asked. – “deserved. On the combine harvester,” he said.
– Get to know in November 1963 –
In fact: Josef Augsberger remained as loyal to his record A for over six decades as his Bertha. They married in October 1967, and there were three of the honeymoon: Josef, Bertha and the Opel. “We went to Austria and wanted to go over the then newly developed Gerlospass,” recalls the bride. “But it was closed, because of huge snowfall. So we turned around – and our Opel brought us home safely again.”
Twice already to zero
Today the couple are happy to follow invitations to classic car trips and have already brought a number of trophies home. Josef continues to use his record A in everyday life. Why not? “He never let me down.” Twice all six places on the speedometer display jumped again to zero. And when it comes to the Augsberger family, he will do this a third time.
“It wasn’t even in a workshop. I always did everything myself.”
– Josef Augsberger –
Accidents have not existed in all the years as if failures. Jens Cooper is not surprised when he sees how Josef Augsberger maneuvered the car across the farm: “The man has his vehicle under control.” And not just behind the wheel. “It wasn’t even in a workshop,” he says. “I always did everything myself.” And that flawlessly. 31 TÜV stamps can now be found in the papers, which of course are also all original. “And there wasn’t even a complaint.” The 1.5-liter machine purred and purred with 55 hp, and probably still creates 134 km/h top-you don’t have to let it get there.
In all maintenance, inspections and improvements, he meticulously made sure that each part remained as he received on November 13, 1963. The Classic experts repeatedly discover fascinating details during their assessment. The logo on the radiator hood, for example: no flash, but a zeppelin. “This was changed in the factory holidays in 1963,” explains Opel Classic boss Leif Rohwedder. “This Opel has to be one of the last of its year of construction that still wear the old logo. That makes it rarity.”
The license plate is also special. “Am Ay 237” now carries an “H” for historical, but is still the same as on the day of first registration. The abbreviation “Am” is only awarded in the city of Amberg today. “AS” has long been used in Ursul Popic Management, which belongs to the Amberg-Sulzbach district. But at the registration office, nobody wanted to refuse Josef Augsberger to get everything as original as possible.
“It has only become clear to me today how special this Opel is.”
– Norbert Augsberger, son of Josef and Bertha –
To prove that he is the first owner, the Josef Augsberger vehicle registration and letter brought with him.
No workshop, no breakdown: the now 88-year-old has his record A under control.
The colleagues from Opel Classic and the Augsberger family explore the details.
Notes on tire pressure: The sticker can be found on the inside of the driver’s door.
The record A marked the transition to a more modern Opel form language.
He rarely needed help. Once he was looking for a suitable exhaust pot and turned to the motorsport experts, Opel dealers and Opel friend Alois Drexler in nearby Wackersdorf. He could help, got to know Josef and his record – and was just as rumored as Bertha on the first date. “Simply phenomenal. The Josef also waits for his agricultural machinery from the 1950s and drives with them on the field. You can visit him as if you have a time capsule.” Alois Drexler also made contacts with Leif Rohwedder and Opel Classic. There, the three inseparable gave a worthy reception.
An Opel that belongs to the family
In the end, the classic chief presented the couple a certificate that congratulates them for the “62-year first ownership” of their record A. A moment that also impressed Norbert Augsberger, one of the two sons who now have two adult grandchildren. “To be honest, I only realized how special this Opel is,” he admits. “For me, he was always a matter of course one of my parents.”
September 2025
Text: Eric Scherer, Photos: Katrin Denkwitz