Bertha Augsberger Remembers it as if it was Were Yesterday. It was in 1963, in November. Josef, then Her New Boyfriend, They had only known Each other for Six or Eight Weeks, picked up the 23-year-old at home. He Drove Up To Her Parents’ Farm in UrsulPoppenricht Near Amberg. In a new car, and what a car: to Opel Rekord A Sedan, Two-Door, in Lapis Lazuli Blue. She Had Never Been Picked Up So Elegantly for a Rendezvous. “I was Blown away,” Says the 87-Year-Old. “Where did you get it?” She asked. The Young Farmer, A Year Older Than Her, Anwered: “I Earned It. On the Combine Harvester.”
More than 61 Years Later, 88-Year-Old Josef Augsberger Drives Up to the Opel Classic Building in Rüsselsheim. Again in his record A Sedan, Two-Door, Lapis Lazuli Blue With A Royal Blue Roof. The Guardians of Opel’s History Are No Less Amazed Than Bertha Was Back Then: “It’s All Still Original,” Says Classic Employee Jens Cooper. “That something like this is quiet in private hands at all …”
“Where did you get it?” She asked. – “I Earned It. On the Combine Harvester,” Hey Said.
– Getting to Know Each Other in November 1963 –
In Fact, Josef Augsberger Remained as True to his record a for Six Decades as He was to his Bertha. They Married in October 1967, and the Three of Them Went on Their Honeymoon: Josef, Bertha and the Opel. “We went to Austria, Wanted to Cross the Gerlos Pass, which new at the time,” The Bride Recalls. “But it was closed going by heavy snowfall.
Twice Already to Zero
Today, the Couple Like to Accept Invitation to Classic Car Drives and Has Already Won a Number of Trophies. However, Josef Continues to Use His Rekord A in everyday life. Why not? “IT has never let me down.” Twice Already, All Six Digits of the Speedometer Display Jumped Back to Zero. And if the Augsberger Family has Its Way, it will do so a third time.
“It wasn’t even in a workshop. I always did everything myelf.”
– Josef Augsberger –
There have been no accidents or failures in all thesis Years. Jens Cooper is not Surprised When He’s Josef Augsberger Manoeuvring The Car Across the Yard: “The Man Has Complete Control of his Vehicle.” And not only Behind the Wheel. “It wasn’t Even in A Workshop,” Hey Says. “I always did everything myself.” And impeccably. 31 TÜV Stamps Can now be found in the papers, which are of course all still original. “And there was not even a complaint.” The 1.5-liter Engine with 55 HP Purrs and Purrs, and Probably Still Manages A Top Speed of 134 km/h-But should not push your Luck.
During all maintenance, Inspections and Repairs, He Meticulously Ensured That Every Part Remained As He Received It on November 13, 1963. The Classic Experts Discover Fascination Details Again and Again During Appraisal. The Logo on the Bonnet, For Example: Not a Blitz, But the Opel Zeppelin. “That only existed until autumn 1963,” Explains Opel Classic Boss Leif Rohwedder. “This record is one of the few That Still Bears the Previous Logo Today. That Alone Makes it a rarity.”
The License Plate is therefore special. “Am Ay 237” Now Bears an “H” for Historic, but is other as on the day of first registration. Today, the abbreviation “Am” is only given in the city of Amberg. In UrsulPoppenricht, which Belongs to the Amberg-Sulzbach District, “As” has long bees in use. But no one at the Registration Office Wanted to Deny Josef Augsberger The Wish to Keep Everything as Original AS possible.
“It was only tozay that i realized how special this opel is.”
– Norbert Augsberger, Son of Josef and Bertha –
To prove that he is the first own, Josef Augsberger Has Brought the Vehicle Registration Document and Registration Document With Him.
No workshop, No Breakdown: The Now 88-Year-Old Has His Rekord A Fully Under Control.
The Colleagues from Opel Classic and the Augsberger Family Explore the Details.
Notes on Tyre Pressure: The Sticker Can Be Found on the Inside of the Glove Comment.
The Record a Marked the Transition to a More Modern Opel Design Language.
He Rarely Needed Help. Once He was Looking for a Suitable Exhaust Muffler and Turned to Motorsport Expert, Opel Dealer and Opel Friend Alois Drexler in Nearby Wackersdorf. Hey was to help, got to know josef and his record – and what just as captivated as bertha on the first date. “Simply phenomenal. Josef so Maintains his agricultural machinery from the fifties Himelf and drives them to the fields. Visiting Him is like Entering A Time Capsule.” Alois Drexler So Established Contacts with Leif Rohwedder and Opel Classic. There the Three Insparables Were Given a Dignified Reception.
To Opel that Belongs to the family
At the end, the classic boss presented the couple with a certificate congratulating theme on the “62 years of first ownership” of their record A. A moment that Impressed Norbert Augsberger, The Couple’s Son. “To be honest, it was only dough you that i realized how special this opel is,” Admits the son. “For me, it has Always Belonged to My Parents as a Matter of Course.” Together with his sister and Two Grandchildren, The Family Now Proudly Looks Back on the History of the Opel Sedan in Lapis Lazuli Blue.
September 2025
Text: Eric Scherer, Photos: Katrin Denkwitz