The Rhine is grey on this February morning. On the other side of the river, chimneys rise into the sky. In between, a lot of space. Lots of sky. Exactly the place where one of Germany’s most famous photographers created one of his most famous pictures. Today there is an Opel here. An Opel Rekord Caravan. Built in 1970. And the Toten Hosen. The band members Campino, Kuddel, Breiti, Andi and Ritchie.

Only a few weeks earlier an appeal from the band on Instagram. They need a specific Opel model for an album cover – and immediately got the attention of Opel Classic. The ‘Hosen’ were looking for a Rekord C Caravan. As authentic as possible. As close as possible to the original. “That’s when we got in touch,” says Leif Rohwedder, Head of Opel Classic. „Because we have the ideal car. The model, the colour, the condition – it ticked all the boxes.”

Wanted: Rekord Caravan

A little later, the grey Rekord from the Opel collection is transported to Düsseldorf. The Rekord Caravan belongs to the model series that finally secured Opel’s place in the upper echelons of the middle class at the end of the sixties. With its striking design and modern technology, the Rekord C became a bestseller. More than 1.2 million units were built between 1966 and 1971.

The car, which is now on the banks of the Rhine, has spent its entire car life in the Rhine-Main area. At the beginning of the 2000s, it entered the collection of Opel Classic. Now it is becoming part of a new story. More precisely: the same story. Because 43 years earlier, an Opel Rekord Caravan had already played a leading role on the band’s debut album. Way back in 1983.

The Opel Rekord

When Opel presented the Rekord C in August 1966 at the newly opened Rodgau-Dudenhofen test centre, the series was one of the most modern vehicles in its class. The distinctive ‘Coke Bottle’ design of the body, disc brakes at the front and new four- and six-cylinder engines quickly make the Rekord a success.

The caravan models also contribute to the boom. Whether as a family car, craftsman’s vehicle or loyal companion in everyday life – the Rekord Caravan becomes a familiar sight on German roads. In total, more than 1.25 million Rekord Cs were built between 1966 and 1971. For the first time, Opel sold more than one million vehicles of a model series.

The band is young. Loud. Cheeky. Firmly rooted in Düsselsdorf. Campino, Kuddel, Andi, Breiti and their comrades-in-arms play punk rock, while Germany is still under the spell of the Neue Deutsche Welle. Their first album is titled ‘Opel Gang’. A name that quickly achieved cult status. The cover of the album features a jacked up Rekord Caravan. The bonnet is open, the vehicle is being worked on. The band members of the time are spread out around the car.

And at that time, the Opel stood for what the band embodied: everyday life. Friendship. Street. Freedom. Not a world of luxury, but real life. The title song ‘Opel Gang’ is about nocturnal rides, cohesion and the feeling of being on the road. The Opel is not a means of transport in the song. It is part of history. And suddenly an Opel becomes part of German pop culture. 43 years later, the Toten Hosen return to this image. For their new album ‘Trink aus, wir müssen gehen!“’, which the band has announced as their last regular studio album.

And for this they have won an old friend. Andreas Gursky. The Düsseldorf photographer has been one of the most important artists of his generation for decades. His large-format photographs hang in museums around the globe. His ‘Rhein II’ image is considered one of the most famous photographs of the present day. It is precisely this landscape that now becomes the stage for the cover shoot on a grey day in February. Only this time the motif does not remain deserted. Gursky stands on a lifting platform. Next to him is his assistant, camera technology and computer. The platform moves up. The perspective has to be right. Everything is prepared. Down to the last detail.

The bonnet of the Rekord is open. An original service booklet is ready. A spare wheel as well. The scene tells the story of a small glitch. Or at least the story of it. Then the band arrives. Curiously, the musicians circle the Opel. Look at the body. Look inside. Campino opens the driver’s door. Sits down behind the big steering wheel. „Can I drive it?“ Of course he can. Opel Classic colleague Jens Cooper gives a short briefing. The engine starts. 66 hp from 1.7 litres of displacement. Not spectacular – but sometimes it’s not about performance. It’s about memories. Campino grins. Broadly.

Gursky distributes the roles. Campino at the driver’s door. Breiti under the car. Ritchie on the phone. Kuddel and Andi next to the Rekord. It looks like a casual moment. In fact, every position is well thought out. Then the photographs are taken. Again and again. Until everything is perfect. A few months later, the image will be everywhere. On posters. In magazines. On streaming platforms. On the cover of ‘Trink aus, wir müssen gehen’. And again at Opel Rekord Caravan takes centre stage. Just like in 1983.

The connection between Opel and the Toten Hosen was never an official partnership. It came about in a much stronger way: through culture. Both have been telling stories from the same world for decades. Of people who prefer to tackle rather than pose. Maybe that’s why the Opel Rekord on the new album cover doesn’t look like a prop. But like an old acquaintance. Something that stopped by again after 43 years to be part of history one last time – on the cover of the band’s last regular studio album.

Die Toten Hosen 2026: Album and farewell tour

‘Trink aus, wir müssen gehen!’ was released on May 29, 2026 and is announced as the last regular studio album. Almost 45 years after forming, the Düsseldorf-based band can also look back on its own history. The album combines energy with thoughtful themes such as home, friendship and transience. It is complemented by the bonus album ‘Alles muss raus!’ with 25 reinterpreted songs. The band is currently on a big stadium and open-air tour through Germany, Austria and Switzerland – for many fans the farewell to a formative band.