Record

Record A.E.B.E., also known in Greek as Ρεκόρ, was a Greek agricultural machinery and vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Heraklion, Crete. The company operated from 1957 until it was dissolved in 1999 and is best remembered as one of the locally developed manufacturers that supplied practical farm and rural-transport equipment to the Greek market during the second half of the twentieth century. It should not be confused with the modern Swiss automatic-door company that uses the Record name and the recorddoors.com domain. Record’s product range developed in stages. The company introduced walking tractors in 1958, offering compact mechanized equipment suited to small farms, orchards, vineyards, and other agricultural applications where a conventional full-size tractor was impractical. In 1966, it expanded into a distinctive class of three-wheel agricultural utility vehicles. These vehicles combined features associated with tractors and small trucks, reflecting the needs of Greek farmers who required a machine capable of both field work and the movement of produce, tools, and materials on local roads. The company added conventional agricultural tractors in 1970. Its best-known tractor was the ΓΣ 7, also written GS 7, which used Ruggerini diesel engines in an approximately 18-to-26-horsepower range. Record subsequently moved into four-wheel trucks in 1978. The GS 2000, introduced around 1980, was the most advanced and recognizable vehicle associated with the company. It used a 1,400 cc, 55-horsepower Peugeot diesel engine, had a fiberglass body, and was designed to carry approximately two tonnes. Its cab styling was influenced by contemporary Japanese light commercial vehicles, including the first-generation Mitsubishi Delica. Record also manufactured mechanical components such as clutches and gearboxes for its vehicles. This indicates that the business was more than a simple assembler or importer: it developed and produced at least part of the mechanical infrastructure needed for its own product family. The company’s operating model was oriented toward functional, relatively simple machinery adapted to local agricultural conditions rather than high-volume global automotive production. Greece was Record’s principal market. Some walking tractors were exported, but the available reference material does not identify the destination countries. Production remained modest by international automotive standards. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, annual vehicle output reportedly averaged about 500 units. This scale, together with the company’s specialized agricultural focus, placed Record within Greece’s small but historically important group of domestic vehicle and machinery producers. Record was dissolved in 1999. No reliable evidence in the available reference material indicates that the agricultural-vehicle business continued under the same corporate identity, was acquired by a successor, or remains an active manufacturer. The brand therefore has primarily historical significance, particularly in accounts of Greek industrialization, agricultural mechanization, and locally produced utility vehicles. The recorddoors.com website belongs to a different Record-branded automatic-door business and is not treated as the official website of the Greek agricultural-vehicle manufacturer.

Record A.E.B.E. emerged in Heraklion, Crete, in 1957 during a period when Greek agriculture was becoming increasingly mechanized but remained characterized by small farms, difficult terrain, and strong demand for inexpensive, multipurpose equipment. Rather than concentrating on a single type of tractor, the company developed a broad family of machines intended to serve both agricultural and rural-transport needs. Its history reflects the practical constraints and opportunities faced by small Greek industrial manufacturers: products had to be useful across several tasks, mechanically straightforward, and suitable for local operating conditions. The first major product phase began in 1958 with the introduction of walking tractors. These compact machines could be used by farmers working relatively small plots or terrain where a full-size tractor was uneconomical or difficult to maneuver. Walking tractors were also a natural entry point for a manufacturer with limited production capacity because they required less material, simpler drivetrains, and lower investment than conventional agricultural tractors. Record’s walking tractors became its most exportable product category, although the available sources do not name the countries to which they were shipped. In 1966, Record introduced a family of three-wheel vehicles combining tractor and truck characteristics. This was a distinctive response to the needs of Greek agriculture. Farmers often required a machine that could perform basic field-related work while also carrying crops, equipment, or supplies. The three-wheel format provided a compromise between agricultural machinery and a light goods vehicle. Such vehicles were particularly relevant in a market where farms were often small and where a dedicated tractor and a separate truck could represent a substantial financial burden. Record broadened its range again in 1970 with the introduction of conventional agricultural tractors. The ΓΣ 7, or GS 7, became the principal model associated with this phase. It used Ruggerini diesel engines rated at approximately 18 to 26 horsepower. The model represented a step toward more recognizable tractor design while retaining the modest power and utilitarian orientation of Record’s earlier equipment. The company entered four-wheel truck production in 1978. This expansion was consistent with its established focus on rural versatility, but it also placed Record closer to the boundaries between agricultural machinery and road-going commercial vehicles. Production during the late 1970s and early 1980s averaged approximately 500 vehicles annually, a relatively small volume that nevertheless indicates an established manufacturing operation rather than isolated prototype activity. The GS 2000, introduced around 1980, was the most advanced vehicle associated with Record. It used a 1,400 cc Peugeot diesel engine producing about 55 horsepower and was rated to carry approximately two tonnes. The truck had a fiberglass body and a cab whose appearance was influenced by contemporary Japanese light commercial vehicles, especially the first-generation Mitsubishi Delica. The GS 2000 illustrated Record’s attempt to create a locally produced rural truck tailored to Greek conditions while drawing selectively on international vehicle design trends. Alongside complete vehicles, Record produced mechanical equipment including clutches and gearboxes. This component production suggests a degree of vertical integration and allowed the company to adapt key systems to its own vehicles. It also positioned Record as a machinery manufacturer with engineering and fabrication capabilities rather than merely a distributor of imported equipment. The company’s main market remained Greece. Its products served agricultural users and rural operators, while its limited exports appear to have focused primarily on walking tractors. Record occupied a niche within a broader group of Greek vehicle and machinery manufacturers that produced specialized equipment for domestic use. These companies generally operated at much smaller scale than major European or Japanese manufacturers and competed through adaptation to local demand, repairability, and versatility. Record was dissolved in 1999. The available sources do not establish whether its assets, designs, tooling, or dealer network were transferred to another business. There is also no reliable evidence that the present-day Swiss automatic-door company using the Record name is a continuation of the Greek agricultural-vehicle manufacturer. Accordingly, the agricultural Record is treated as a defunct Greek industrial brand whose historical importance lies in its contribution to domestic agricultural mechanization and the development of locally produced utility vehicles.

• 1999

  Company dissolved

  [1]Record (agricultural vehicles)en.wikipedia.org

  Record A.E.B.E. was dissolved, ending the documented corporate history of the Greek agricultural-vehicle manufacturer.

• 1980

  GS 2000 truck introduced

  [1]Record (agricultural vehicles)en.wikipedia.org

  The GS 2000 became Record’s most advanced known vehicle, using a 1,400 cc Peugeot diesel engine, fiberglass bodywork, and an approximately two-tonne payload.

• 1978

  Four-wheel truck production begins

  [1]Record (agricultural vehicles)en.wikipedia.org

  Record added four-wheel trucks to its agricultural and rural-utility product range.

• 1970

  GS 7 tractor introduced

  [1]Record (agricultural vehicles)en.wikipedia.org

  Record expanded into conventional agricultural tractors with the ΓΣ 7/GS 7, powered by Ruggerini diesel engines in an approximately 18-to-26-horsepower range.

• 1966

  Three-wheel agricultural utility vehicles introduced

  [1]Record (agricultural vehicles)en.wikipedia.org

  The company introduced three-wheel vehicles combining tractor functions with the carrying capacity and utility of a small truck.

• 1958

  Walking tractors introduced

  [1]Record (agricultural vehicles)en.wikipedia.org

  Record entered agricultural machinery production with compact walking tractors intended for small-scale and specialized farm work.

• 1957

  Record A.E.B.E. founded in Heraklion

  [1]Record (agricultural vehicles)en.wikipedia.org

  The Greek agricultural machinery and vehicle company was established in Heraklion, Crete.

A Greek specialist manufacturer of practical agricultural machinery and multipurpose rural vehicles, emphasizing locally produced mechanical systems and versatile tractor-truck designs for the domestic farming market.

• Agricultural machinery · 1958

  Record walking tractors

  Record introduced walking tractors in 1958. These compact, operator-guided machines were suited to small farms, orchards, vineyards, and other applications where maneuverability and low operating cost were more important than the power and size of a conventional tractor. They were the company’s earliest documented product line and apparently the main category exported outside Greece, although the available sources do not identify specific destination markets.

• Agricultural and rural utility vehicles · 1966

  Record three-wheel agricultural utility vehicles

  Introduced in 1966, Record’s three-wheel vehicles combined the functions of a small agricultural tractor and a light goods carrier. Their design addressed the practical needs of Greek farmers who needed to transport crops, tools, and materials while retaining some off-road and farm-use capability. The vehicles formed one of the company’s most distinctive product categories and occupied a niche between conventional tractors and small trucks.

• Agricultural tractor · 1970

  ΓΣ 7 / GS 7

  The GS 7 was Record’s best-known conventional tractor model and was introduced in 1970. It used Ruggerini diesel engines with stated power outputs ranging from approximately 18 to 26 horsepower. The model represented Record’s move beyond walking tractors and hybrid three-wheel machines into a more conventional tractor format for general agricultural work.

• Light rural trucks · 1978

  Record four-wheel trucks

  Record began producing four-wheel trucks in 1978. These vehicles extended the company’s existing focus on agricultural and rural utility equipment into road-capable goods transport. They were intended for practical use in farming communities and complemented the company’s earlier tractor-truck hybrids.

• Light rural truck · 1980

  GS 2000

  The GS 2000 was introduced around 1980 and is described in the available references as Record’s most advanced vehicle. It used a 1,400 cc Peugeot diesel engine producing approximately 55 horsepower, carried about two tonnes, and used fiberglass bodywork. Its cab styling showed the influence of contemporary Japanese light commercial vehicles, particularly the first-generation Mitsubishi Delica.

• Mechanical components

  Record clutches and gearboxes

  In addition to complete vehicles, Record manufactured mechanical components such as clutches and gearboxes for use in its own machinery and vehicles. These products indicate that the company maintained some in-house manufacturing and engineering capability rather than functioning solely as an importer or assembler.

• 1999

  Dissolution of Record A.E.B.E.Other

  Background

  After operating for more than four decades in the Greek agricultural machinery and vehicle sector, the company reached the end of its documented corporate history.

  Action taken

  Record A.E.B.E. was dissolved.

  Aftermath

  The available sources do not identify a successor, acquirer, or continuing agricultural-vehicle operation under the Record name.

  Source

• 1980

  Launch of the GS 2000Product launch

  Background

  Record sought to extend its rural-vehicle range with a higher-capacity truck using a more powerful diesel engine and a dedicated enclosed cab.

  Action taken

  The company introduced the GS 2000 with a 1,400 cc, approximately 55-horsepower Peugeot diesel engine, fiberglass bodywork, and a payload of about two tonnes.

  Aftermath

  The GS 2000 became the company’s most recognizable four-wheel vehicle, although production remained modest compared with major international manufacturers.

  Source

• 1978

  Expansion into four-wheel trucksStrategy

  Background

  Record’s existing products already combined agricultural and transport functions, creating a basis for entry into four-wheel rural trucks.

  Action taken

  The company began producing four-wheel trucks for agricultural and rural utility applications.

  Aftermath

  The expansion led to the GS 2000, the most advanced vehicle documented in the available sources.

  Source

• 1970

  Expansion into conventional tractorsProduct launch

  Background

  After producing walking tractors and hybrid utility vehicles, Record broadened its range to compete in the conventional agricultural tractor segment.

  Action taken

  The company introduced the GS 7 tractor with Ruggerini diesel power in an approximately 18-to-26-horsepower range.

  Aftermath

  The GS 7 became the principal tractor associated with Record in historical accounts of the company.

  Source

• 1966

  Development of hybrid three-wheel utility vehiclesProduct launch

  Background

  Greek agricultural users often required one machine to perform both farm-related work and local goods transport.

  Action taken

  Record introduced three-wheel vehicles that combined tractor-like utility with truck-style carrying capability.

  Aftermath

  The vehicles established a distinctive niche for Record within the Greek agricultural machinery market.

  Source

• 1958

  Entry into walking tractorsProduct launch

  Background

  Record’s first documented product category was compact walking tractors, a logical entry point for a small Greek manufacturer serving farms that needed affordable and maneuverable mechanization.

  Action taken

  The company launched walking tractors for agricultural use and later exported some units, although the destination markets are not identified.

  Aftermath

  Walking tractors became an enduring part of Record’s product identity and appear to have been its principal export-oriented product.

  Source

• 1999

  Record was dissolved after more than four decades of Greek agricultural-vehicle production[1]Record (agricultural vehicles)en.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Record A.E.B.E., the Heraklion-based Greek manufacturer of agricultural machinery and rural vehicles, was dissolved in 1999. Available references do not identify a successor company or acquisition.

1. 1Record (agricultural vehicles)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Record (agricultural vehicles) — reproduced reference entrywiki.ryanmichaelcurry.com