The Opel brand did not have it easy for drivers in the 80s and 90s. It was always a bit behind the pace of Volkswagen or Ford , and then, even if it presented a better car than the competition, it was harder to find customers for it. In addition, rumors of corrosion problems and breakdowns developed into hard-to-believable legends, from which the Rüsselsheim cars were unfairly slandered. At the same time, there was the first Corsa GSi , which could decently compete with the Pole GT or the Fiesta XR2 . The famous Kadetta GSi or the subsequent Astra GSi were the cause of many wet dreams of young German tuners, while the Lotus Omega appeared only in nightmares for e M BMW owners. In one category, however, Opel won the imaginary war. In the 1980s, there was no shortage of affordable coupes in the range of car companies. And while Volkswagen introduced the less practical Golf , renamed the Scirocco , and Ford squeezed the aura of the CI5 agents and their Capri into a swoon, Opel introduced the second generation of the Manta coupe. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, Manta started writing her story even earlier.
The first remotely resembled American muscle cars, similar to the Capri , as it was popular at the time. It came on the market in September 1970 and replaced the tiny sporty Opel GT in the range (the kind of thing that resembles the Corvette C3 in the dark and from a distance), even though they were originally produced in parallel. It took over the technology from the Ascona sedan, differing from it only in its bodywork. Although it was only produced for 5 years, it also gained its fans. It was interesting that it was also sold in the British market as the Opel Manta . The era of Opels converted to Vauxhalls was yet to come. In addition, the first generation Manta was one of the few Opel models that was also offered on the American market, specifically through Buick dealerships. You had a choice of engines from the smallest unit with a capacity of 1.2 liters to a sporty 1.9 l. A four-speed manual transmission was standard, and a three-speed automatic was also available.
Those interested in a sportier model reached for the GT/E version with injection on the 1.9 L engine, different headlights and a front spoiler. In addition, special versions also appeared. The first and rarer is the Turbomanta , of which only 33 were produced, of which 5 were prototypes. The Turbomanta was based on the SR model with a 1.9 S engine with an output of 67 kW. They modified it at the British company Broadspeed Company , where they mounted a Holset 3LDG turbocharger to the engine. After this booster, the engine had an output of 116 kW and accelerated to 100 km/h in 7.6 seconds, beating even the Porsche 911 at the time. All 5 prototypes had a bright yellow paint job and a black stripe on the side with Turbomanta lettering. But Opel withdrew from the whole thing, so the remaining 28 cars were built by DOT (Dealer Opel Team), which was involved in the sale and construction of cars in Britain. These cars were already black with vinyl roof covering. You could only recognize these Turbomants from regular cars based on the small label on the rear spoiler. Another version, for which the car company no longer supported at all, was the Manta TE2800 , which was created in the workshops of the Belgian firm Transeurop Engineering . Here, under the hood of the Manta , they built a six-cylinder 2.8 liter from the Commodore GS type. Because of the engine, the cooling system, the hood and actually the entire front part of the car, the rear axle and the gearbox had to be modified. In addition, Opel later refused to cooperate with the company and forbade them to put the car company's logo on their cars. In the meantime, however, the company was transformed into the Steinmetz company. The Manta TE2800 eventually received a fiberglass hood, a different bumper and spoiler, and larger fenders. Because with these modifications, the car was already working as it should and, in addition, had an output of 106 kW. A total of 79 cars were produced, which were sold under the name Steinmetz TE2800 . The TE logo also replaced all the Opel logos that were originally on the car.
While the Capri remained true to its concept, Opel made a radical change with the Manta in the second generation, and created a playful cheap rear wheel. In addition, he sent this to the rally, directly to group B , which was at the peak of popularity at the time. However, thanks to its price, the Manta has become not only a dream car, but in many cases also owned by young drivers. There were even 2 films made about this German phenomenon, Manta Manta and Manta der Film . It went into production in 1975 and lasted until 1988. Again, it was based on the current generation Ascona , but the appearance was inspired by the Chevrolet Monza . British customers bought it this time under the name Vauxhall Cavalier Coupé . The Manta had completely different proportions, a lower and wider car that fit exactly into what was sizzling in the late 70s. In addition to the classic coupe, a version with a hinged tailgate was added to the menu from 1977, which made it easier to access the trunk. Under the hood, you could again find a 1.2-liter four-cylinder, a 1.6-liter middle of the spectrum, or the top of the range, the GT/E model with a 1.9-liter engine. In 1979, a two-liter with Bosch injection with an output of 81 kW moved under the hood of the GT/E .
In 1982, the model underwent a facelift that modified the front spoiler, added a rear spoiler and new side skirts appeared on the GT/E and GSi versions. The 1.2, 1.6 and 1.9 engines disappeared from the range, replaced by new OHC 1.3, 1.8 and 2.0 engines. The European version of the GT/E was renamed the GSi , in Britain the GT/E name was retained. In addition, British customers could buy an Exclusive model in 1987 with a leather interior, Recaro seats and body kit, which was sold as the i200 . It contained new headlights, which always combined a pair of round parabolas, a rear spoiler from the Irmscher company and sill extensions. Another British specialty was the Vauxhall Centaur , which was a convertible of which only 118 were produced. In addition, the sports models Manta i200 , i240 and i400 were on offer, which were created again in cooperation with the Irmscher company. This modifier also produced a series of 28 cars painted in the shade Paradiesvogel with a 2.8H engine with a power of 112 kW and a torque of 220 Nm. However, the most powerful version was the Irmscher i300 with a three-liter six-cylinder engine with an output of 129 kW, which came from the Monza and Senator models. The maximum speed was 225 km/h and the i300 reached 100 km/h in 8 seconds. The Manta 400 was created for the homologation of the Manta for races in rally group B, which, however, paid for the handicap of driving only one axle during the fights. The Manta lasted in production until 1988, when it was replaced by the modern Calibra .
Photo: Autowp
