RE: SOTW: Opel Manta
Discussion
dern said:
Trackside said:
Talking of Mantas with something other than 4-pot engines, I saw this one on the Rockingham Stages rally last year that was running a 4.0 litre Jaguar lump!
I love the way the lights and grill are raised to fit the engine 
Odd choice of engine though. Lots of cheaper ways to get better power than the jag motor surely
mantadave said:
I drive a manta everyday of the week to and from work, and sell cars for a living and there's nothing better than sliding sideways about 100 yards up the road and watching the faces of people when the beast coming towards them. Manta's rule for value for money what can you buy that looks and drives so good. Manta 400 and a ascona 400s are the kings of the road. check my profile picture for a real car!
Here you go, Manta Daves great looking Manta.
Add this one, I just happened to have saved to photobucket for emergencies...
My very first car was a 1979 T reg 2.0 Berlinetta SR hatchback, in some sort of metalic green, beige velour interior with a glass sunroof. But having 13" ATS alloys with 185/70 Pirelli Cinturato CN36 tyres and a rev counter, this was definately sports car territory for an 18 year old with a magnificent mullet.
It was a great fun car, which as all the previous posters confirm was clearly tail happy. The slightest twitch corrected, convinced you that you were next best thing to Jimmy McRae.
I recall the car costing me about £1200, about 2 months wages at the time amd insurance (3ptf)was about £300. I feel sorry for first time buyers these days, spending an absolute fortune to insure 1.0/1.2 French hatches.....
Edited by Dominic H on Saturday 22 November 19:59
Opel Manta! What a great car!
My first was SMG525M, a secondhand '74(?) model Berlinetta 1900 in metallic blue with (awful) automatic transmission which replaced my Fiat 128 SL 1300. Tatty trim (imitation wood on the doors always peeled off), but nice styling and very pleasant to drive, if not very quick. I later had a Webasto sunroof installed which my little lady friend adored.
The Manta gave way to a couple of Sciroccos, then in 1983 I bought a brand new metallic gold 1.9 Berlinetta, CDX76Y. Build quality was dire; doors didn't fit, 5-speed gearbox rattled horribly, steering shake was unreal....and it needed a diet of proper 4-star petrol. I replaced the stereo with its stupid 3-speaker set up with a decent Blaupunkt though. Unfortunately, so-called 4-star 'Formula Shell' wrecked the engine; as a result I've never bought any Shell petrol since, nor will I ever. After getting it repaired, I traded it in for a secondhand GT/E, D125ONM. Which had a Stage 2 Peter Maiden engine and HUGE 2.5 in exhaust! I spent a lot on the car and upgraded it to 4 headlamp plus whale tail spoiler, Bilstein springs and shocks and a nice Moto Lita leather wheel - and another 4-speaker Blaupunkt stereo. The 2.5 in exhaust was replaced by a quieter 2 in system, which made things much more civilised. It drove and handled superbly....except on wet bends...and would do 125 mph (don't ask)! But after I got back from the Gulf War in 1991 it had to go when I bought a brand new Prelude which was light years ahead in build quality, comfort, handling, speed.....
Decent, easy to own cars with reasonable performance. I once looked at the Calibra, but it wasn't the same. Particularly since it was badged as a Vauxhall.......
My first was SMG525M, a secondhand '74(?) model Berlinetta 1900 in metallic blue with (awful) automatic transmission which replaced my Fiat 128 SL 1300. Tatty trim (imitation wood on the doors always peeled off), but nice styling and very pleasant to drive, if not very quick. I later had a Webasto sunroof installed which my little lady friend adored.
The Manta gave way to a couple of Sciroccos, then in 1983 I bought a brand new metallic gold 1.9 Berlinetta, CDX76Y. Build quality was dire; doors didn't fit, 5-speed gearbox rattled horribly, steering shake was unreal....and it needed a diet of proper 4-star petrol. I replaced the stereo with its stupid 3-speaker set up with a decent Blaupunkt though. Unfortunately, so-called 4-star 'Formula Shell' wrecked the engine; as a result I've never bought any Shell petrol since, nor will I ever. After getting it repaired, I traded it in for a secondhand GT/E, D125ONM. Which had a Stage 2 Peter Maiden engine and HUGE 2.5 in exhaust! I spent a lot on the car and upgraded it to 4 headlamp plus whale tail spoiler, Bilstein springs and shocks and a nice Moto Lita leather wheel - and another 4-speaker Blaupunkt stereo. The 2.5 in exhaust was replaced by a quieter 2 in system, which made things much more civilised. It drove and handled superbly....except on wet bends...and would do 125 mph (don't ask)! But after I got back from the Gulf War in 1991 it had to go when I bought a brand new Prelude which was light years ahead in build quality, comfort, handling, speed.....
Decent, easy to own cars with reasonable performance. I once looked at the Calibra, but it wasn't the same. Particularly since it was badged as a Vauxhall.......
Edited by nickwilcock on Saturday 22 November 20:07
MantaMike said:
Weyhey.. best SOTW ever!
i am a bit bias, but i love them. and they are getting very rare these days, the club recently made some enquiries and i think there was considerably less than 1000 currently taxed cars in the UK. yes they do rust but what cars of this era don't, there a lot of very clean original and restored car out there!
The great thing Manta's is how easy it is to improve them, the last models using the 1.8 vauxhall engine means that the 2.0 16v XE (red top) just bolts straight in giving a standard 150bhp, which with a 1020kg weight makes it quite exciting. mine is currently being converted to twin Weber 45's which should make it more like 180bhp which will be very exciting indeed.
mine in it's natural stance!
I spent loads getting the old CIH engine stroked to 2.4 and still didn't quite make 170bhp - still with that sort of power they really shift well. My mate's 325 Sport was easy prey - handling on the Manta much nicer.i am a bit bias, but i love them. and they are getting very rare these days, the club recently made some enquiries and i think there was considerably less than 1000 currently taxed cars in the UK. yes they do rust but what cars of this era don't, there a lot of very clean original and restored car out there!
The great thing Manta's is how easy it is to improve them, the last models using the 1.8 vauxhall engine means that the 2.0 16v XE (red top) just bolts straight in giving a standard 150bhp, which with a 1020kg weight makes it quite exciting. mine is currently being converted to twin Weber 45's which should make it more like 180bhp which will be very exciting indeed.
mine in it's natural stance!
Yours sounds great fun with 180bhp Mike!
Real soft spot for Manta's, my mate bought a 1.8 S, in about 1988, which I loved, way perkier than the 1.6 Capri's we had, I got a 2.0 GTE hatch in red, lovely Recaros (which clash with the 70's dash) but I loved it, however though it was faster than the 1.8 it was that much faster, the 1.8 was a more modern revvier engine, the 2.0 was an ancient Iron Bedford van lump, though it had 20 bhp more it was quite bit heavier. The bodykit and wheels made it look a lot better though, mine was a hatch but I really wanted a coupe.
They werent the oversteering beasts of legend, they were generally set up for understeer, a 2.0 S Capri was more wayward and more fun, a 2.8 Capri just mullered the GTE in every way
They werent the oversteering beasts of legend, they were generally set up for understeer, a 2.0 S Capri was more wayward and more fun, a 2.8 Capri just mullered the GTE in every way
Hi Guys
I had my mums hand me down Allegro and all my mates had cars like Capris or tuned minis but one guy had a Manta 2.0sr which was gold in colour and so cool.
I just had to do something to get a good car I had a word with my dad who contacted his best mate a car dealer.
He said he had just the car i was looking for a bright yellow Opel Ascona 2.0sr,I took one look at it and just had to have it.
It was a great car and i to had the services of Peter Mainden who put a capri 3.0 Webber carb and one of his exhaust systems on it and boy what a difference couldnt belive it was the same car made a great noise and was a very quick car. I raced my mate in his bosses Audi 2.2 and blew it away.
I eventualy sold it but a few years later got a Manta GTE coupe one of the best handling cars i have owned great memories of a holiday in Wales scaring the living daylights out of my girlfriend and now wife driving around the mountains thinking I was a rally driver.
Cheers
Dunc
I had my mums hand me down Allegro and all my mates had cars like Capris or tuned minis but one guy had a Manta 2.0sr which was gold in colour and so cool.
I just had to do something to get a good car I had a word with my dad who contacted his best mate a car dealer.
He said he had just the car i was looking for a bright yellow Opel Ascona 2.0sr,I took one look at it and just had to have it.
It was a great car and i to had the services of Peter Mainden who put a capri 3.0 Webber carb and one of his exhaust systems on it and boy what a difference couldnt belive it was the same car made a great noise and was a very quick car. I raced my mate in his bosses Audi 2.2 and blew it away.
I eventualy sold it but a few years later got a Manta GTE coupe one of the best handling cars i have owned great memories of a holiday in Wales scaring the living daylights out of my girlfriend and now wife driving around the mountains thinking I was a rally driver.
Cheers
Dunc
anonymous said:
[redacted]
So you'll have known Andy Turner, Sean Hovell, Pete Narancic, Dave Peace, et al? Some other names I can't remember - who it was who used to write the 'poetry' in the club mag. Who was it who was shoving serious boost down experimental 2.4 CiH engines, the big chap from Essex with the 3.0, and whassis name with the supercharged GTE...
Happy days.
I had Volvo four pots on Carlton 2.2 discs on mine, by 'eck it stopped.
jeremyc said:
Buy it and dream ... 
I'm guessing by the round face (and possibly by the 'Heat for Hire' logo'd Manta) that it's the legendary Russel Brookes at the wheel. I got sprayed with mud during a fairly large oversteer moment from him on the Lombard in '88 or '89, driving a Sierra Cossie IIRC.Sorry, OT. Mine would be a late model Exclusive or a cocaine white GTE
Thanks so much for posting my car dominic todays cars are nothing like the old ones they have no style there not fun to drive unless you spend about 30.000 i no cos i sell them a manta with a red top is all you need to bring a smile to ya face the amount of people who sill love mantas is incredible ? iam waiting for the day when opel bring the new one out just hope its not fwd
Had many ,many Mantas up till about 5 years ago .Had about four GTE's ,a GSi with a slippy diff on it ,a 2.2 GTE ,16v GTE and built up a 3 litre GTE as well .The latter was great fun ,especially with the slipper off the GSi on it!Helped with the understeer.....
Used to take the 16v (Monacco Blue) to trackdays for a year or so ,got black flagged at Bedford once cos the engine had a habit of sucking oil into the intake under higher lateral G's and smoked just a bit .Had High Spec Motorsport Big Brake conversion on it as well ,used to stop on a sixpence .Was pretty quick round a track , it could keep up with a standard Elise as long as the owner wasn't REALLY trying (We were allways flat out!)
Used to take the 16v (Monacco Blue) to trackdays for a year or so ,got black flagged at Bedford once cos the engine had a habit of sucking oil into the intake under higher lateral G's and smoked just a bit .Had High Spec Motorsport Big Brake conversion on it as well ,used to stop on a sixpence .Was pretty quick round a track , it could keep up with a standard Elise as long as the owner wasn't REALLY trying (We were allways flat out!)
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