RE: Opel Manta GT/E: Spotted

[s m]

J4CKO said:

RicksAlfas said:

Helicopter123 said:

What size of wheels are those?

On the GT/E?
6 x 14.

I remember marvelling at the massive 205 tyres mine had on at the time.

Strictly speaking, they should have been 195/60 HR14 tyres as standard on a GTE

[Mammasaid]

s m said:

J4CKO said:

RicksAlfas said:

Helicopter123 said:

What size of wheels are those?

On the GT/E?
6 x 14.

I remember marvelling at the massive 205 tyres mine had on at the time.

Strictly speaking, they should have been Ultra Low Profile 195/60 HR14 tyres as standard on a GTE

EFA

[williamp]

I lusted after a red coupe when I was young, but there only seemed to be the hatchbacks in 80s maidstone

[anonymous-user]

I had a Berlinetta hatch then a GT/E coupe. The coupe is the one to have, although trying to find one now is very difficult.

[98elise]

williamp said:

I lusted after a red coupe when I was young, but there only seemed to be the hatchbacks in 80s maidstone

I had a red coupe over in Chatham

[996GT3_Matt]

What a nice useable classic for the price pont!

[WJNB]

The Capri was a fake & far too Essex. The Manta was better built, more special & different, the thinking mans budget coupe.

[J4CKO]

WJNB said:

The Capri was a fake & far too Essex. The Manta was better built, more special & different, the thinking mans budget coupe.

Fake ?

Not like the Cavalier based Manta, had both and they were good in different ways really.

[rallycross]

J4CKO said:

Fake ?

Not like the Cavalier based Manta, had both and they were good in different ways really.

Agreed both very different, the Manta was better in many ways than a Capri by the 80's as from a newer design, suspension set up was much better.

Manta owes much to Ascona, which was available mainly in 4 door but also much rarer 2 door, which was used for the 400 before GM released a Manta version 400. It was the same dash and clocks etc sitting in an Ascona as it was a Manta - much like when the Calibra came out, once you got in and drove you immediately knew you were in a Cavalier mk3 coupe!

[Mr Tidy]

I always liked these, but by the time I could afford one my lust for power made me buy a Capri 2.8i!

Sadly I had to sell that for my first house deposit, and I bought a Cavalier Sportshatch 2000 GLS as a stop-gap! It drove well enough, but as someone else mentioned it was really difficult to drive when it was cold and as my commute was only 3 miles but mostly in traffic it was a proper PITA!

So when I got a chance to buy a MK1 Golf cheap the Cavalier had to go.

A couple of years of working all the overtime I could get and saving, and it was back to a Capri 2.8i - unfinished business!

But compared to Capri prices that Manta looks very reasonable for what looks like a stunning example.

[s m]

J4CKO said:

But, they looked good, less good in hatch form but Coupes were £500 dearer.

Would love another but would need to be modified as they are pretty slow and woolly as standard.

Ironically, when they were new, the hatch was approximately £300-£400 more expensive than the coupe ......but yes, second-hand more people seemed to want the coupe and they tended to go for more or at least the same

[blade7]

Glad this isn't a Coupe, I'd be thinking about an i300 conversion

[CDP]

J4CKO said:

WJNB said:

The Capri was a fake & far too Essex. The Manta was better built, more special & different, the thinking mans budget coupe.

Fake ?

Not like the Cavalier based Manta, had both and they were good in different ways really.

DIdn't the Manta have coils on the back while the Capri had cart springs?

[J4CKO]

CDP said:

J4CKO said:

WJNB said:

The Capri was a fake & far too Essex. The Manta was better built, more special & different, the thinking mans budget coupe.

Fake ?

Not like the Cavalier based Manta, had both and they were good in different ways really.

DIdn't the Manta have coils on the back while the Capri had cart springs?

Yeah, both live axles though, I just found mine wasnt very playful, no doubt they could handle but was a bit understeery as standard, Capris seemed a bit more precise somehow but saddled with a 1.6 Pinto they were pretty slow. The 2 litres were not far off a Manta GTE. Leaf springs get a bad rep but can be pretty effective.

I loved the idea and looks of the Manta but always felt they needed another 40 bhp to compete with the V6 Capris, the CIH engine in the GTE was a bit of a wheezy old thing, reasonable torque but not really revvy at all, it felt like it was going to be a beast as there was all the belt and fan noise and it rocked the car when revved, but never seemed all that quick, maybe I had been spoilt by the lighter, more modern Golf


Would have another though, I bet an S2000 engined Manta with decent suspension, and lsd and some proper brakes would be fantastic.

[Rude-boy]

BFleming said:

PH did an Opel Manta GTE spotted article back in 2015, it's here if you fancy a read: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

I lifted this from that article, mostly as I think it's fab - the ads that used to fill car magazines back then...

Miglia 888 said:

A lady I know rolled her son's GTE exiting a roundabout. Some maintain this was divine retribution for w/o her 525i a year or so before hand.

At least he got the chance with the replacement 200 to w/o a Manta. Apparently most of its wheels square or awol.

[Mr Tidy]

J4CKO said:

Yeah, both live axles though, I just found mine wasnt very playful, no doubt they could handle but was a bit understeery as standard, Capris seemed a bit more precise somehow but saddled with a 1.6 Pinto they were pretty slow. The 2 litres were not far off a Manta GTE. Leaf springs get a bad rep but can be pretty effective.

I loved the idea and looks of the Manta but always felt they needed another 40 bhp to compete with the V6 Capris, the CIH engine in the GTE was a bit of a wheezy old thing, reasonable torque but not really revvy at all, it felt like it was going to be a beast as there was all the belt and fan noise and it rocked the car when revved, but never seemed all that quick, maybe I had been spoilt by the lighter, more modern Golf


Would have another though, I bet an S2000 engined Manta with decent suspension, and lsd and some proper brakes would be fantastic.

My Cavalier Sportshatch wasn't playful either, but was much better than the MK2 Capri 2 litres I had been in. A bit firmer and less wallowy - but the only Capris I owned were 2.8is which were much better tied down. OK stiffer ride, but so much more precise handling - still I'm sure it wouldn't take too much fettling to get a Manta to handle like that!

But the CIH 2 litre was indeed a wheezy old thing - probably more wheezy in mine as it didn't have FI.

As great as an S2000 engine is, if I was doing a transplant for a Manta I'd want a tweaked VX red-top in it - maybe built by Swindon Engineering?

[CDP]

J4CKO said:

Would have another though, I bet an S2000 engined Manta with decent suspension, and lsd and some proper brakes would be fantastic.

I'm sure it would but as already mentioned a red top would be more in keeping and probably a lot easier

[JMF894]

Better than a capri in every conceivable way, objectively and subjectively for me.

[KP328]

My Brother installed a red top in his Manta. I think the rust and general upkeep got to much to cope with and he fell out of love with the car.

[blade7]

JMF894 said:

Better than a capri in every conceivable way, objectively and subjectively for me.

My old man had a Cavalier Coupe that I drove quite a lot, and I had a Manta Coupe briefly. I also had a 2.0S and few 3.0S and 2.8 injection Capris, I'm inclined to disagree.