Friday 21st November 2008

SOTW: Opel Manta

The Opel Manta: As eighties as a Rubik Cube, but a lot more simple...

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We’ve all seen Gene Hunt barking ‘fire up the Quattro!’ before he jumps into his Audi in the BBC’s Ashes to Ashes. This always bugged me slightly, because if I had my way this gritty TV cop wouldn’t be hooning around in a tech-fest Audi, he’d be driving an Opel Manta. This is a coupe that is far more down to earth, a no-nonsense ride for a no-nonsense copper.

The second generation of the Manta arrived in 1975 and lasted all the way to 1988. It kept its ‘Opel’ badge even in the UK and engines ranged from a titchy 1.2-litre OHV unit all the way up to 2.0-litres as seen in the later GTE/GSi. It gained an instant following for its good looks and fun rear-drive handling. A finely judged coil and spring setup, incorporating anti-roll bars, meant that the Manta had a good blend of comfort and grip, and this was joined by a decent amount of feel through the rack and pinion steering.

Somewhere in the middle of the range sat the manta CC Series Berlinetta. This car was designed to be the comfort model, with plush trim and extra soundproofing, and Vauxhall sold it on its refinement rather than all-out sporting credentials. It came with both coupe and hatchback body styles and featured 6J alloys as standard.

This model arrived in 1981 and remained until 1987, when it was replaced by the Exclusive as the only 1.8-litre Manta. Other standard features on the car were Lyon Velour Cloth Trim and none other than colour coded carpets. You got other technical innovations such as headlamp wash/wipe and head restraints. Interestingly the car also came fitted with ‘bronze tinted glass’, which is more than could be said for other cars in this segment (or in any segment for that matter).

The car may have had just 90bhp and 105.5lb ft of torque, but performance was sprightly and the Berlinetta could be hustled along at a reasonable lick. It’s a shame that Mantas aren’t seen much on our roads anymore. It’s the kind of car that couldn’t be more eighties if it was wearing neon socks, and I for one think it still looks sharp today.

The example we have found on Autotrader has full service history and has been family owned since new. 103,000 miles shouldn’t be too much of a problem and the car seems to be well looked after. There’s even tax and MOT thrown in too – all for less than a grand. It has to be well worth a look and as the ad says, all you have to do is ‘PHONE BARRY’. I’m not saying anything…

Ad says: '1985 C Reg OPEL Manta 1.8 S Berlinetta. 103,000 miles. FAMILY OWNED FROM NEW, FULL SERVICE HISTORY, ALL RECEIPTS AND MOT'S, RED, SPORTS CLOTH INTERIOR, ALLOYS, RADIO CASSETT, MOT AND TAX, EXCELLNT ORIGINAL CONDITION.PHONE BARRY. 07760153271. £995'

 

 

[SS HSV]

I bought the Opel Monza shed of the week six months ago which was the big brother to the Manata, Having owned several Manta's including two tasty 'A's I was looking for another Opel fix. These cars are exceptionally well built, no rattle or creaks, a very cool retro interior with Recaro seats, and still plenty of tuning parts with the help of Blydenstein etc.

I would prefer a Coupe to a Hatch becuase cabin noise is slightly greater, but when I've finished dropping an LS6 into the Opel I might go looking for one of these.

Loads of happy memories driving in these