The Opel Manta is a thoroughly German coupe that nevertheless has a very Dutch atmosphere around it. Not least because of the New Kids gentlemen-of-doubtful stature who immortalized a poisonous green Manta B on the silver screen. Thanks to Techzle reader Menno van Dongen, we have an Opel Manta on stage today which, despite the fact that it is a Manta A, still appears somewhat stale.
Between 1970 and 1975 Opel sold no fewer than 500,000 Opel Manta worldwide. The first generation of Manta sold during that period shared part of its technology, just like the Manta B with the then current generation Ascona. In the case of the primal Manta, this was the Ascona A. Opel supplied Manta A with a fairly extensive range of engines, of which the 105 hp 1.9 of the Manta GT / E was the top version. For the sake of convenience, we forget for a moment the extremely rare and only produced in an edition of about 30 units with its 156 hp 1.9 turbo heart. The one in the pictures is not a 1900, but a 1600 S. The 1600 S had a 75 hp 1.6 as power plant, a machine that, thanks to a dual carburettor, was more powerful than the 68 hp 1.6 with single carburettor of the 1600 N lay. Could it be any milder? Certainly, Opel also had a 60 hp 1.2 on the European delivery list of the Manta A.
The Manta had to compete against cars like the Ford Capri, but the 1975 model in the photos does not seem to have too much fighting spirit anymore. Although his red coach seems nicely polished, there are considerable dents and cracks in it here and there. Here and there small pieces of evidence that the rust devil has larded parts of the bodywork with its presence. We see some unfortunate damage on the front screen, as well as some rust under the headlight and around the windshield and rear window. Through the rear window, we also notice some smudging on the inside of the C-pillar. At the rear right, there seems to have been some repair work on the sheet metal, so the Manta does not seem to be abandoned yet. This one needs some love.
Fun fact: just like cars like the Rekord, Kadett and GT, the Opel Manta was also sold on a small scale in the United States, but was always equipped with the 1.9. In 1975, the same year in which this red Manta A saw the light of day, Opel introduced the Manta B.