![]() The black hood, a signature element of Opel's sporty models, remains, and the "visor" that takes the space of the grille can display messages, such as the slightly cringeworthy "I am on a zero e-mission." Visually, it is a highly successful restomod effort: the glass and panels remain untouched, the chrome bumpers are gone, the quad headlights make way for Opel's current headlight style, and the quad taillamps are replaced with LED units. Opel calls the one-off EV the Manta GSe even though, back in the Manta A's time, the GS and GS/E designations were reserved for the upmarket Commodore range. And so Opel's engineers took a Manta A and turned it into a compact, sporty stand-alone EV that makes us long for a time of smaller, lighter cars-and perhaps even look forward to an electrified future. Prices for vintage Manta A models have long been on the rise, and given its cult status, it was a natural fit when Opel was looking for a suitable candidate for a restomod as a showcase for electrification. But while the Manta B was long seen as a tacky pseudo-racer, its image just recently beginning to recover, the Manta A has always been regarded as a real designer piece: a car priced for the masses, but of almost stunning beauty and sensuality. Too bad Opel has no plans to manufacture one.įew Americans remember the Opel Manta, even though it has been sold here from '71 through '75 and, as we wrote in our November 1976 issue, "has always found favor with this magazine." It's a different story in Europe, where the original Manta had a successor that was built into the late 1980s. It's small, light, and low on horsepower and range, but we love it anyway.The earlier Manta A has become a cult favorite, so it makes sense that Opel chose it as the subject of a restomod to showcase electrification in the Manta GSe ElektroMod.The 1970s-era Opel Manta was mainly a Europe-market car, although it was sold in the U.S.It was such a cult classic in Germany during the 70s and 80s, in fact, that a movie was produced in 1991 called “Manta Manta,” with the plot centering around modified, later generation Mantas. With the introduction of the Buick Regal (aka Opel Insignia) to the US Market, this would be a great time to pick up this cult classic from GM’s German arm. There’s no telling what this car is valued at, as they are so rare in this country, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was sold for over $5,000. Other than that, there’s a lot to like about this offering. The only thing that detracts from this car, is, you guessed it, the automatic transmission. There is no rust on the outside however the jack points have some rust and behind the battery, the inner fender line has a rust hole. The air conditioner fan works but I have not put any coolant in it. In addition, there are no other odd noises. There are no engine noise or leaks and no tran noise or leaks. I put a new battery in it and took it out a couple of months ago, August 2010, and have been driving it off and on. It was in storage from fall 2008 until fall 2009 when I moved it to my house. It was maintained by a local garage during the subsequent years. It was then painted on and paint protected by Ziebart. On Augit had some body work done (don’t know specifics of what). On October 20, 1997, it was rust protected by Ziebart. The owner then moved to Ames, Iowa to live with her sister in Jand the car had 40,433 miles on it at that time. It was originally purchased it in Ohio with 15,800 miles on it. This car is being sold because the owner is deceased. ![]() This 4-cylinder automatic is in good running condition and has been maintained on a yearly basis (with all receipts and records of that maintenance available for inspection). Opels were imported by GM and sold through Buick dealerships but not their own dealership network, so they were limited in what makes and models they could sell here. Market causing only a few Opel models to be sold in the U.S. There is only 45,500 miles on this classic sports coupe, a 1974 Opel Manta! Opel pursued a unique sales approach for their line in the U.S.
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