The first model to bear the Manta name dates from 1970, but it’s the second-generation range that interests us here. Launched in 1975, it was effectively a Mk1 Vauxhall Cavalier Coupe or Sportshatch with an Opel badge, sharing that car’s range of modestly-powerful four-cylinder engines. It served up a decent helping of style, but the version that many enthusiasts remember best is the B2 that appeared in 1982 and lasted until the Manta’s demise six years later.
As a strong rival to the Mk3 Capri, the sight of rally legends like Russell Brookes and Jimmy McRae charging through the forests cemented the sporting Opel in the mind of many a car fan. Powered by overhead-cam 1.8 and cam-in-head fuel-injected 2.0-litre engines, the Manta offered buyers a choice of hatchback and coupe body styles that featured a body kit and spoilers for added kerb appeal.
Top dog for many, however, was the GT/E that arrived in 1982. By the time the Manta B bowed out in ’88 – outlasting the Capri in the process – a total of 557,698 had been built. And while it’s the Ford that
