Opel Manta
Opel
Photo: Alexander Migl / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Opel Manta: The Classic Rear-Drive Coupe
The Opel Manta is an iconic rear-wheel-drive sport coupe from the 1970s and 1980s, revived in 2021 as an electric-converted concept.
Launched in 1970, the Manta was Opel's answer to the Ford Capri, a stylish, affordable rear-wheel-drive coupe that became a favorite on both road and track. Its light weight and simple mechanical layout made it a popular choice for club racing and rallying across Europe, and it built a devoted enthusiast following that persists today.
Two generations were produced through 1988, with the Manta earning a reputation, fair or not, as a car associated with a particular brand of unpretentious enthusiast, a stereotype that became something of an affectionate in-joke in enthusiast circles. It was never officially sold as a Vauxhall in large numbers under that name in the same volume as Opel's mainstream cars, though Vauxhall did market its own version in the UK.
In 2021 Opel revived the Manta name with the GSe ElektroMOD, a concept that took an original Manta body and reengineered it with electric propulsion, signaling both a nod to heritage and Opel's electrified future without putting the classic into full production.