![]() And they might stir the interest in one or two readers to get themselves a Manta of their own. Does this type of anniversary have an impact on the vintage car market in your experience?Ĭertainly, in as much as there will be a couple of articles published in pertinent automotive magazines featuring some nice pictures. Schaefer, the Manta is turning 50 years old in 2020. While it’s not exactly difficult to get hold of a vinyl pressing of “The Dark Side of the Moon” these days, can the same be said about a model of the Manta and other classics from the seventies? We asked Marc Schaefer, Opel’s contact at Classic Data GmbH, Germany’s leading company for valuing classic vehicles, if he could shed some light on the situation. The coupé is a symbol of record sales figures, immense rally success – and 2020 marks its half century.Īnd the cult classic nearly has as many fans as Pink Floyd. Designed by George Gallion, the Opel Manta entered series production in September 1970 under the name of the exotic fish. The Opel Manta kicked off a colorful decade, one filled with bell bottoms, cheese hedgehogs, Pink Floyd, and Roger Moore’s iteration of James Bond. They were 40 years ago.The Opel Manta is turning 50: how much are car enthusiasts willing to pay for the icon from the seventies and other Opel classics? An expert from “Alt Opel IG” tells all. I’d have to think parts are non-existent for Opels. Looks like you get everything you need to be an Opel collector here. For the record, it’s just a Hurst “T” handle on top of the sloppy Opel ( and later Chevette) shifter. As with most Opels ( even California ones) the front stubs that hold the front suspension on to the unibody rust, and the car is toast. Also, dealer support was almost non-existent, as Buick dealers always felt it took business away from Buick, the Isuzu Opels even worse. The 1.9 is a strong engine, the “cam-in-head” design is very durable, but there’s better 2 liter motors (a BMW 2002 will eat this for lunch, trust me, I know) On several 1.9 Opels, I swapped a Pinto Autolite carb to replace the junk Solex with much better results. Aside from gauges and ( worthless) driving lights, the only difference mechanically in the Rallye, was a different axle ratio and the early ones had twin carbs. I had a’67 Kadett wagon, a ’68 Kadett Rallye, and a non-Rallye Manta like this. I’ve had 3 Opels myself, and friends and family had many more. What do you think? Have any of you ever owned an Opel? Overall, this car looks pretty rust free and since the seller is the original owner, this might be a good buy for an Opel fan out there. The seller is also including lots of extras with the car. This picture can give you a good idea of what this Opel might look like if it was fully restored. Included in the ad is this picture, which looks like it was an ad back when the Opel was the second best selling import car in America after Volkswagen, of course. Since this is the only interior picture, I think it’s safe to assume the upholstery (and maybe the rest of the interior) needs some work as well. The seller of this Opel states that while the engine is not currently running, they did a compression check, and they think that all that is needed to get the car running is a valve adjustment. There are no engine pictures included in the ad, and this is the only interior picture. There’s clearly some important information missing from the ad, but the seller does have a lot to say. The ad states that the car has low mileage, but nowhere in the ad is the actual mileage listed, so who knows! “Low mileage” means a different thing to everyone these days. It’s hard to imagine why someone would put a car in perfect running condition away for so many years, and the owner doesn’t explain why they did this either. The original owner says that they put this Opel in storage 25 years ago, and at the time it was still running. This car was stored away for 25 years by the original owner and has low mileage! It is up for sale here on craigslist in Huntington Beach, California with the asking price of $4,995. Made by German company Opel and brought to the United States with General Motors in the ’70s, these cars are hard to come by these days.
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