Let’s give a standing ovation to the absolute gem that is the first-gen Opel Manta (or should I say, the oh-so-posh Manta A) – a stunningly uncomplicated two-door fastback masterpiece that decided sharing a chassis and oily innards with the Opel Ascona sedan was the pinnacle of sophistication. Of course, despite being under the General […]
If you don’t know what a Manta is then you are a terrible waste of carbon based life and I don’t want to be your friend…whoa, whoa, whoa…wait up. That’s not right. Let’s start over, if you don’t know what a Manta is, then you need to get up to speed and learn about the […]
Sometimes a wheel/tire combo can destroy the look of a car and then there is the other time when the wheels/tires makes the car. This is the latter. The Manta Montage is a cool car, and built to a standard above and beyond the typical fake Cobra or Fiero based kit car..but today’s Montage has […]
The typical Opel Manta is in a sad state of condition — it looks like a car where the owner isn’t quite sure what he has anymore than the typical person on the street who asks “what is it?” However, today’s Manta is different. This Manta has been given a full restomod treatment and looks […]
The first generation Opel Manta is an affordable classic that deserves a spot in your garage…wait a minute. I’ve seen this car before. Oh we featured this car in December of 2020 and it was a good deal then and it is cheaper now, so go buy this Opel Manta before it gets relisted 6 months later for another grand off the asking price. Find this 1975 Opel Manta offered for $11,500 in East Meadow, NY via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!
Every car that meets the necessary prerequisites to be featured on Daily Turismo is an interesting car…but sometimes they are cars that I don’t want to own. This next car fits into that category of the rare stuff that could find a home in my garage…and trust me, my garage is a strange place. It current extends into the public street and involves several Buick station wagons that I didn’t seek, but they came to me — anyway, if I were to add to my collection of vintage fun cars, something with a Chevy 350 V8 and headers and styling like this would be top of the list. Find this 1980 Manta Mirage offered for $12000 in Ventura, CA via craigslist.
This next car comes from tipper Erik202 who writes: I always think its funny when ads don’t have a price but do contain enough info to steal the seller’s identity (or i dunno at least apply for a credit card in their name) This guy probably did it because there is also an app for Kijiji that allows messaging and he didn’t want all the messages from people telling him there is no way his opel is worth whatever he’s asking for it. Anyway, even tho there is no price listed it can’t possibly be higher than the DT cutoff. Personally I think it is because this guy is sick of having people low-ball his asking price 24-7, because that seems to be the full time occupation of some craigslist/kijijiji readers. The only thing I’d change on this listing (other than posting a pie-in-the-sky price) is to take a photo without so much snow on the hood. Find this 1971 Opel Manta offered for an undisclosed sum of cash in Alberta, Canada via Kijiji.net.
There are only a handful of cars out there that’ll make a Porsche 356 look “large” in a photo, but a Manta Mirage is one of them. Never heard of it? Yeah, you are certainly in the majority of people, but don’t fret, because here at DT we are obsessed with everything Manta and will post each one that we find. Why? Because they are all questionably built kit cars with styling based on a McLaren race car and are almost all powered by big V8s and hit the scales around 1900 lbs. The Mirage is as close as you’ll come to racing a 70s Can-Am car for the street, do I need to say any more? Find this 1970ish Manta Mirage offered for $21,000 in Morgan Hill, CA via craigslist.
The first generation Opel Manta (It is known as a Manta A to the Mantites around the globe) was a clean and simple two-door fastback that shared a chassis and oily bits with the Opel Ascona sedan platform. The Opel marque may have been controlled the giant General Motors monster, but the Manta was a decidedly European machine, with a small cam-in-head inline-4 cylinder engine pushing power to the rear wheels. The Opel brand ended up being a flop in North America, but it wasn’t the Manta’s fault, it was the fault of the bean counters at GM who decided to shove Opels in to the back of Buick dealerships, which sealed their fate before they first appeared on our shores. Find this 1975 Opel Manta offered for $13,500 in Suffolk, NY via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.
My advice for selecting a mid-engine kit car to buy is the same advice I give for people considering a mohawk for their hairstyle. Always go bigger, flashier, spikier, and bluer. And never go half way in, with some kind of stupid fauxhawk, you need to commit to the full experience and rock that Chevy V8 powered Manta symbol of your inner 6 year old and make it loud and proud. Find this 1983 Manta Montage offered for $14,500 in Seattle, WA via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!