1982 Opel Manta 400

The story of the Opel Manta 400 is a familiar one to anyone who was a follower of the crazy days of 'Group B' rallying and their sibling road cars built by the major manufacturers in whatever 'homologation' quantity was required. Developed from its Ascona predecessor, the Manta was always popular with the crowds - lots of power, not much weight and a propensity to attack stages sideways. However by the time it was ready to rally, the game had moved on, the Audi Quattro showing the rest of the field that four-wheel drive was going to be a requirement in the WRC. Nevertheless, that didn't stop the Manta from achieving cult hero status on British and European stages, with its raspy sound, lively handling and iconic liveries, the Andrews Heat for Hire with Russell Brookes and Mike Broad being a particular favourite and winning over a lot of fans.

The 'homologation' Manta road car was named '400' because that was the number of examples of the old Ascona that were required by the regulations at the time, however when the Manta was ready to compete, only 200 road cars were required and, having built a total of 245 examples of the Manta 400, production ceased. Even 40 years ago, then, it was a very rare car. The notable mechanical upgrade was a Cosworth head for the 2.4-litre engine (originally meant to be 2-litre, but that wasn’t powerful enough), although it was the looks that really made the Manta stand out as a road car. The white-on-white colour scheme with '400' decals, the bulked-up arches for wider tracks, the incredible Irmscher interior and the battery of fog lights all look just as good now as they did in the 1980s. 

We are proud to offer this rare and genuine Opel Manta 400 which probably holds the mantle as the most enigmatic variant of the 1980s and is one of the rare, early examples with the distinctive 'twin slot' front air vents. It has covered just 59,026km (36,680 miles) from new and presents superbly, having escaped any form of competition, making it an ideal Collection candidate.

It was delivered new to its first Belgian owner by his local Opel Sport and Irmscher Dealer and the history file includes photographs of the owner at the Opel Homologation meeting at Russelsheim in Germany with Works driver, Walter Rohrl, in the group, standing by the car. The Manta was owned by him until the late 1980s before being sold to a Dutch Collector who then passed it on to our first UK-owner in 1995. It was driven by him for just one kilometre before going into storage for 14 years. In 2010, the car received a very light recommissioning and changed hands again in 2015 to another collector. After eight years, this super original Opel Manta is ready for the next chapter of its ownership story.

Together with the full backstory and timeline, the history file contains the original factory invoice. The car retains its original engine, black-backed interior, original and correct offset wheels (fronts ET23 and rears ET3), all original bodywork and panels and certainly appears totally correct, very rare.

With a recent checkover and new MOT, this lovely 1980s time-warp homologation special is a must for any collection of significant rally-related road cars or can just be enjoyed as a fabulous modern classic in its own right.