The Opel Manta is one of the most economical options to have a genuine coupe 80: rear-wheel drive, short profile, few elements of other Opel … and priced from about 4,000 €.

For a long time, Opel Blanket It has been one of those cars with disreputable. And bad reputation especially for its image … or rather we would say that by one of its owners. Actually it was not because the car had defects or inconvenient to do so inadvisable. Far from it.

Over the years, this bad reputation has been remitting class origin, and Today the Opel Manta is a classic truth is that quite palatable and is revalued. In addition, for better and for worse, at this point there has been a very large screen, and though there are not many, it is not difficult to find good units on the market. Yes, It was “tuneamientos” unmannerly and you will see that survive some of the most vandalism, mainly in Germany, where today there is a much greater supply.

In the British magazine Practical Classics said a few months ago, “the Opel Manta sold in Spain and Greece tend to be free of corrosion as no rust, there are some good cars. Even better, the prices tend to be competitive …. ” Who wrote it must imagine that this is the Gobi desert, but partly it is true that it is best to start looking at those here, although there are not too many.

He Opel Manta GT / E that we show in most of the photographs is a Blanket B2, the second series of the second generation. The first generation (1970 – 1975) He continued with the idea of ​​Opel, which began with the GT, making American court bodies at European level; It is also an interesting car. The second generation (1975), More European at all, it maintains the provision of front four-cylinder engine Y a rear drive axle. then comes This B2 (C in some markets) Updated with the taste of the time; for example, plastic bumpers instead of metal. Irmscher preparations are rare and highly sought after, especially the i300 six cylinders. We take today to offer you a Buying Guide.

Opel Manta: engine

The engine Blanket Opel GT / E (CIH 20 E) Is very peculiar for several reasons. One is that there must be very few models old enough to go with an iron yoke (the original design is 1965) and modern enough to carry electron injection, a Bosch LE Jetronic. Another interesting feature of this head is hosting the camshaft, but located on one side of the valve, which moves through rocker arms and hydraulic tappets. it is not called OHC (overhead camshaft) but CIH (cam in head). This stock is not ideal from the point of view of performance (no crossflow) but a classic that is less important than durability and reliability, and in that sense fulfilled. The control camshaft is noisy but strong chain; However, hot excessive noise may indicate wear on cars that exceed 150,000 km.

East 1,979 cm3 engine 110 hp at 5,400 rpm DIN Blanket Opel GT / E It is very strong in general, but tends to overheat if any problems cooling, which may simply be a very dirty radiator or coolant level too low. Good iron cylinder head is not deformed by heat as can occur with aluminum, the weak point of the system is the gasket. You need to look for signs of water consumption, oil or the typical clay pot expansion, indicating that these two circuits are connected.

Opel Manta: transmissions and chassis

The Opel Manta GT version / E was made with three different boxes change: a Manual dand four-speed manual five other with the same ratios as above plus a fifth geared down and an automatic three-speed, very hard to find (and without many reasons to look for). The five-speed is the most common and presents no special problem, but a weak third synchro something. The clutch is also very tough, and in normal use may exceed 100,000 km perfectly.

the main problem of aging suspension is any of its elements; for example, it is not uncommon that the front springs are broken, the joints wear caps and virtually disappear. Find original parts is almost impossible but there is ample market specialists continue to sell pieces of higher quality than the original.

If the car is stopped too long or do not use it frequently, you may notice that the brake pedal is stuck. It may be a simple problem to fix itself if pedal or less if pump. In any case, if it happens to the unit you are looking at, expect possibly also pieces will be needed labor. Instead that the address is hard is normal, the car is well. There are kits for electric power steering couple it, it only makes sense if it will use much the car in town (which does not make much sense).

Opel Blanket: body

Finally we to value body: Opel Manta is poorly protected against rust. Especially in the units come from a humid climate, you have to do a thorough inspection above and below, above all. Among the areas where to look are the thresholds of the doors, the floor, the anchor points cat around windshield and rear window, under the boat windshield washer fluid, rain gutter and the battery holder. Not a major problem having to replace a body panel because there are still who sells raw.

In short, if you want a classic revalued, a traditional sports 80s and relatively inexpensive coupe, he Opel Manta GT / E It is a great option. Yours luck finding.

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