[3] In 1961 About returned to France, where he pursued a variety of occupations, including testing cars for l'Equipe, interior decorating, and working as a movie stuntman.

About completed his assessment and reported back that there was a market, but for a simpler, more comfortable, and less expensive car than the A110 — one that would preferably be assembled in Canada.

[3] About received no news for a year, and when he heard that an Alpine supplied from Mexico might be marketed in Canada, he traveled to France to force the issue, but was rebuffed.

[6] Committing to the project, Gris moved in with About and the woman who would become About's wife in 1968, Pauline Vincent — an entertainment reporter in Montreal.

An early attempt to have a contractor create a prototype for the car resulted in an unfinished body that About felt was too ugly to use.

With sponsorship from Gitanes cigarettes, it was campaigned by the company's own team, l'Écurie Manic, in Formula C.[7] Serge Soumille had traveled from his home in France to Québec to accompany his wife, singer and Eurovision winner Rachel Ros, on a tour of the province.

In France Soumille worked in electronics for a French automaker while also being involved in racing, and was interested in finding a ride while in Canada.

[11] The car made an appearance at the 6 Hours of ACAM at the Mont-Tremblant circuit in October 1970, where it retired with suspension damage.

[11] Work on the sports car project resumed in earnest in June 1968, with Soumille serving as designer and Gris responsible for assembly and production.

The first Manic GT prototype was built with a $25,000 investment from a small group of lawyers in Montreal that included Jean de Brabant, a distant relative of About's.

[3] After the car's debut About was able to secure financial backing from Placement Bombardier, International Capital Inc., the Steinberg family, Caisse de Dépôt, l'Office du Crédit Industriel du Québec and the Canadian federal government, with the federal grant contingent on the company moving to the economically depressed region of Granby, Québec.

[16] In its final form the GT made another appearance at the Montreal Auto Show in 1970, where it was displayed alongside the Manic-GRAC and the PA-II.

While major components for unfinished cars sat on the factory floor many smaller but still critical parts were not available.

[6] The Granby factory was closed in May 1971, and on 8 June 1971, Les Automobiles Manic officially ceased operations.

[15] The car was built on a Renault 8 platform chassis with a steel roll-over structure added to improve safety and add stiffness to the frame.

Mounted behind the prototype's rear axle centre-line was a 1,108 cc (67.6 cu in) Renault Cléon-Fonte (aka "Sierra") engine.

This Cam-in-block inline four-cylinder motor had a wet-linered cast-iron block with five main bearings and an alloy cylinder head with overhead valves.

[19] The car was offered in three stages of tune: 65, 80, and 105 hp (48.5, 59.7, and 78.3 kW), permitting top speeds of 169, 193, and 217 km/h (105, 120, and 135 mph) respectively.

[22] A Manic GT is part of the virtual online exhibition "In Search of the Canadian Car" at the Canada Science and Technology Museum.

It won first place at the Antique and Classic Car Club of Canada's 49th annual Concours d'Élégance in August 2012.

[30] The car has a custom steel-tubing chassis and the engine and transaxle from a Renault 12 turned 180° to mount in a mid-engined configuration.