The Manta was normally equipped with a 1.6 or a 1.9-litre CIH engine, although in continental Europe, a small, 1.2-litre, motor was also offered.

The Manta was known to be one of the best-handling cars in its class and went on to win a large number of rallies in Europe and the United States.

In 1973 and 1974 there was also the "Luxus" model, which included refinements like corduroy seats, colour-coded interiors (blue or burgundy), and faux wood panelling.

[5] As a project, Car & Driver magazine added a turbocharger which effectively boosted the low compression ratio.

Broadspeed came up with a somewhat special solution, and used a combination of a Holset 3LDG turbocharger, and a carburettor mounted inside a big plenum chamber.

All five cars were in GM's "signalgelb" sunflower yellow, and had large black stripes on the side, where a sign said "Turbomanta".

The cars were all based on the 1974 luxury Berlinetta model, with full gauge packs, automatic transmissions, and alloy wheels.

Transeurop entered the car in the 1971 Tour of Belgium (part of the European Rally Championship; driver Chris Tuerlinx finished in seventh place).

Much of the front was cut out and replaced with other parts being mounted further to the ground in order to give room for the radiator.

Originally, Opel and General Motors Continental (GM's Belgian subsidiary) was to supply the Manta bodies and engines for the conversion, but by the time the first production TE2800s were completed in 1973 the energy crisis had struck and the management of both Opel and General Motors Continental had changed.

The output was 142 PS (104 kW), and with the Commodore four-speed manual gearbox and a 3.18:1 rear axle the car went from 0–60 mph (97 km/h) in 7.6 seconds.

The tuning consisted of porting and flowing the head, a higher compression ratio, a race spec camshaft, and triple carburettors, giving the car up to 230 PS (169 kW).

The low weight of the Manta bodyshell and the combination of the right gear ratios was what gave the car its success.

[7] This two-door "three-box" car was mechanically based directly on the then newly redesigned Opel Ascona, but the overall design was influenced by the 1975 Chevrolet Monza.

Opel also offered a dealer-installed tuning kit for the fuel-injected engine, promising at least 125 PS (92 kW) thanks to a modified camshaft, valve lifters, and exhaust system.

Both Manta versions received a facelift in 1982, which included a plastic front spoiler, sideskirts for the GT/E and GSi models, a small wing at the rear and quadruple air intakes on the grille.

Recaro seats with red cloth, grey leather like interior and the full bodypack known from the i200 models.

Opel finally ceased the production of the Manta B in 1988, only producing the GSi version after 1986 (it was sold as the GT/E in the UK).

Today, these cars are hard to find in an original, good condition; consequently the value has risen considerably over the last few years.

Opel joined forces with German tuner Irmscher and Cosworth in Britain, to make the 400.

Cosworth was given the task to develop a 16-valve 2-cam head for the CIH spec engine block, and Irmscher who earlier in 1977 and 78 had proven that they knew their way around an Opel building the i2800, was to design the exterior and interior of the cars.

Mounting the 16-valve head on this gave a massive output, and the opportunity to make several tune-ups for the rally drivers.

Although all the changes to give the body more strength were still implemented, the cars were delivered with all kinds of exclusive packaging.

Recaro seats with big Opel badges on the cloth, Irmscher leather steering wheel, and even front light washers were mounted.

The engine was fitted with a Bosch LE injection system and power output was 144 PS (106 kW).

The Phase 2 (Evolution) however was quite different: It had large extended arches front and rear made of materials such as carbon and kevlar to keep the weight down, lightweight doors, bonnet, spoilers, and plastic windows.

The Manta 400 was produced in a total of 245 specimens following the homologation regulations by FISA (today FIA).

First presented at the 1985 Geneva Motor Show, it produces 136 PS (100 kW; 134 hp) and has a claimed top speed of 200 km/h (124 mph).

The reason they were used for the 400 project was that in 1977 they had taken a 1977 Manta B 1.9S and put in a 2.8-litre H spec engine from the Opel Admiral of that time.

Irmscher installed the new 3.0-litre LE-Jetronic engine from the Monza and Senator models, which delivered 176 PS (129 kW) and 232 N⋅m (171 lb⋅ft) of torque.