1988 Opel Manta GT Exclusive |

Sold

1988 Opel Manta GT Exclusive

Sold Price

£3,715

Mileage~34,493 on clock
TransmissionAutomatic
Engine1.8-litre
LocationLondon

SOLD

1988 Opel Manta GT Exclusive

I WANT ONE

Introduction

Andrew Taylor

Sharp looks - the Manta is a car with bags of '80s style only made better from this example having just one owner from new.

Opel released the Manta A, back in 1970, as a competitor to the Ford Capri. Equipped with either a 1.6 or 1.9 litre CIH, (Cam In Head built by General Motors), and fitted with either a four-speed manual or three-speed automatic, the Manta became known as one of the best handling cars in its class. This also proved well in the world of rallying, where it had great success in both Europe and the United States.

In 1975, the Manta B was launched, which was basically a redesigned Opel Ascona, but with more sporty styling, similar to the UK equivalent of the Ascona, the Mk1 Cavalier sports hatch. Fitted again with the same engines as the previous model, it wasn't until 1979 when the GT/E model was fitted with the new 2.0 litre engine, and the newly designed Bosch fuel injection system.

The next major update came in 1982 when the Manta received the updated 1.8 litre engine, like the one we have here. This engine was more economical and could also use unleaded fuel. This proved very popular, and was used up until the end of the production run of the Manta.

The last models released were the GT and GT/E Exclusive. The one here is the GT Exclusive which featured the quad headlights, a front spoiler, the number plate recessed into the rear bumper, and a spoiler from Irmscher. The 1.8 engine produced a hefty punch whilst reaching 90% of its torque by 2,000 rpm.

Kim has truly had fun in this car. Owning it from new has shown a true testament to how much she loves the Manta, and if it wasn't for the ULEZ coming into London, the Manta would most definitely be staying put.

This auction listing was written from information supplied by Andrew after meeting Kim the owner, and having visited and photographed the vehicle.

Secure Auctions

We verify all our sellers and buyers to keep our community safe whilst also providing the highest levels of website security.

Full Transparency

8 out of 10 people that buy cars via our service don’t feel the need to visit due to the transparency and thoroughness of our listings.

Vehicle Delivery

We're there every step of your buying journey and will even arrange pick-up and delivery of your new vehicle.

Secure Auctions

We verify all our sellers and buyers to keep our community safe whilst also providing the highest levels of website security.

Full Transparency

8 out of 10 people that buy cars via our service don’t feel the need to visit due to the transparency and thoroughness of our listings.

Vehicle Delivery

We're there every step of your buying journey and will even arrange pick-up and delivery of your new vehicle.

Meet the owner

I loved the sleek shape of the Manta as soon as I saw one - being made redundant gave me the opportunity to own my dream car.

Kim had always loved the shape of the Opel Manta, and when she unfortunately got made redundant, what better way to cheer yourself up than to buy a car with your redundancy money. This is what Kim did, and she has enjoyed being the owner of this GT Exclusive Manta since 1988.

Kim never envisaged parting with her beloved Manta, but now ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone) is coming into force in London, this has made the Manta uneconomical to own, and so she has decided to part with it.

Kim

Vehicle Owner

Kim saved £0,540* when they
sold their Opel with us.

SELLING MADE EASY

We'll take the photos & create the listing.
We'll market it to our 62K buyers & online.
You'll keep your car until it's paid for.

PEACE OF MIND FOR BUYERS

They can fully review our cars online.
They can buy on our trusted platform.
They're able to buy without leaving home.

LEARN MORE

EXTERIOR VIDEO

Exterior

Quad headlights, Irmscher boot spoiler and lower front spoiler - this all certainly made the Exclusive model stand out from the earlier models.

Wheels and Tyres

The wheels are the original steels, which are in reasonable condition, with just some slight surface rust to the faces. Nothing a weekend and a rattle can wouldn't put right.

The tyres are in good condition and approximately half worn.

Bodywork

The external bodywork on the Manta is in good order with no knocks or dents to point out.

There are some light areas of corrosion to the sills and bottom of the doors, and there is also some blistering just to the back of the sunroof. Please watch the the videos to see the condition of the underside - work will be required, so please assess the condition for yourself, e.g. we did see some corrosion on the NSF inner wing near the top mount area.

Looking around the car, the panel gaps all look to be aligned just as they should - meaning the doors open and close as you would expect.

Please see the gallery for more detailed images.

Paint

Finished in white, the Manta was repainted in 2014, which has preserved the bodywork to some degree, but it could have probably been tackled a little better in places, i.e. not masking around the decals. That said decals are readily available should you wish to replace them.

There are some scuffs to the bumpers which have been touched in, and, as mentioned, the bottom of the doors and sills have some blistering.

The front end has minimal stone chips, as the car has only completed around ~4,000 miles since the respray in 2014.

Please see the image gallery for more detailed shots.

Glass and Trim

The glass is all in good condition with no noticeable scratches to point out, other than general marks which have accumulated over the years.

The rubber seals for the windows have started to shrink and split in a couple of places, and there is evidence of overspray on some of the trims and rear lights.

The quad headlights are free from any splits or chips, along with the indicators and also the rear lights.

VIEW ALL

INTERIOR VIDEO

Interior

The grey pinstripe interior and Irmscher steering wheel - takes you right back to 1988.

Seats and Carpets

The seats in the Manta are in good condition in terms of damage, but unfortunately what sometimes happens is that the material stretches a little and looks like it's loose, which is the case here. There is no wear to the bolsters of the front seats and the vinyl looks to be in good order. The rear seat has the most amount of loose material to the upper part of the seat, but like the front, there is no damage, so an upholsterer could probably be able to do something with this.

The door cards are half vinyl and half material, which are in good condition, with no obvious signs of damage, other than a few scuffs to the door pocket.

The carpets are in good condition, with no real wear to the driver’s heel pad. The passenger side and rear are in the same condition. Inside the boot, the carpet is clean with the spare wheel and jack sitting beneath it. The boot floor itself looks to be in good order with no signs of corrosion which we could see.

Dashboard

The dashboard is finished in grey and free from any damage. There is a Moss security Ultrasonic Detector fitted to the centre, which would probably leave a couple of holes if removed.

The instrument binnacle is in nice condition with no obvious scratches to the clear cover, and the odometer is displaying a reading of ~34,493 miles.

Please see the interior gallery for more detailed shots.

Steering Wheel / Gear Stick

The steering wheel is an Irmscher three spoke steering wheel, which has some very light patina, as to be expected for the age.

The gear knob to the automatic Manta is in good order with no obvious wear.

VIEW ALL

'ON THE ROAD' VIDEO

Mechanics

The Germans put in a 1.8, 8 valve into the Manta GT - producing 90 bhp and 105 ft-lb of torque.

Engine and Gearbox

The 1800cc starts up fine with a tickle of the accelerator. The engine sounds just as it should, with no untoward noises coming from the bay. There are no signs of any oil leaks to the underside of the car that we saw on our visit.

The three-speed automatic gearbox is reported to change nice and smoothly, and the Manta pulls well through all the gears.

The engine bay would benefit from a jet wash, to bring it back to its former glory.

Suspension and Brakes

The car sits well and looks just as it should.

Looking under the car there is minimal surface rust to the suspension wishbones and springs.

Kim reports the car stops just fine with no brake judder or pulling to either side.

The Drive

There's no denying in its day the Manta GT Exclusive, with its 4 lamp headlights, looked the part. You wouldn't be wrong in saying that even today, they’re a cracking looking, modern day classic car.

Kim has enjoyed the Manta and loves driving it - she says it drives as it should and there are no noises coming from the transmission or suspension.

Electrics and Other

There’s not really much to go wrong in the Manta, with manual windows and no central locking. It’s back to when life was much simpler, with no engine management lights to worry about and such like.

The switchgear is reported to be working as it should, and there is little wear to be seen on the indicator and wiper stalks.

VIEW ALL

History and Paperwork

A one owner car from 1988 is quite impressive to say the least - with a little TLC this could be a cracking car to take to shows.

Kim never thought she would part with the car, and therefore tended not to keep some of the paperwork for work carried out, as is often the case, and any that was kept has unfortunately been lost.

The V5 is present and shows 0 previous keepers.

Please make sure you watch all the videos and review all the images before placing your bid. The reserve on this car has been set according to its condition. It's an ideal project car for an enthusiast to start with, an excellent base - just prioritise and tackle key areas to improve over time. Importantly this is quite a rare car and made even rarer by having one owner - you can't change that.

There is currently an MOT on the car which is valid until the 10th March 2022.

We’ve done all our usual seller checks including photo ID, V5, and the vehicle is HPI clear.

Service History

Date	Type	Mileage
17.02.2021	MOT	34,171
18.02.2020	MOT	33,544
19.02.2019	MOT	33,049
24.02.2018	MOT	32,526
02.03.2017	MOT	32,045
16.02.2016	MOT	31,340
03.03.2015	MOT	30,562
28.02.2014	MOT	30,071
22.02.2013	MOT	29,300
13.02.2012	MOT	28,622
07.03.2011	MOT	28,036
06.03.2010	MOT	27,379
07.03.2009	MOT	26,632
08.03.2008	MOT	25,912
09.03.2007	MOT	25,155
11.03.2006	MOT	24,324