I’ll admit it: I was a Manta fan as a kid. I watched the films about Opel’s cult car on TV dozens of times. I could literally smell the gasoline when Sebastian Rudolph alias Fred Grabowski (“Manta – The Film”) and Til Schweiger alias Bertie (“Manta, Manta”) thundered through the picture with their cars. As in the film, we discussed in the break area: Opel Manta or VW Golf GTI – a question of philosophy.
Now, 30 years later, the time has come: I am behind the wheel of my iconic youth. It stands in bright yellow in front of me, an Opel Manta A built in 1971. The silhouette is as elegant as on the first day, the nostalgic smell of bygone times flows from the cockpit. A dream for many of my generation.
Old car, new technology
But this Opel is only a “real” Manta at first glance. Because under the black hood there has long been no more in-line four-cylinder – with its 90 hp already not a hell of a machine back then. Behind the awkward name Opel Manta GSe ElektroMod is an old car with modern and purely electric technology: Within just one year, Opel’s Classic department replaced the retro-electric car with the chic 17-inch model. When the first pictures were published on the Internet months ago, the community celebrated the retro Stromer like no Opel before it. “Sacrilege!” Shouted some. “Clever move!” the others.
The Vizor calls the future
Fans can see when looking at the front that it is not the 50-year-old original. Opel installed the grill called Vizor for the first time in the Mocha. Modern LED lights from the Zafira glow beneath the daytime running lights, and the four light rings at the back imitate the original lights. The highlight, however, lies between the headlights: “We can communicate on the display,” explains Nicolas Armanini, chief technician at Opel Switzerland. Armanini pulls out his smartphone – the Opel logo and GSe signet light up, and the Manta says hello: “Hello future!”
Sports seats from the obsolete Adam S await behind the slender metal doors, while the digital cockpit is again from the current Mocha. But there is also a lot of nostalgia: The old sports steering wheel is covered with fresh leather, the headlights are switched on via the original pull lever underneath. And recuperation – energy recovery when braking – can now be activated using the slider that once controlled the heating. The Manta covers almost 200 kilometers with the 31 kWh battery in the rear – that should be enough for our joyride.
Motor at the front, drive at the rear
I turn the delicate ignition key – silence. “We have installed two coupled electric machines at the front, the power of which is transferred to the rear axle via the drive shaft – just like in the original,” says Nicolas Armanini. The stick of the former four-speed transmission still protrudes from the center tunnel. “I don’t need that, do I?” I ask. “Yes, in contrast to most electric cars, the Manta GSe is still switched manually!” Replies Armanini. I look skeptical, he calms down: “E-car with manual gearbox – sounds strange, but is really good fun, you will see!”
The most important thing is not to stand on the accelerator as long as the clutch is depressed. “Otherwise the gearbox will break – too much power.” So go into first gear, release the clutch and brake and apply power. The Manta rushes lively – 147 HP and 255 Nm torque are directly available. Former Manta drivers could only dream of such an achievement! As with a combustion engine, I hear the shift point coming – depress the clutch, go into second gear, carefully release – and bang! But I could also set off straight away in fourth gear, whereby the Manta then starts much more slowly because the electric motor has to rev up first.
Power steering? Nothing!
Opel does not disclose driving data. My feeling says: The electric Manta is definitely faster than the 12.6 seconds of the original up to 100 km / h. But above all, the atmosphere ensures driving pleasure: vibrating drive shafts and chattering gears when reverse gear is engaged. Maneuvering takes muscle power. Because: power steering? Nothing. And the electric manta is tough. Hard as a board, matching the cool look. Can the GSe still score points with Generation Z?
We cruise to where a cool car still counts: Zurich, Langstrasse. Fat SUVs line up with souped-up coupes; Sparkling super athletes roll down the boulevard. And with every green phase the orchestra of the high-performance burners roars. But tonight we all steal the show. We glide down the most famous nightlife district in Switzerland as quietly as a whisper.
The GSe meets the zeitgeist
Stop in front of the Roland, well-known sex cinema. And we don’t stay alone for long. “Wow, he’s cool!” Shout a couple of young people from afar and pull out their phones to take a selfie. “Oh, a manta, I used to have one too,” an older man whispers to me from the side. “But it’s purely electric, a one-off,” I reply. “Aha, and how much does it cost?” – “Priceless”, interferes Nicolas Armanini in the discussion.
Nobody can ignore the manta. I could have made a lot of money if I had loaned it out for test drives. Of course not. But with the ElektroMod, Opel seems to have hit the zeitgeist. What began as a marketing gag should therefore become a reality: There will be a new series Manta by the middle of the decade – purely electric, of course. The next youth icon? Quite possible.