Buick 215 V8 Power: 1972 Opel Manta Rallye

The first generation Opel Manta (It is known as a Manta A to the Manta lovers around the globe) was a simple and light two-door fastback that shared a chassis and oily bits with the Opel Ascona sedan platform. The Opel marque may have been controlled the giant General Motors monster, but the Manta was a decidedly European machine, with a small cam-in-head inline-4 cylinder engine pushing power to the rear wheels...but you can fix that will a little bit 'o' Murican iron, and finally justify the fact that these things were sold in Buick dealers when new. Find this 1972 Opel Manta Rallye with Buick 215V8 offered for $2200 in Seattle, WA via craigslist. Tip from JB1025. 

Barn Find: 1973 Opel Manta

The first generation Opel Manta "A" was a simple and light two-door fastback that shared a chassis and oily bits with the Opel Ascona sedan platform. It is a classic that, for whatever reason, doesn't get many accolades these days, but would make a great occasional driver and weekend cruiser to fill the empty spot in your garaage.  Find this 1973 Opel Manta here on eBay bidding for $800 reserve-not-met located in South Hadley, MA with 1 day to go.

McLaren Kit: 1984 Manta Montage M6GT

Manta was a custom car company based out of Southern California (run by brothers Brad and Tim LoVette) in the 1970s/1980s that built speedy looking fiberglass superkits using donor parts from Vettes and Beetles.  The Montage was one of their later offerings and used a Volkswagen Type 1 donor engine/transmission to underpin a fancy looking fiberglass shell. Find this 1984 Manta Montage M6GT offered for $15,000 in West Palm Beach, FL via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!

McLaren M6 Kit Car: 1984 Manta Montage

I would seriously drive this next car every single day if I could fit a few car seats into the back...because it combines the basic practicality of a Chevy V8 that'll get you to the grocery store and back with the menacing looks of a McLaren M6 racer. This is the car that'll get your neighbors talking about you behind your back...but those know-nothing do-gooders are stuck in the world of fleasing new sport utility vehicles with high monthly payments and zero street cred -- forget 'em.  Buy this 1984 Manta Montage offered for $18995 in Phoenix, AZ via craigslist.  Tip from FuelTruck. 

Some Assembly Required: 1974 Manta Mirage

If you've always wanted to build a 70s kit car, the opportunities are limited these days.  It isn't just that lawyers and politicians want you to be safe, but also that most of the businesses making kits are long gone, so you'll need to find an unfinished project, like this 1974 Manta Mirage offered for $5500 in Dublin, CA via craigslist. Tip from RockOn!

Banana Boat: 1974 Opel Manta

The early 1970s wasn't a good time to be a new car.  The late 60s models were faster, better looking, and less complex in general, but there were a few cars that kept it cool into the mid 70s.  Included in this rare bunch is something called the Opel Manta that was built in Germany by GM.  Find this 1974 Opel Manta offered for $7,200 in Neshkoro, WI via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!

Auction Watch: 1974 Manta Montage

Check out this 1974 Manta Montage with turbocharged aircooled VW power, here on eBay offered for $24,000 buy-it-now or make-offer located in Las Vegas, NV.

Forgotten Classic: 1974 Opel Manta A

The first generation Opel Manta "A" was a simple and light two-door fastback that shared a chassis and oily bits with the Opel Ascona sedan platform. It is a classic that, for whatever reason, doesn't get many accolades these days, but would make a great occasional driver and weekend cruiser to fill the empty spot in your garage.  Find this 1974 Opel Manta A offered for $8,500 in Pescadero, CA via craigslist.  Tip from Kaibeezy.

Peak Kit Car: 1969 Manta Montage

Manta was a custom car company based out of Southern Calfornia (run by brothers Brad and Tim LoVette) in the 1970s/1980s that built swoopy looking fiberglass supercars using donor parts from Vettes and Beetles.  The Montage was one of their later offerings and used a Volkswagen Type 1 donor engine/transmission to underpin a fancy looking shell.  Find this 1969 Manta Montage offered for an undisclosed price, located in Norfolk, VA via craigslist.

Odd Man Out: 1986 Manta Montage

Another day, another Manta?  Wait...what?  You might remember Manta as the Costa Mesa based builder who put together the insane Mirage kit that was designed to be fitted with a small block V8 engine -- we featured one a few days ago.  Apparently Manta didn't stop producing kit cars when the pot haze of the '70s cleared and they built a cocaine fueled car in the '80s called the Montage.  Find this 1986 Manta Montage here on eBay bidding for $4,995 reserve-not-met in Utica, MI with 5 days to go.

'Merican Caterham: 1977 Manta Mirage

The Manta Mirage was a crazy Can-Am inspired mid-engined road car built out of a garage in Costa Mesa by brothers Brad and Tim LoVette in the late 1970s.  The basic recipe was a steel space frame with a Chevy V8 mounted in the middle connected to a Corvair transaxle, all wrapped up in a hand-laid fiberglass body.  Find this 1977 Manta Mirage offered for $10,800 near Cincinnati, OH.  Tip from FuelTruck.

5k: Some Assy Required: 1975 Manta Mirage

 The Manta Mirage was a futuristic low volume car kit car built starting in 1974 out of a small garage in Costa Mesa, CA.  Production of the McLaren M8 CanAm race car styled beast ended in 1986, but if you want one for the street in California, you'll want a smog free pre-75 example.  This next Manta was never completed by the original owner, and will need a considerable bit of fabrication to get it on the road.  Find this  1975 Manta Mirage here on eBay currently bidding for $3,100 reserve-not-met with a $6,500 buy-it-now located in Huntertown, IN.

5k: Most Bitchenest: 1973 Opel Manta

The Opel Manta A was a slim and nimble two-door fastback that shared a chassis and power-train with the Opel Ascona sedan.  The Manta is one of the better handling cars of the era and were sold and maintained through GM's domestic Buick dealerships when new. Find this 1973 Opel Manta offered for an undisclosed price near Seattle, WA.

15k: McLaren M8 Replica: 1985 Manta Mirage

 The Manta Mirage was a strange low volume car kit car built from 1974-1986 out of a small garage in Costa Mesa, CA.  It was styled to look like a McLaren M8 CanAm race car and was featured prominently in low budget Hollywood films in the day, first as one of the 48 cars stolen in HB Halicki's 1974 Gone in 60 Seconds and later in the 1975 Death Race 2000.  Recently we searched for one for Chuck, who seems to be the only surviving actual McLaren M8 racer still on the planet, but wouldn't you know that one would show up on eBay a few weeks later.  Find this 1985 Manta Mirage here on eBay currently bidding for $17,700 reserve-not-met with about a day to go, located in Alpharetta, GA.

Mid Week Match-Up: Help Find A Manta Mirage

It is the Wednesday, so that means it's time for another edition of Daily Turismo's weekly game of oil stain bingo also known as Mid Week Match-Up!  Last week we found the a Chinook camper for Laura, and had many good suggestions from readers.  Today, we hunt for another specific car, this time a Manta Mirage like the one featured here in Jan of 2014, for Chuck a former McLaren M8E racer.

5k: Super Swap Saturday Part Deux: 1971 Opel Manta V8

Welcome back to another feature on Daily Turismo's first ever Super Swap Saturday extravaganza -- time for another engine swap.  Ever know someone who always seems to do the opposite of what everyone else does?  These are the non-conformists and when they get into cars, they do it the hard way, like building a 4x4 Austin Mini or turning a car into a boat. Today's doing it the hard way example involves a European corner carver being turned into a 'Merican style drag strip machine.  Find this 1971 Opel Manta with Ford V8 offered for $6,500 in Goshen, OH via craigslist.