Opel Manta and Ascona Celebrate 40th Anniversary

Back in the 1970s German automaker Opel was setting new trends with the launch of the Manta and Ascona models, selling nearly 1.2 million units in only five years’ time. The two models addressed different customer groups, with the Manta being a dynamic sports coupe and the Ascona a comfortable family car or compact lifestyle station wagon.

The chassis, suspension and drive train technology of the Ascona and Manta were identical. The 1.6-liter engines with 68 hp and 80 hp were a new feature.

The 1.9-liter S engine offered for the sporty Manta SR model came from the Opel Rekord, had 90 hp and was initially reserved for the Manta. The entry-level model in the Manta range was the 1.2-liter version with 60 hp launched in 1972.

The Manta GT/E premiered in 1973 with a 1.9-liter injection engine and Bosch L-Jetronic. It had an output of 105 hp. The Manta A was the first Opel with electronic injection. Thus equipped, the GT/E had 15 hp more than the 1.9-liter S engine.

The Ascona was available as a 2- and 4-door sedan in standard and luxury versions. It had a 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engine with 68 hp as well as a higher-compression S-version with 80 hp. Like the larger four-cylinder engines of the Rekord, the Ascona powertrain also had a camshaft arranged laterally in the cylinder head, known as “camshaft in head.”

A low-cost entry-level model was introduced with the launch of the 60 hp 1.2-liter engine in March 1972. The Ascona 1.9 S and the Ascona SR were introduced in spring 1971. The SR version came with an 80 hp 1.6-liter S engine or a 90 hp 1.9-liter unit. The two more powerful versions could be ordered with a three-gear automatic transmission as an optional extra.