BUD LINDEMANN ROAD TEST 1973 OPEL MANTA LUXUS

I created this video with the KZbin Video Editor ( / editor )

[@MrSwj2009]

Owned a 71 Opel Manta in the 80s. Fun car to drive and really loved the design of this car.

[@crossbow1203]

I had a 73' Opal GT with the same motor. It felt like you were flying down the road and cornered like a go-cart. Absolutly the funnest car I ever owned. If I could find one that wasn't a pile of rust or a pile of money I would buy it today!

[@Delorean217]

crossbow1203 There are tons of Mantas and GTs for sale in Germany.

[@Porsche996driver]

crossbow1203 Ya I was stationed in Germany in the 80s so many Mantas driven by “Nackenlangers” kind of like the 90s Honda crowd ha. But Opels were pretty legit as a small car.

[@marvinmurakami8828]

The manta was hands down the best looking small sporty car. One of the few cars to have fuel injection at the time in 1975 or 1976 i believe. This car was a frequent winner of SCCA showroom stock car races. I still have the brochure from the 1973 auto show that featured the standard, rallye, and luxus models as well as the opel gt. .

[@johna.4334]

@@marvinmurakami8828 Was it Bosch electronic fuel injection?

[@marvinmurakami8828]

@@johna.4334 I believe it was but not 100% certain.

[@mosesberkowitz3298]

Same taillights as my Mom's Opel GT. That was a fun little car, even though it wasn't very fast.

[@berrisfueller8205]

My parents bought a new manta luxus in ‘73. Burgundy with cloth seats and automatic. Drove it cross country with no AC lol. They kept it for about 7 or 8 years. Good car in its day.

[@barnabyzelman]

I had the some one, my first car. $2,800 sticker price in '73. Drove the hell out of it for years without any serious issues.

[@ketoking9435]

Between 1970 to 75,, I used to live by GM office in Stag Lane London,,and used to luv watching these after school along with Opel Commodore,Diplomat and more,,,,great days,,,nice vid

[@billg7205]

They dubbed the road course sound better on this video than others, where the Jaguar sounded like a top fuel dragster.

[@jamesdaniel2363]

Bahahahahaha. Or the engine Doppler obviously recorded at Lockheed’s jet engine test facility!

[@evanfrazier9740]

Had a 74' maroon, on maroon , put 205 60 13s, a webber carb, over gapped plugs,and points ran premium fuel, would take almost a week to burn a tank of gas, when gas a dollar a gallon. Wish I still had that car today. I would fall asleep behind the wheel on the regular ( worked 16 hour shifts) somehow I always made it home, car was beyond amazing, saved my life more times than I knew. RIP Cheryl!!!

[@michaelgmoore5708]

I had a brand new 1972 Opel Rallye and I could do 70 in 3rd gear and in 4th I could hit 115 mph in the middle of nowhere back then. I thought it was really fast even after I drove a 1959 customized Impala with an LT1 350 corvette engine rated at 425 hp. That new blueprinted motor cost me $2000 back in 1971! Lots of fun though.

[@edwardt9585]

My family had 4 Opels , 3 of them Mantas. Fun to drive and tough too . My grandfather put over 250k on his , and my mom's saw 4 teenage boys behind it's wheel taking all the abuse that entails . Today they are worth real money especially in Germany .

[@team3383]

@German Retro Guy ?????? 50'000 !!!!!!! the GT/E is a rare beast but these mantas .... well. I don't think so.

[@team3383]

@German Retro Guy Here in Europe we tend to put our money (especially that quantity) into renowned sports cars.

[@team3383]

@German Retro Guy I admit, I admit. PLEASE though admit in return that a review of an Opel Manta Luxus (the luxus was for the US market) is far far away from a Steinmetz GT/E and of generally little interest at all.

[@team3383]

@German Retro Guy A car without a V( in the USA still isn't a car ... I think thats your problem with sales.

[@team3383]

@German Retro Guy Now you're talking. Cars have been made by computers and accountants since the middle of the 80's. They are no longer of much interest.

[@Dallas-Rife-UDX-347-Tennessee]

This thing is slower than a cruise ship , but pretty neat looking

[@dennisgardiner43]

Making it handle tighter, and go faster can all be addressed. Mine was bored 60 over, with a 292° cam with .450 lift, rated to 125HP. Suspension got KYB shocks, 205 50 13 tires and 6" wide Enkei wheels. She was got larger front and rear Addco sway bars. She was an absolute monster.

[@johna.4334]

13" wheels? Fail!

[@danielcamacho1913]

@@johna.4334 If you can read the tire size, you should know those are pretty wide for a little 2000 lb car.

[@brianevans656]

The Opel Manta was never classified as a "mini car" by anyone. ..with the exception of Bud Lindemann. Around 4:02 he does refer to the Opel as a "sub compact"..

[@georgeelmerdenbrough6906]

Remember , they called the Ford Maverick a small car ....

[@blisterbrain]

The music in this episode was extra-hilarious!

[@danielcamacho1913]

The time I saw an Opel Manta in person, it was a race car towed to an autocross. It built to a set of rules, so still had the original type of little engine. It was super light, and watching from the outside you couldn't tell the engine was so small. :)

[@Qusin111]

100% best car i ever owned, well this and my Opel GT both great cars

[@klasseact6663]

I have NEVER seen one of these at a car show or cars and coffee! Surprised none of these survived, crazy!

[@Porsche996driver]

I agree - my older sister had one! Many survived in Germany! I was stationed there for a while and the Manta is literally like their Camaro. Love the exhaust sound on these.

[@techtipsandautoparts3348]

I'm planning on fixing mine up and I'm in America cant wait to take it to the cars and coffee!

[@motorrebell]

@@Porsche996driver Its undeed a mini Camaro Design - Opel was a European manufacturer of General Motors.

[@danielcamacho1913]

I think the one I saw in person was around 2000. Some survived, they're just super rare.

[@marvinmurakami8828]

I was at the LA auto show as a kid in the early 70s and the Manta was there. Along with the Opel GT. I still have the brochure which were more like booklets back then.

[@goratgo1970]

My second car was a 1974 1900 manual 4 speed (base) in 1985, later on I had the Rallye also manual in 1997. Now have Maroon Luxus in Very Clean cond. Also got the Sport Wagon (essentially same car, but two door wagon). Both are getting Rover 4.6 V-8, Wagon will be Borg-Warner 5 speed, Luxus Auto Overdrive from 1991 V-6 Camaro, both with larger vented front, and rear disc from Isuzu Impulse. Lowered, Koni's, 15 inch wheels.

[@boggy7665]

If only GM would've adapted this instead of foisting on us the Vega. I rode in one of these! ca. 1973. Friend's older brother owned it.

[@wymple09]

I've not seen one on the road for at least a decade. If they were so great, where are they? At least I still see Vegas and other H bodies at the track.

[@boggy7665]

@@wymple09 I don't know the actual numbers sold, but it was something like 100 Vegas to 1 Manta. The unfavorable DM:$ exchange rate was a problem in those years. And, certainly, that GM-USA favored selling its home-grown product.

[@wymple09]

@@boggy7665 I'm sure many more Vegas were sold, but I saw a lot of the Opels as well. A buddy of mine bought one new. They weren't unheard of or rare. Now they are pretty much extinct.

[@wymple09]

@PHOENIX RISING Tell that to Grumpy Jenkins. idiot.

[@MargauxHemingway]

Opel never sold that well in the USA unfortunatly, that is why they went along for something totally new and American made , the Vega.

[@jamessawyer8889]

At the time the Manta Luxus was in the showrooms they were like a German version of the Camaro LT but a very cool looking car. That’s when a car was affordable back in the day plus I thought that body style was cool, after all look at how many times you saw Opels on Let’s Make a Deal during the seventies

[@asd36f]

Interesting styling with the front-hinged bonnet and rear tail lights that were similar to the contemporary Mazda RX-2.

[@johna.4334]

We call that "front hinged bonnet" a safety hood here on this side of the pond.

[@64fairlane305]

US version was smogged down from 90 to 75hp, made a big differense on such a light car. they also came with electronic injection and 105hp

[@rahmatshazi883]

Mum had a red 73 Manta. Great handling, had a smaller carb fitted so it wasnt as spritely. but the steering was super heavy...felt like I had an arm workout after each drive :P

[@dooley1230]

I rode in a '71 Manta with the stick. It felt fairly fast, and certainly handled well. In fact, the kid driving was beating the hell out of it. (Dad's car).

[@lonewolfmcquade1079]

Interesting!! Looking car I must say

[@marvinmurakami8828]

I thought the Opel Manta was one of the best looking compact cars. I still have the brochure from the auto show. The Rallye was the sporty trim with a great looking two toned paint job. I believe in 1975 the Manta replaced the carb with fuel injection which was rare back then. The Manta won many SCCA races. These were races where cars competed in mostly stock form. The Opel GT, also a favorite of mine, was the poor man's Corvette.

[@richardmccaughey5928]

After one year, the Opel Manta was banned from SCCA Showroom Stock racing (I believe that was 1973). From that year onward, Opel had to campaign with the "stodgy" 1900 sedan. Same drivetrain but significantly less aerodynamic, giving up at least 10mph on the top end. That was the end of Opel domination of the 2 Litre and under class. I had a '73 Manta Luxus. That thing was very slippery aero wise and would cruise at 75mph all day. Many trips between L.A. and Mammoth back in the day. Other than the upholstery taking a dump after 6 months (all replaced under warranty), It was a completely trouble free, fun car to drive. I only sold it (to a friend, by the way who drove the wheels off it well past 100k miles) when I picked up a 1960 Porsche Roadster. Great car, and with a wheel/tire upgrade and some suspension tweaks, would have been killer. Pretty little car though!

[@billg7205]

Wonder if he reviewed the "mini Corvette" Opel GT?

[@martinburke362]

This is the detuned American emissions strangled version the European version had 30 more horsepower and was a lot quicker

[@leovaughan1902]

I have a 1972 and a ferrari was not able to get away from me this are quick car even to day they still pull 125mph no problem at all. I'm thinking about putting a hemmi in my one or a Rolls Royce v8 but with a 6 speed box. Or yet go electric??

[@tomvansoelen6557]

I had a 74 manta luxes automatic, no a/c. It was SlOW. But handled well. I put radial tires on it as it came with bias ply. The radials really improved traction and handling. Great gas mileage and very comfotable and reliable. I only sold it cuz it didnt have a/c and I was moving to Chicago for corp job and suits were the corp uniform of the day. Being dressed up in Chicago humid summer with no a/c , it just wasnt go to cut it. But it was a nice car.

[@saxongreen78]

What the US was calling 'fad' subcompact cars back then was what the rest of the World called 'cars.'

[@Aman-fv5if]

We wouldn't call that a car at all here in Australia, in fact most of the developed world would still call that a compact car.

[@Godzukidan]

Those skinny 13 inch tires

[@johna.4334]

With white walls no less.

[@marvinmurakami8828]

That was the norm back then.

[@johna.4334]

@@marvinmurakami8828 And four lug vs five lug nut wheels.

[@shekijamesha2866]

❤️❤️❤️

[@deanevangelista6359]

I'm pretty sure that my 0-60 time in my 73 manta was better than stated here. Maybe that was after I installed an optical electronic ignition, and replaced the Solex carb with a Weber.

[@robt5818]

Nice car!

[@johna.4334]

White wall tires?

[@breakawaymotorsports]

165/13 tire..my wheelbarrow has the same size tire

[@TalismanPHX]

The whitewalls are hilarious 🤣

[@mercoid]

I kinda miss white walls.

[@amberwark3267]

what i cant figure out, after watching quite a few of these, is why the opel is such a bad braking performer? compare the 70 mph panic stops to the amx, or the 73 buick 455. amx stops quicker, 15 feet quicker, yet holds a 390 and weighs more. the buick is only 5 feet further down the track than the opel. is this manta luxus 4 wheel drums?

[@kennywatkins8762]

pill peen the weight of both cars

[@crossbow1203]

Manual brakes vs Power brakes and the tires make a big difference. The 13" tires on the opel were probably only about 4 inches where they met the road so it had no braking area.

[@lklk3384]

The Opel had power brakes, so that's not the issue. I think you're right about the tires though, 165s....motorcycle tires have more cross-section!

[@victorboucher675]

Front power disc ... I had 3 '69's Tire grip, these came with cheap, soft, quite for a "pleasant" test drive. Better tires, better grip made a big difference. I put "Bilsteins" on the front ... the 73 had a "smog" motor ... you have to compare this to a Pinto or Vega.

[@1967davethewave]

My dad bought one brand new. We were going to a pizza place one night for a family night. He ran over a coyote and bent the rear axle just a few mile from home. We limped back home and all loaded into the '72 Chrysler Town and Country. With it's 440 it didn't get the mpg of the Opel. My dad was so disappointed that a coyote could bend the axle that he got it fixed and traded it off for a brand new VW Bug.

[@mercoid]

He was totally justified in his disappointment. I’d have done the same. Shame too, because it’s a nifty looking little car.

[@1967davethewave]

@@mercoid Yeah, my dad had that bug for a little over a year and liked it too. That is until someone put a giant wind up key on the roof. It was actually hilarious. It had a suction cup on it and made it look like a giant wind up toy. He promptly went in and traded the VW on a new '76 Camaro LT that was a beautiful car. It wasn't that fast either but it looked like it was. I just bought my first Opel back in August, a 1970 Opel GT. It's a really nicely engineered car for an economy sports car.

[@nlpnt]

At no point does this test mention, or show, whether the test car is manual or automatic. That would've had a big effect on performance numbers.

[@johanbrand8601]

It's manual.

[@scottthompson5716]

Want Opel GT parts? It is said that there is a guy in England hoarding them.

[@pl5624]

To be dropped 2 years later for the Japanese Isuzu opel

[@1968spikey]

I've had and modified several A Series Mantas. All ended up black - best colour by far for this shape. The first was a 1.9 Luxus I dropped an overbored Rover V8 into which had around 200bhp and bags of low down torque. My last one that I sold around 8 years ago was a immaculate 37k mile shell which i dropped a longtitudinally mounted C20LET (Calibra Turbo) engine on that was chipped and boosted to 30bhp. Wilwood 4 pots up front, Koni shocks all round, lowered 3 inches front/1.5 read and ran 17 inch wheels. Considering the car weighed only 975kg's the thing was brutally fast. I would easily hit 115 in 3rd gear. Sadly a redundancy forced me to sell it and I've regretted it ever since. It's featured at 3:34 on this link. kzbin.info/www/bejne/a6CWimCcZs2BnNE

[@vibingwithvinyl]

I actually prefer these in bright orange.

[@stephendavidbailey2743]

Sold at the same time as the Vega, it was a far better car.

[@georgeelmerdenbrough6906]

Everything was a better car than the Vega including tractors

[@knowbodiesfull5768]

Only 75 horsepower? That's nothing! My 2006 Chevy Cobalt has 140! And I had a 1997 KIA Sephia with 122!

[@mosesberkowitz3298]

No kidding, that's nothing! But 75 hp was acceptable in the early 70's....Pinto, Vega, Opel, Toyota....all had less than 100. I think the best selling small car then was the VW Beetle and it had about 45 horsepower.

[@marvinmurakami8828]

My 1973 Toyota Celica had 97 hp and 106 lbs ft torque.

[@marvinmurakami8828]

Unlike today, automatic transmissions sapped a lot of performance because of added weight and inefficiency.

[@williamegler8771]

Your Chevy and KIA also had decades of engineering and manufacturing process improvements.

[@danielcamacho1913]

Your Chevy Cobalt is a fat-ass 3000 lb car, and *needs* 140hp to keep up with traffic. That 2000 lb Opel kept up with 75, in its day.

[@georgeelmerdenbrough6906]

Rust buckets

[@jkdflow670]

Ford wins LOL

[@waynejohnson1304]

Just buy American and save yourself all of the worries of this car.

[@TheCycle2300]

"With a bit more power, it would be a blast" I'm restoring a Manta and it will be receiving a 2016 2.0 Turbo Ecotec and a 5-speed making about 325 horsepower. That should take care of the fun factor. 😁

[@chadwilson7018]

I've had 2 Mantas, current one is a 73 Luxus 4 speed exactly like the one tested. Remarkably simple cars, basically a mini muscle car in terms of suspension. The Luxus I have now was sitting in a barn since 1986 but once I put a new fuel pump and serpentine belt on, it fired right up. Currently at the body shop for some rust repair then its getting an Oldsmobile 215 V8 with a 5 speed and lots of suspension work. I'd rather have a super strange and simple german lightweight coupe than a typical '69 Camaro or similar that every guy's uncle has.

[@johna.4334]

@@chadwilson7018 I would opt for a lighter weight Buick V6 3.8L vs a heavy V8.

[@chadwilson7018]

@@johna.4334 Due to having an aluminum block and heads, the olds 215 weighs about the same as the original engine. The stock 1.9 is around 300 lbs and the 215 is around 320 lbs.

[@johna.4334]

At the time the American small car choices were the Vega, Pinto, Gremlin and Cricket. Would you choose one of these four rolling piles of junk over a fuel injected Manta?