a Spoiler, wide tyres, lowered suspension: Manta riders have always been creative, in order to make your car faster, at least visually. The relatively small engine with a modest 55 to a maximum of 110 HP. Whether N, S, or GT/E Opel offered the Manta B from the factory, over the entire construction period, from 1975 to 1988, exclusively with four-cylinder engines.
in this respect, Günter Kari has something that all the Manta-driver dreamed of: The 53-Year-old from the Bavarian town of Pastetten in Erding departs a Irmscher i2800 – and under its hood is a tensioner in-line six-cylinder. “People are often amazed building blocks,” says Kari.
In the 70s and 80s, as Opel was the most popular car manufacturers in the country, was genuine of the in-house tuner of the brand with the flash. For Kadett, Ascona, Manta, and the other series, the Swabians offered all sorts of finishing parts. Many Fans found it nevertheless a pity that you couldn’t buy the fancy Manta, which resembled technically to a large extent the well-behaved Ascona B, with powerful six-cylinder.
The change, it was thought at Irmscher and 1977 brought a Version of the Manta B with six pots on the market, the i2800. With the 2.8-Liter machine through each Manta riders immediately broke loose, the brand of over 200 kilometers per hour. “I, with the Manta through the sound barrier”, with the i2800 the Opel-Fans, it was almost possible.
“The engine came from a Commodore B GS/E and made 155 HP,” says Günter Kari. “That was the biggest offered six-cylinder from Rüsselsheim.” In order to transport the fats aggregate in the four-cylinder compartment of the compact Manta, had to be performed by the engineer at Irmscher, however, some of the Changes. The radiator was moved, the air he got two front-mounted electric fans. In addition, Vauxhall replaced the D-Jetronic against a flatter Zenith-CL-fuel injection system.
“So a ten-centimeter-high hump was avoided on the hood,” explains Günter Kari. The performance of the engine, however, decreased by five HP compared to the Commodore GS/E. The “only” 150 HP were made by the lower weight of the Manta and the streamlined body but.
the Manta A was there as a six-cylinder
Kari is thrilled with the driving feel of the i2800. With four cylinders, the Manta B was a great car. However, with a six-cylinder, the driving pleasure is unbeatable. The warehouseman moves since 1989, Manta B. the torque and the power delivery of the i2800 get but not a series-Manta, he finds. The street location of the Rear-wheel drive is also wonderful.
Some say, due to the higher engine weight of the Irmscher 2800 head is heavy from breaking in curves on the front. “I can’t confirm it at all,” says Kari. With a reasonable suspension you could go with the i2800 also with high speeds in curves. Is listed, the six-cylinder sports coupé with a top speed of 212 km/h.
A Super-Manta with six cylinders: was not Entirely new to the idea. From the Manta A, it was such a souped-up Version. The Belgian company TRANS-Europ Engineering (TE) had implanted the first Manta was a six-cylinder from the Commodore A GS, so the “TE 2800 brought it” to 143 HP. As many as 79 units were manufactured until 1975, the distribution of delivery over the company Irmscher in the Swabian town of Winnenden.
The production of the i2800 on Manta-B-base took over Vauxhall. The Tuner ordered 40 years ago, Opel is largely finished vehicles. Some of them had fallen due to defects from the Manta series program, for example, due to production errors in the painting. Others came only as a body-in-white.
In the case of Vauxhall, the sports coupé were built completely new. This included, in addition to the engine Upgrade on the six-pots large-scale Changes in transmission and suspension. The i2800 received instead of the 4-Gang switch with a 5-speed transmission from Getrag, type 256. Reinforced cardan shaft the power is transmitted to the rear axle. To bring this on the road, stiffer springs and sport shock absorbers, the body was placed 20 mm deep.
The result was a real grenade, with the other sports car drivers properly annoy. “The ultimate Manta with the combined power of six cylinders, the Anti-Porsche – many of them dreamed of”, says Günter Kari. Still, it was the Irmscher i2800 in the case of a small-scale.
From the originally planned 100 units were ultimately made in only 27. This was probably at the high price of the six founder: At the Start of series production of the i2800 at a cost of just under 28,000 Mark, and the surcharge list for Extras such as steel sunroof, painted ATS rims or Recaro seats made of suede.
Günter Kari came 18 years ago to his own i2800, a well-Known had given to the Old-Opel-Fan to the tip. In the following years, Kari has built up with a lot of heart blood is the “Irmscher 2800 Register”. The Portal informs about the story of the little-known six-cylinder sports coupe. And once in a year, the owner of the remaining i2800 meet with their vehicles.
The are many. Of the 27 made copies of the i2800 only 15 pieces are considered to be non-existent. The others were burned – a typical fate for the Manta B or verbastelt. The one or other wreck, like in a barn or Garage slumber, some wait for years on a rebuild. “On the road, only a handful of cars,” says Günter Kari.
Even his own i2800 is not original. One of the previous owners had verbastelt the car in such a way that he had when buying visually, nothing more Original, laments the 53-Year-old. Even the 2.8-Liter from the Commodore had been plucked out, and against a three-liter engine from the Monza/Senator replaced. With modifications to the cylinder heads and camshaft Karis i2800 comes to around 190 HP.
interior and some Tuning parts and has prepared Günter Kari is already back to Original. For 2019, the Opel-Fan from Bavaria is planning an extensive restoration, and in this context, a further Deconstruction of the Super Manta to the Original.
Speaking of Super-Manta: Strictly speaking, Kari’s six-cylinder in-Manta not Manta. The sports coupe, the Vauxhall Astra offered 40 years ago, was the i2800. Based on the Manta B. “But officially, the car was called the Manta,” explains Günter Kari.
If it is addressed to his classics, he therefore, like a fun. “Boah ey, a Manta!”, the comments are on the road often. Then Kari opens the window and says, smiling: “no, this is not a Manta.” And amazed people again building blocks.
