1972 Opel Manta Ralley

[jannes_z-28]

Opels are great cars. The European Chevy.

Those four-bangers are good engines, in my youth I had several Rekords. One easy way to make them faster was to change the cylinder head on the 1900 engine to a head from a 1700. You got more compression by doing that. In those days there were parts and cars everywhere and you could easily find good parts for nothing. I had one with that engine setup and a 4.22 rear axle, it was really quick off the lights and smoked the tires. It clocked 16 sec on the 1/4-mile :-)

Only problem with them were the rust, a lot of pockets underneath where salt and grime accumulates.

One saying from those days:
"Buy an Opel and be satisfied, through the floor you'll see the countryside"