Ford Capri vs Opel Manta A – Two sporty coupés for everyday use

In 1970, the “Trimm Dich fit” campaign was launched to motivate Germans to do more sport and thus fight the “prosperity belly”. With various slogans and campaigns, this campaign of the German Sports Federation DSB ran until 1986. Whether it is a coincidence that the Ford Capri (1968-1986) and the Opel Manta (1970-1988) were produced in the same period, we do not know. But we do know that both vehicles represent this zeitgeist wonderfully.

The Ford Capri and the Opel Manta were the stuff of automotive dreams in the early 1970s: Inexpensive and suitable for everyday use because they were based on mass-produced technology, but with the sporty look that made not only young men weak. Classic Trader did the fitness test and compared the two popular classics.

Ford presented the Capri in January 1969, a coupé that quickly became the European equivalent of the Ford Mustang, the successful American ponycar. An endlessly long bonnet, a crisp coupé rear end with a narrowly cut passenger compartment in between, which was officially supposed to offer space for four, but in reality reached its capacity limit with two adults in the front and two small children in the rear, made the Capri look fast and sporty even when stationary.

The mass-produced technology with the chassis of the British Cortina and – in Germany – the V4 and V6 engines from the Taunus (in-line four-cylinder from 1972) ensured favourable prices and a wide range of performance from the 50-horsepower sleeper to the 2.6-litre Porsche killer. Ford advertised it with the phrase: “A little fun, a little custom, a little prestige”.

Opel fans had to wait until late summer 1970 before they too could live out their sporty dreams – with the Manta, which was based on the platform of the Ascona presented two months later. The Bochum car impressed with its attractive, almost Italian lines, which made it seem more modern and airy and offered more space inside than the Ford Capri. Not for the five adults promised in the advertising, who alone would exceed the maximum payload of 375 kilograms, but it was certainly enough for children and teenagers on the back seat.

Technically, Opel offered little choice to Manta disciples: There were three four-cylinder engines with 60 to 90 hp, and in 1974 the ultimate Manta GTE appeared with fuel injection and 105 hp. The Opel advertising copywriters were sure that the Manta had rolled “off the assembly line straight into the imaginations of hundreds of thousands of motorists”.

FORD CAPRI AND OPEL MANTA A – SPORTS CAR FEELING FOR EVERYONE

Both the Ford Capri and the Opel Manta were in tune with the spirit of the times and the tastes of customers at the time. Over 780,000 of the first two Capri generations were sold by 1973, i.e. in four production years. By the end of production, almost 1.9 million Capris of all model series had been built. With just under 500,000 units, the Manta A was the second best-selling model. Total production of the Manta A and the Manta B, which is not included in this comparison, reached just over one million units.

During the entire production period, the Capri scored points with the sportier drivers due to its more powerful engine range and probably also its success in racing, while the Manta A with its successful shape appealed more to the aesthetes. In everyday life, both were well-behaved and reliable workhorses, which were offered in various equipment variants from spartan to luxurious. Contemporary testers attested both a high suitability for everyday use with compromises in space and an acceptable road holding, which was described as “tight, but still comfortable”.

Ford initially offered seven engines – four-cylinder with 50 to 75 hp, and six-cylinder with 85 to 125 hp. With the 1974 model change to the Capri II, the 2.6-litre V6 was replaced by the three-litre British “Essex” V6, which delivered 138 hp to the rear axle, and the 2600 RS was dropped without replacement. The bodywork now featured a large tailgate and larger windows, making the car more manageable. The 1978 model update, which was heavily revised and unofficially named Capri III, appeared more modern with its visually smoothed body.

The engine choice remained largely unchanged, but in the spring of 1981 the 3-litre V6 was dropped and replaced by a more modern 2.8-litre fuel-injected V6 with 160 bhp. The top model, produced in only 200 examples, was the 188 hp 2.8 turbo, which was visually distinct from the large series with wing flares and wide 235/60×13 tyres.

Manta buyers had the choice between 1.2 and 1.9 litre four-cylinder engines with 60 to 105 hp. The Capri four-cylinder appeared to critics to be too underpowered, although the 75 hp 1.7-litre V4 was probably the most frequently sold. In the case of the Manta, it was felt that the 1.9-litre engine would best suit the car’s character, the smaller engines being described as lacking in power, albeit well-behaved and robust.

ORIGINAL VS. CONTEMPORARY styling

“Our” Capri, a silver 2-litre sports car from 1971 with the “big” cockpit with six round clocks stands there like a one. The paintwork is almost as shiny as new, and you won’t find any rust on this example in its year-old condition. Except for the leather steering wheel from the Ford parts rack, the car is absolutely original. Only the driver’s seat is still waiting to be refurbished.

The yellow and black Steinmetz Manta A from 1972 is the result of a loving and detail-obsessed restoration. The owner acquired the Manta 1.9 SR, which had been deregistered for two decades, in 2008, stripped it down to the last screw and rebuilt it in Steinmetz trim. This was not easy, because original Steinmetz parts are almost as rare as the blue Mauritius. The steering wheel was found after a long online search, the valve cover with club friends and probably the only Steinmetz front spoiler preserved in Germany on a farm near Memmingen. Even the chrome trims for the rims with the Steinmetz logo were found after a long search.

FORD CAPRI VS OPEL MANTA A – THE COMPARISON

With its long bonnet and short rear, the Capri looks stockier than the more elegant Manta. Visually, the Ford is a child of the 1960s, when sports cars were still made for tough guys, while the Opel, with its large windows and businesslike styling, appears more dainty and modern.Under the sheet metal, both offer well-honed, proven and robust large-series homemade cars with rigid axles and drum brakes in the rear, disc brakes in the front and well-behaved bumper engines.

Author: Classic Trader

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