Transeurop-Express - Opel Manta with six-cylinder engine
03/27/2024
In the mid-1970s, a small Belgian company did what Opel tuners all over Europe dreamed of and implanted the 2.8-liter six-cylinder engine from the Opel Commodore GS into the front end of the factory-built Manta A. The plan was to build 500 cars for FIA homologation as touring cars with factory support in order to be able to compete against the Ford Capri and BMW 02 on the racetrack again.
The engine-less Manta was delivered from the Opel plant in Antwerp to Transeurop Engineering in Zolder, where it was married to the 142 hp Graugusstrumm. To even out the weight distribution after the transplantation of the heavy iron heart, the hood, fenders and aprons were replaced with GRP parts and the battery was relocated to the trunk.
The Belgian car was not allowed to be called "Opel" or "Manta", which is why it was exhibited as the TE 2800 at the Brussels Motor Show in 1974 - albeit on the official Opel stand. Transeurop boss Vic Heylen promised a top speed of over 200 km/h and the ability to reach half speed in 7.9 seconds. It is said that even the Belgian highway police were interested in the fast interceptor.
In Germany, the TE 2800 was first marketed by Steinmetz and then by Irmscher. However, the oil crisis caused the homologation target to be missed by a wide margin. Only 79 six-cylinder Mantas were produced until Transeurop Engineering went bankrupt in 1975. Irmscher then attempted a successor based on the Manta B. But the Irmscher 2800 with Commodore GS/E engine was even more unsuccessful and only 27 were produced.
