Opel Manta GSE Elektromod Driving Report -Oldtimer with an electric heart

To be honest, I think at Opel people were surprised by the force with which the Opel Manta GSe electric mod made an impact in the automotive world.

The whole thing started as an idea to build a concept that takes one of the most famous Opel models and brings it to the present day. The result is a car that fits into the game Cyberpunk 2077 as well as into our times without any problems.

Opel Manta GSe past and future in the mirror

I find the Manta GSe project exciting for several reasons. With this car, you didn’t just build a show car, you also incorporated borrowings from both the past and the present into the car.

This is particularly noticeable when you have the current Opel Mokka e and an old Manta A next to the Manta GSe. The Opel Mokka is the first current model that has taken up the idea of ​​the typical Opel face with the visor and brought it into the current series models. This visor can also be found in the Manta GSe including the LED daytime running lights. The fact that the Manta GSe also has a large display in its visor that can show messages while stationary and shows the Opel logo while driving is cool, but definitely more of a show car feature.

The infotainment system known from the Mokka e is not a show, but a really good idea. In the Manta GSe, it fits surprisingly well into the Spartan – today you could also be minimalist – interior.

Another common design that is derived from the original Manta is the two-tone paintwork. For the Manta GSe, the color “Elektro Yellow” was specially created, which looks incredibly good on the car. The Manta was a sporty car for its time and accordingly it can wear a special color. The following also applies here:

The similarities even extend to the Manta GSe font. It’s the same new CI font that Mokka e uses. This shows how closely the Manta GSe is linked to the design ideas of current and future Opel models.

Opel Manta GSe – technical details

After all the design highlights, it’s time to take a look at the technology behind the Manta GSe. The actual car was built in 1974 and was donated to Opel by the private person Herta M.

The combustion engine including the tank was removed and a 31 kWh battery and an electric motor with 108 kW / 147 PS were installed. This means that the Manta GSe should achieve a range of 200 km.

An absolute novelty – and a highlight for me – is that Opel has attached the electric motor directly to the revised original 4-speed gearbox. This makes the Manta GSe the first manual electric car that I have ever seen and driven.

The weight distribution with the battery and the electric motor is 52 – 48%, which are very good values ​​for a car. In order to bring the higher weight of the battery onto the road, the chassis was completely redesigned, a pleasant side effect: Now the Manta rolls over the road with 17 inch instead of 13 inch wheels.

Opel Manta GSe – driving report

The ignition lock of the Manta GSe is the original from 1974, which means that at that time it was really important to put the key the right way round.

The start of the car is typically unspectacular and noiseless for an electric car. All my life I mainly drive cars with automatic transmission, so I was grateful that an electric car with a manual transmission would allow you to. The gear is engaged and you just start driving.

The driving behavior of the Manta is a mixture of puristic and futuristic. Of course, old cars don’t have the same level of noise insulation as modern cars. In the Manta GSe that doesn’t bother you, on the contrary, it’s a real experience. So far, I have only heard this unfiltered electric motor sound in the Porsche Taycan with the Electric Sport Sound. There it is artificially processed, but clearly goes in the same direction.

In general, when driving the Manta GSE, you quickly forget that you are actually sitting in a vintage car, which is mainly due to the modern infotainment system and digital speedometer, which you also know from the Opel Mokka e.

Opel Manta GSe concept Car or concept for a new line of business?

As already mentioned at the beginning, Opel hardly expected the response that the Opel Manta GSe electric mod conversion would trigger. What started as a show car could now trigger a completely new line of business: sales of conversion kits.

Personally, I can well imagine that there might be some interested parties for the conversion kit, including myself.

By the way, Opel presented one of the coolest electric cars of 2021.

Pictures: Dani Heyne