Hey all, I reckon I can get my hands on a very cheap (50 quid) Opel Manta GTE. Is it worth my while or are they "buckets of shite"?? Can they be tuned??
Cheers amigos

Ah yes they can!!!

And there is a quit a lot to tune them with. The drove rallies with it, raced it etc.

They have uprights similar to a Cortina if I remember rightly and are rear wheel drive so could be a candidate for a donor vehicle.

yours, Pete.

Hi Jay

I drove a Manta GTE for about five years and loved it! Sensibly sorted they handle well for their size but the 2.0ltr CIH engine is heavy & needs modding for unleaded. I don't think the GTE box will fit the more modern engines like the XE etc whereas the 1.8S/Berlinetta box should. Hope this helps.
Cheers. Ken.

Cheers all. Might go for it, but at the min, im tryin to get my hands on an omega 2.0 16v ecotec. Fingers crossed!!!

you can get ex police ones that are often the 3ltr version, usually manual too, very cheap due to the undesirability of ex law cars. pays your money/ takes yer choice i guess.

not sure if they are differrent to the MV6 version?

crazy jay,

If you want a 2ltr 16v the 2ltr 'xe' is a much better engine than the ecotech. bear in mind that the gearbox won't bolt up to these engines though as the starter is on the other side on the manta gte. you really need a 1.8 manta or carlton box to fit the 2ltr engines either that or a bellhousing adapter to a type 9 ford box.

cheers,

Ned.