Daniel L is amongst one of the first people I knew with another Opel Manta A series and he still has one today, although not the original. He sent me an updated wish:
  • Original Opel Owner's Manual pre-'72
  • "1900" script badge
  • plastic cap rear shock absorber top mount cover
  • cigarette lighter
I had all of the items except the cigarette lighter, even the correctly dated Owner's manual, 3 out of 4 ain't shabby and they went in the post this afternoon.


Front cover page from an Opel Manta A series owner's manual
Opel Manta A series owner's manual - pre '72



Close up of a 1900 badge from an Opel Manta A series
Opel "1900" script badge



The plastic cover from an Opel Manta A series rear shock absorber top mount
Plastic cover - rear shock absorber top mount

In the 1970's around the time that the Opel brand was introduced to the UK, GM published a book entitled "Opel - Wheels to the World", no doubt to provide some credibility for this hitherto unknown European brand.
In Wheels to the World there are some lovely archive photos of the experimental rocket powered cars, I always found the image shown below both exciting and intriguing, it seems high tech for the period, whilst at the same time having a cartoon like "Wacky Races" quality to it. As it turns out this is not far from the truth, as the rocket powered cars were as much about wild publicity stunts as technical development. Sadly, the technology was to evolve from cars to gliders, then into the V1 "Doodlebug" and V2 Nazi terror weapons, these in turn, became the foundation of the first NASA space vehicles.

High tech meets Wacky Races

I was watching a "Wings of the Luftwaffe" video about the development of German rocket powered aircraft in World War II and to my surprise it showed some of the cars in action. The Opel section begins at 6'03" here is a link and I have embedded the whole documentary below.

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