The Manta is a car that comes to mind to only few Americans under the age of 40. Sold at Buick dealerships, the “Buick Opel” or the Buick Manta by Opel, was a small sporty GT car that was a step ahead of Buick’s other small car the Apollo. When the Manta’s run ended in America in the mid-’70s, the car continued in Europe. By then, Opel had made a name for itself as a producer of efficient fun to drive small cars decades before GM’s other divisions would earn that reputation.
