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TE 2800 - Manta A body by Opel - manufactured in 1975
Sometimes exotic cars can look rather ordinary at first glance. Looking at the picture above you might think it's an ordinary Opel Manta or maybe a Manta tuned by Irmscher or Steinmetz but in fact it isn't. It doesn't even come from Germany. This is the Transeurope Engineering 2800, or TE 2800 for short, and completely manufactured in Belgium.
In 1970 Opel introduced its contender for the market already dominated by the Ford Capri. It was named the Manta after the Manta Ray fish, perhaps with a slight reference to the Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray. Like the Capri the Manta was a sporty looking coupe for an affordable price powered by standard engines which were also found in modest saloon car models (Ascona & Kadett). These engines didn't quite deliver the performance the exterior design suggested but that didn't impede the attraction the car had on young male car buyers. Most notable about the first Manta (later referred to as the Manta "A") was that it didn't look like any other Opel. Generally Opels appeared boxy, solid and conservative while the Manta featured elegant swooping lines, frivolous yet aggressive and pleasing to the eye. This was the work of Chuck Jordan, an American designer who left for the States soon after the work on the Manta had finished.
Ford Europe offered the Capri with a wide range of engines, from small to quite potent. There were big 6-cylinder engines available for those who wanted some real power to go with their sporty car and even performance oriented RS versions which were successful in competition. Opel had similar plans for their Manta. Soon after the standard models had been introduced with 4-cylinder engines of 1.6 and 1.9-litre capacity work began on the development of a Manta with a 2.5-litre straight 6-cylinder engine. Both luxury and competition versions with this engine were tried and tested but ultimately the project was abandoned, deemed to be too expensive. After that a 3-litre competition model of the Manta was contemplated. It was meant to be entered in saloon car racing under FIA Group 2 regulations to give the Manta some competition credibility. The car looked wonderfully aggressive with a large air dam front spoiler and excessively flared wheel arches to accommodate the wide wheels. Even so, the reluctance of parent company General Motors to officially take part in racing resulted in this project being shelved as well. Or was it?
In Belgium there was a General Motors factory producing Opel Mantas for export and a racing team named Transeurope Engineering which successfully entered Opel Commodores in saloon car and endurance racing. TE engineer Vic Heylen immediately saw potential in the new Opel Manta and discussed this with GM and Opel managers Bob Lutz and Bob Price. His plans more or less followed the lines of Opel's own 3-litre Group 2 Manta design and one thing lead to the other. Heylen set out to develop his competition version of the Manta in 1971 and it took 2 years to finish it.
The car presented to the press in 1973 looked rather like the earlier prototype by Opel even though it was developed separately. While the exterior wasn't modified too much underneath it almost a completely different car. Under the bonnet the 2.8-litre straight 6 from the Commodore GS was shoe-horned, producing 142 hp @ 5200 rpm. To cope with this a closed circuit cooling system was fitted with a larger radiator and the gearbox, shaft drive and rear axle of the Commodore. This meant that the front of the chassis and the front and rear suspension had to be extensively modified, amongst other things. In all it was a quite elaborate conversion but the resulting car promised a performance equal to that of the Porsche 911, with a maximum speed of 207 kph and a 0 to 100 kph acceleration in just 7.9 seconds.
TE had struck a deal with GM Continental Division in Antwerp which incorporated Mantas built to special order to be delivered to TE while TE was ordered to remove all Opel badges and identifications from their conversions. Remarkably Opel was prepared to supply TE with Mantas without drive train, hood, bumpers and all the other items TE didn't need even though they weren't prepared to be associated with the resulting products. And so the TE 2800 came to life.
The TE 2800 was aimed at taking part in races and rallying but to be competitive it had to be homologated by the FIA. This meant that at least 1,000 identical cars had to be produced. Initially plans were made for Opel to deliver 5 cars per week to be converted by TE, which was of course not nearly enough for homologation. In fact TE never got near to goal of homologation of their Manta. From late in 1973 until the end in 1975 only 79 of these cars were made. Biggest problem of selling these cars was the fuel injected Opel Manta GT/E which was introduced in 1974; at more than a third less of the price of a TE 2800 it offered a lively performance and a top speed of 190 kph, quite enough for that time. As a result the TE 2800 could never prove its true potential.
Most TE 2800s were sold in Germany by tuners Steinmetz and later Irmscher. Both Steinmetz and Irmscher (and others) also offered their own Manta conversions, often with similar bodykits as the TE 2800. These days the remaining TE 2800s are mostly found in Belgium, Holland and Germany. Since many of these cars were used in competition there are not that many left, it's estimated that about 30 original TE 2800s are still extant. The number of "clones" or similar conversions carried out by Manta owners is much higher. An original TE 2800 has unique badges and usually has a yellow ("gold") and black color scheme and Recaro seats. As the only semi-factory Manta conversion it's quite valued by the many Manta enthusiasts and rarely for sale.
© André Ritzinger, Amsterdam, Holland
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