The Opel Manta 400 occupies a specific and well-defined place in Group B history: a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive homologation special that went wheel-to-wheel with the Lancia Rally 037 and the rising tide of four-wheel-drive machinery. Norev has rendered Frequelin's 1984-specification car as a 1:18 die-cast model, giving rally collectors a precise replica of a machine that rarely appears at this scale.
Opel's Group B Homologation Special
To qualify for Group B competition, Opel was required to build at least 400 road-going examples of the Manta 400 — and that is exactly what the company produced from 1982 onward. The body was derived from the existing Manta B shell, but the competition version was fitted with a Cosworth-developed 2.4-litre inline-four. Drive went to the rear wheels, following the conventional front-engine layout that defined Opel's rally programme before four-wheel-drive changed the competitive landscape entirely from 1984.
Frequelin: From WRC Runner-Up to Manta Campaigner
Guy Frequelin arrived at the Manta 400 with serious credentials. Born in 1944, he had finished runner-up in the 1981 FIA World Rally Championship, co-driven by a then-young Jean Todt in a Talbot-Sunbeam Lotus. After that works programme concluded, Frequelin took on the Opel Manta 400 in the French Rally Championship and European events during 1983–1984. That 1984 season was precisely the moment when rear-wheel-drive Group B cars were beginning to be outpaced by the Audi Quattro and its successors, making Frequelin's campaign a technically significant last stand for traditional rally engineering.
The Norev 1:18 Die-Cast
This replica is produced by Norev in die-cast metal at 1:18 scale, depicting Frequelin's Manta 400 in his 1984 rally livery. Norev's 1:18 die-cast programme covers a broad range of European road and competition cars, and Group B rally subjects at this scale remain comparatively scarce in the wider market. The die-cast construction delivers the weight and finish expected by collectors who display rather than play, and the Manta 400 bodyshell — with its period wheel arch extensions and rally-specification stance — translates well to the format.
Placing It in the Cabinet
This model sits naturally alongside other rear-wheel-drive Group B subjects: the Lancia Rally 037, the Opel Ascona 400, and the various 1:18 Audi Quattro releases that represent the four-wheel-drive cars that ultimately ended the RWD era. For collectors focused on the 1981 WRC season, it pairs with Talbot-Sunbeam Lotus replicas that document Frequelin and Todt's runner-up year. It also fits within a broader Norev 1:18 rally collection, or within any Group B display charting the 1982–1986 period.
Häufig gestellte Fragen
Who was Guy Frequelin and why does his Manta 400 matter to collectors?
Frequelin finished runner-up in the 1981 FIA World Rally Championship co-driven by Jean Todt in a Talbot-Sunbeam Lotus. His subsequent Manta 400 campaign in 1983–1984 makes this model relevant to collectors of both WRC history and Group B machinery.
What is the Opel Manta 400's connection to Group B?
The Manta 400 was a Group B homologation special. Opel built 400 road cars from 1982 to qualify the model for competition. The rally version used a Cosworth-developed 2.4-litre engine, in a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout.
What material is the Norev model made from?
The model is die-cast metal, produced by Norev at 1:18 scale.
Which other models pair well with this one in a Group B display?
Natural companions include the Lancia Rally 037, Opel Ascona 400, Audi Quattro, and Talbot-Sunbeam Lotus — all Group B or early-1980s rally subjects available at 1:18 scale from various makers.
