The Opel Manta B GSi occupies a precise moment in European automotive history: a rear-wheel-drive, fuel-injected coupé built at Bochum that ran from 1975 through to 1988, with the GSi designation arriving around 1984 as the top-of-the-range variant. A 1987 example sits among the final cars to leave the line, before the model was discontinued the following year. Norev has rendered this subject in die-cast metal at 1:18, in factory Silver.
The Manta B GSi: Bochum's Sporting Flagship
Introduced as the second-generation Manta in 1975, the B-series ran for thirteen years — an unusually long production run for a sporting coupé. The GSi trim, added circa 1984, brought a Bosch fuel-injected 2.0-litre inline-4 CIH engine producing approximately 110 hp, along with an aerodynamic body kit, front and rear spoilers, and distinctive GSi badging. The combination gave the car a visual and mechanical identity distinct from lesser Manta variants, making the GSi the natural subject for collectors focused on factory-specification European coupés of the 1980s.
1987: A Late Chapter of a Rear-Wheel-Drive Era
By 1987, the Manta B was in its closing period of production before the 1988 end date. In period, the GSi competed directly in the sporty coupé market against the Ford Capri and Volkswagen Scirocco, and its ground-effects styling kept it visually competitive to the last. Silver was a factory-offered exterior colour for the Manta B, and a 1987 car in this shade represents a late-production, fully standard GSi as it would have appeared in a West German dealership — no modifications, no race preparation, pure road specification.
Norev Die-Cast: The 1:18 Scale Model in Detail
Norev produces this 1:18 scale model in die-cast metal — a construction that suits the Manta B's angular, panel-intensive body well. At this scale, the GSi's aerodynamic body kit, spoilers, and exterior badging are the primary areas of detail. The Silver finish corresponds to a period-correct factory colour for the model year represented. Norev is a French manufacturer with a long catalogue history covering European road cars, and the Manta B GSi fits naturally within that scope.
In the Display Cabinet
The Manta B GSi pairs logically with other late-production European rear-wheel-drive coupés of the same era — the Ford Capri 2.8i and Volkswagen Scirocco GTX occupy the same collector bracket and the same shelf period. Within an Opel collection, the natural companions are the Opel Kadett E GSi and the Opel Ascona C GSi, both contemporaries. The model also sits alongside the rally-homologation Manta B 400 for those tracing the full Manta B story from road to competition. The 1:18 format provides enough surface area for the GSi's body kit and spoiler geometry to read clearly.
