Every so often, a car hits the market with a wow factor like no other. An incredible survivor that is completely unspoilt and untouched – a snapshot of life in a different time. And this is one of them – it’s 1984 on wheels, and we don’t mean that in an Orwellian sense.

The second car to use the Opel Manta name was launched in August 1975, with a three-door alternative in 1977 offered alongside the near-identical Vauxhall Cavalier Sports Hatch. The two were sold together, often through the same dealerships, until the appearance of the Mk 2 Cavalier in 1981, after which the Opel models continued to be sold as ‘premium’ sporty cars in selected Vauxhall dealerships. 

Only one engine was offered in the car’s later years – a 1.8-litre OHC GM ‘Family 1’ unit, renowned for its simplicity and reliability. It was available with or without fuel injection, with injected models sold as the GT/E and carburettor versions simply as GT. 

And that’s what we have here – an entry-level Manta hatchback, which may have been nothing particularly special when new, but is much, much more than that now. It’s a genuine 12,000-mile car that looks almost as if it has just rolled out of the showroom. There’ll never be another like it…

A783 PKM was delivered in April 1984 to a Mr Robert Jones of Maidstone, Kent, supplied by his local dealership Star Motors. 

Mr Jones paid £6,095 for the car, including optional extras of metallic paint at £177 and a rear wash-wipe at £77, but no passenger door mirror. It remains exactly as he bought it today.

When Mr Jones passed away in 2005, he bequeathed the car to his best friend, Alan Hogg, who kept it and looked after it until 2021 when it was acquired by the vendor, a classic car specialist who bought it ‘in trade’, hence it only has the two previous keepers on the logbook.

The paper history with the car is incredible. 

The entire life story of this car is contained within its history file, which fills a whole box. 

It begins in 1984 with the original bill of sale from the supplying dealer and is followed up with a pile of annual servicing bills from Opel dealer Drake and Fletcher and – later – FG Barnes, which was a Vauxhall main dealership operating from the same site. 

Those bills cover the period from 1984 to 1995. From 1996, annual servicing was picked up by ATT Motors in Maidstone, who looked after the car until 2005. At that stage, it had covered 10,128 miles.

Over the next 16 years, Mr Hogg covered just 1,900 miles in his friend’s car and mostly kept it off the road in an undercover garage. 

Every single invoice from the car’s history is here, each in a separate plastic wallet, along with every MOT and SORN declaration from throughout its life, each kept in a protective cover. It’s incredible.

The car was recommissioned in 2021 at 11,970 miles and was given a new cambelt and water pump as a precautionary measure, as well as a full inspection in the vendor’s workshop. It currently has an advisory-free MOT valid until June this year, but will be supplied with a new one on sale. There is a UK V5C in Mr Hogg’s name. 

As you might expect from a lifetime of great care and minimal use, the Manta presents absolutely brilliantly, with no notable flaws at all in its appearance. The silver paint still looks great and it looks bright and fresh from every angle. 

Underneath, it’s spotless, while the sports steel wheels are in great order and are shod with recent new tyres, as the originals were old and perished. 

All of the exterior trim is in great condition, as are the original ‘Manta GT’ decals on the front wings and lower chin spoiler. 

Trimmed in charcoal-coloured cloth and with such a low mileage, it’s no surprise to discover that the interior of the Manta is as immaculate as the outside. 

It is fitted with a 1980s Philips radio-cassette and has the ultimate 1980s accessory to accompany it – a Fischer C-Box cassette holder, ahead of the gear lever. 

The carpets, door cards and headlining are flawless and the rear seat looks as if it has never been sat in. The front seats are also great – a very small repair has been made to the driver’s side seat bolster where it has previously been snagged by the seatbelt buckle, but this is barely noticeable and doesn’t detract from its overall appearance. It really does feel as fresh and bright as a new car, and it’s also incredibly airy and spacious.

GM’s 1.8-litre OHC engine is renowned for its reliability so with just 12k on the clock it’s no surprise to find that this one starts on the button, with no excess smoke and a smooth and steady idle. It requires very little choke and settles down quickly.

The vendor reports that it is an absolute delight to drive, with a tightness and quality that you simply wouldn’t find on a more well-used example. All of the gears engage smoothly, the brakes are strong, it rides well and the non-assisted steering is surprisingly light. 

Where to start? This is an incredible car, the likes of which are very rarely offered on the open market, so it is bound to attract plenty of attention. 

It has to be the best surviving example of an untouched base model Manta GT in the UK, and it is in absolutely glorious condition. That alone would sell it. 

Factor in the tiny mileage and the incredible story that comes with it and you have something truly unique. It’s a wonderful thing, and a total 1980s timewarp.