Natural rivalry has always split the masses. Oxford against Cambridge, Prost against Senna, Pepsi vs. Coca-Cola, Spangles vs. Texan bars, a Sperm Whale against a Giant Squid. These rivalries have stemmed down to car owners, too. Most notably, Ford and Vauxhall.
Vauxhall and Ford drivers have always jousted, in the same way Triumph and MG owners still engage in Wacky Races style engagements to prove that they own the better car. The Vauxhall/Ford rivalry may have cooled slightly in the past decade, but it really hotted up back in the 1980’s between the Ford Capri and Opel Manta.
With the arrival of the MK3, the Capri became the weapon of choice for the younger driver, gleefully pushing sales away from the rivals. However, time has proven that the Manta may just be a better purchase. So which one is best? It’s Bodie and Doyle against Harriet and James. Time for Dempsey and Makepeace to go Professional…it’s the Ford Capri vs. The Opel Manta.
The Looks
You wouldn’t call either of them graceful or beautiful, as they are both ruthless looking power crazy brutes. They both look callous, their straight lines and period details helping to confirm that these cars mean to play rough.
Is one better looking that the other? It’s hard to say. Boiling it down to find a winner, we would say the Manta is slightly too 80’s generic – not a bad thing, but the Capri holds more appeal today.
The Power
The Capri is undoubtedly the faster car, offering 0-60mph times around 7.7 seconds and top speeds close to 130mph. While the Manta is certainly not slow, it can’t match those figures. Racing to 60mph in 8.5 seconds, the Opel is still capable of reaching 120mph, however it’s the 50bhp difference that clinches it for the Capri.
The Handling
The Manta and the Capri are both exciting drives, yet the uncontrollable lairy aspect of the Capri makes it relatively terrifying. The Manta has controllable oversteer, allowing opposite lock slides and handling that never fails to slap a grin on your face. The Capri will simply do as it pleases, spinning and tank slapping in directions you never knew existed.
It’s the handling aspect that allowed the Manta to become a rally winner; the Capri is simply too lively.
The Interior
Both offer nice big slabs of passé 1980’s grey and plastic, with dials and features that transport you back to the Thatcher and Regan era. Uncluttered and retro, these cabins are packed with charm. Again, picking a winner is difficult but as an ergonomically pleasing place to sit the Capri settles the argument.
Living with them
These aren’t what you would call economical. Each will take four people, although the back passengers may be slightly cramped, and have a boot you can actually use. They are both well catered for with parts and advice from clubs easy to obtain. As long as the car in question hasn’t been heavily abused, they are also quite reliable and both would make acceptable, if slightly thirsty, commuter cars.
Keeping up with traffic isn’t hard to do either, in fact you’ll almost certainly find yourself overtaking the majority of other transport users. The only real difference between them is the running costs, with the Manta being slightly cheaper to fuel and run.
Summary
Don’t get the wrong idea, these are amazing cars. Exciting doesn’t even cut it. Yet, how does each stack up? The Capri is faster, better looking and the interior is a nicer place to be. The Manta handles better, is cheaper to run and holds racing pedigree.
It’s a tough one, as the Capri and the Manta are both outstanding pieces of kit, but as the sovereign of excitement and butch looks the Capri reigns supreme. As a driving experience, however, the Manta is king.
The winner? We’ll leave that up to you, give us your opinion in the discussion box below.
All we need now - some cardboard boxes to drive through…