Opel has built beside the well-known Opel Manta 400 another group B rally car. The Manta 200 was designed for private teams. It was homologated on August 1st, 1983 with number B250 in group B. The main difference to the Manta 400 is the waiving of the wing extensions and the 2-liter engine (compared to the Manta 400 with 2.4 liters).
This car is 2nd and last of the works cars, has the internal Matter number M 200.2 and was built in 1983 by the Opel Rally Team in Rüsselsheim, Germany. It was registered on August 12th, 1983 with license plate GG-CT 687 and VIN WOL000058D6113879 for Adam Opel AG and in September 1984 together with 600 kg spare parts sent to the next owner in Kenya, the Organisation of Marlboro Safari Rally. The head of organization Mike Doughty prepared with this route survey car the road book for the Marlboro Safari Rallye 1985. As compensation this course car was presented in Marlboro livery on the front cover of official event publications as pre-event information and regulations.
After the Safari Rally 1985 the car was sold to the Kenyan rally driver Yusuf Mohamed and registered on his name with license plate KWZ 001 on July 12th, 1985. Yusuf Mohamed drove the East African Safari Rally with co-driver Hassan Sidi 1986 and starting number 50 and 1987 with starting number 42. Furthermore, he entered the car for different events of the Kenyan and Tanzanian championship, for example Jamhuri Rally 1985, Coast 600 Rally 1986, BP Visco Rally 1986, Firestone 500 Rally 1987 and Shell Oils Rally Mombasa 1987.
In 1988 the car changed hands to Hasmat Shamji from Nairobi. Beside East African Safari Rally 1989 with co-driver Avtar Kent and starting number 49 he entered as well different rounds of the Kenyan and Tanzanian championship with entrant Vacational Tours & Travel, for example Firestone 500 Rally 1988, Coast 300 Rally 1988, Rift Rally 1989 and Firestone Rally 1989.
4th owner was Shaheed Wissanji, who entered the car still in 1994 for rally cross in Nairobi. 5th and last Kenyan owner was multiple Kenyan Rally Champion Baldev Singh Chager from Nairobi, who drove with this car for example the Arusha Rally in Tanzania.
2009 the car was spotted by Ralf Antweiler in a backyard in Nairobi. It returned to Germany in February 2011, where it was built 27 years ago. A bare metal restoration took place from 2014 until 2017. The car is now back in the condition and livery of Marlboro East African Safari Rally 1985.
Technical data:
Body shell: by Matter
Engine: 4-cylinder in-line-engine with 8 valves
Cylinder block: Cast
Cylinder head: Cast CIH
Output: 186 PS (137 kW)
Torque: 210 Nm
Displacement: 1.979 cm³
Carburetors: Weber 48 dual carburetors
Oil supply: wet sump lubrication
Tank capacity: 80 liters in the boot
Gear box: Getrag 5-speed-racing gear box, 2.33 – 1.00 ratios
Drive line: rear wheel drive, limited slip differential
Brakes: 4 discs with AP Lockheed calipers with 4 pistons
Tires: Michelin
Rims: on the front 6J x 15, on the rear 7J x 15
Weight: 1.056 kg without drivers and fuel
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