The story of the Opel Manta 400 is a familiar one to anyone who was a follower of the crazy days of Group B rallying and their sibling road cars built by the major manufacturers in whatever homologation quantity was required.

Developed from its Ascona predecessor, the Manta was always popular with the crowds - lots of power, not much weight and a propensity to attack stages sideways.

However, by the time it was ready to rally, the game had moved on with the Audi Quattro showing the rest of the field that four-wheel drive was going to be a requirement in the WRC.

Nevertheless, that didn't stop the Manta from achieving cult hero status on British and European stages, with its raspy sound, lively handling and iconic liveries, the Andrews Heat for Hire with Russell Brookes and Mike Broad being a particular favourite and winning over a lot of fans.

The homologation Manta road car was named '400' because that was the number of examples of the old Ascona that were required by the regulat...