had a water tank in the engine bay (like modern cars). Originally, Opel and General Motors Continental (GM's Belgian subsidiary) was to supply the Manta bodies and engines for the conversion, but by the time the first production TE2800s were completed in 1973 the energy crisis had struck and the management of both Opel and General Motors Continental had changed. Planned production levels had been five cars per day originally; in the end a total of 79 cars were made and sold through Steinmetz in Germany, branded not as Opels but as TE2800s. Opel did not want the Opel brand on the cars and all Opel badging was removed from the cars and replaced by the "TE" logo. The Commodore GS engine was fitted with two Zenith carburettors; this version was chosen in preference to the fuel injected GS/E engine due to its lower cost and complexity, while being easier to tune to meet various emissions requirements. The output was , and with the Commodore four-speed manual gearbox and a 3.18:1 rear axle the car went from 0–60 mph (97 km/h) in 7.6 seconds. Top speed was quoted as . A five-speed ZF manual transmission was offered as an option. Transeurop/Steinmetz also offered a tune-up for rally and motorsport use. The tuning consisted of porting and flowing the head, a higher compression ratio, a race spec camshaft, and triple carburettors, giving the car up to . This was only offered in combination with the five-speed manual. Some of the engine tuning parts were also available on the road car. Although the TE2800 is the fastest Manta A ever made, it is not officially an Opel. It could outrun cars like the 911 Carrera of 1973 and the BMW 2002 turbo from 1973, even though those cars had more engine power and cost about twice as much. The low weight of the Manta bodyshell and the combination of the right gear ratios was what gave the car its success. However, the cars were very expensive, almost twice the price of a GT/E in 1975. Very few still exist today, as most were used in rally and motorsport events. Manta B (1975–1988) The second car to use the Manta name was launched in August 1975. This two-door "three-box" car was mechanically based directly on the then newly redesigned Opel Ascona, but the overall design was influenced by the 1975 Chevrolet Monza. The