A Blast from the past. Billing 1994

[mantaray]

[PerfectCousin]

Great Pic, Manta's in their youth...Sad thing is...most of them probably dead by now !!

[mantaray]

Don't know about the others, but the white A series in the background is definitely dead, I crunched it in 97. The i200 is still around.

[Irmscher Man]

I think some of those cars were probably European, we used to get a lot of visitors from The Netherlands back then. 

The i200 is definitely still about......it’s in my garage! It had just come out of the bodyshop before that event. I remember putting the i200 decals on the night before, as I packed the tent, 

[Irmscher Man]

I found this picture in an old Manta Magic. For those of you that have joined the club in the last 10 years, this is what an OMOC Concours event looked like back in the 90’s. 

[mantaray]

And that was just the Manta Club, no VBOA at Billing in those days.

[jettech1]

I have just joined this forum, and OMG  the first manta I see is my own car from 24 years ago, the manta evolution  in the middle of the picture from billing 94 was my pride and joy, god I miss that car so much.

I still have pictures somewhere,  when it was on display at the vauxhall factory in elesmer port,  next to a works manta 400   D902RGS  ,  an astra 4s  and Russel  book's  chevet hsr , the guy crouched down in the white top,  is Sean hunt I think.       What a blast from the past.  Thanks.

[evo3000]

On ‎2‎/‎21‎/‎2018 at 21:19, jettech1 said:

I have just joined this forum, and OMG  the first manta I see is my own car from 24 years ago, the manta evolution  in the middle of the picture from billing 94 was my pride and joy, god I miss that car so much.

I still have pictures somewhere,  when it was on display at the vauxhall factory in elesmer port,  next to a works manta 400   D902RGS  ,  an astra 4s  and Russel  book's  chevet hsr , the guy crouched down in the white top,  is Sean hunt I think.       What a blast from the past.  Thanks.

I remember seeing your old car for sale in the fast car magazine,and was impressed with it,mainly because the evolution kit had been fitted to the hatch rather than the usual coupe,and it looked arguably even better on the hatch,also remember it having aluminum arch liners,what engine did it have?

There was a red evo hatch fast car magazine featured car,was that yours in a previous incarnation?

 

[jettech1]

No, the red one was not mine,  mine was all white then I fitted the graphics and for some reason it made the car look bigger and longer .

The engine was a modified 1800 and the car won best styling award in fast car magazine,  I wish I still had it, I also had a manta 400 bone made by Trevor Lewis,  they were fantastic bonnets, but I never got round to fitting it.  I sold the car in 1999  to go travelling  I struggled to get my £3000 asking price but eventually a lady bought it, it must be dead and buried by now.

[evo3000]

8 hours ago, jettech1 said:

No, the red one was not mine,  mine was all white then I fitted the graphics and for some reason it made the car look bigger and longer .

The engine was a modified 1800 and the car won best styling award in fast car magazine,  I wish I still had it, I also had a manta 400 bone made by Trevor Lewis,  they were fantastic bonnets, but I never got round to fitting it.  I sold the car in 1999  to go travelling  I struggled to get my £3000 asking price but eventually a lady bought it, it must be dead and buried by now.

you never know....it could be hidden away in a barn somewhere....waiting to be discovered...or maybe in someones collection being pampered.

Have you got a manta at the moment.

[jettech1]

The lady who Bought it was local, may be it is in storage, there must be a search I could do to see if it has been scrapped. 

I don't have a manta at the moment, but I always keep an eye out for something interesting,  you never know what's waiting to be found.

There were lots of cars I should have bought in the 90s ,  like    Gm  works manta 400 £12000. 

Homologation  ascona 400 £3000  and loads of manta 400 reps.

I remember my mate had a very nice 400 and we used to  go road rallying in the county on single track b roads and my car would only just fit down the narrow roads. Such good fun  and no speed cameras back then.

[Mickfrad]

You could try the dvla site see if anything crops up 

https://www.gov.uk/get-vehicle-information-from-dvla

also to check if it's taxed or sorn 

https://www.gov.uk/check-vehicle-tax

may have been off the road too long to show up though.

Edited February 24, 2018 by Mickfrad

[jettech1]

Cheers, it does show the correct details and says it's not taxed , but not much else, may be it's not scrapped. 

[evo3000]

20 hours ago, jettech1 said:

The lady who Bought it was local, may be it is in storage, there must be a search I could do to see if it has been scrapped. 

I don't have a manta at the moment, but I always keep an eye out for something interesting,  you never know what's waiting to be found.

There were lots of cars I should have bought in the 90s ,  like    Gm  works manta 400 £12000. 

Homologation  ascona 400 £3000  and loads of manta 400 reps.

I remember my mate had a very nice 400 and we used to  go road rallying in the county on single track b roads and my car would only just fit down the narrow roads. Such good fun  and no speed cameras back then.

Works manta 400 for just 12k is just incredible,how times have changed.

Was it D902 RGS the Andrew Wood one

 

[jettech1]

Yes it was. D902RGS 

 my car was parked next to it in the elsmere port vauxhall  factory, they had a large room with all sorts of ex works rally cars, I sat in them all and drooled for hours. From what I can remember and photographs I still have,   D902RGS   next to that was Russell brooks chevet hsr and an astra 4s which I think was banned before it got a chance to rally  in the group b class. 

Sean hunt organised the day at vauxhall, and we all had free run of the place, watching the robots at work,  and looking through all the parts bins. It was truly awesome,  and things like that would not happen nowerdays. 

£12000 for D902RGS was the kind of price mentioned for the car, I think the Griffin trust ended up with the car, but I guess it's in a private collection now with a value of £100,000 plus.

A guy I knew back then Dave coteral,  from cross lane motors in Radcliffe Manchester,  owned Jimmy mcrae,s ex works ascona 400 and rallyed it in the clubman class.  I must call in and see if he still has the car.

If any one would like pictures  , of the vauxhall factory  cars send me a wats app and I will take pictures of  the photos and send them via wats app

My number,   0756 557 9213..

[mantaray]

2 hours ago, jettech1 said:

Sean hunt organised the day at vauxhall, and we all had free run of the place, watching the robots at work,  and looking through all the parts bins. It was truly awesome,  and things like that would not happen nowerdays. 

 

2

Remember that day well, was there in my white A series.

[Mickfrad]

Thanks To Jay for the following photos 

I'll post some more if I can sort a photo hosting site, now Photobuckets broken 

Edited February 25, 2018 by Mickfrad

[Irmscher Man]

Ive got some photos from the open day at Ellesmere Port, I was there in my i200. Memorable day out and I remember Jays car well. 

[®evo03]

Great photos, some history for the magazine/ calendar. Would make a nice wee history of the omoc!

Oh ex work 400 is in a private collection, fully restored, seen it, nice to see, very car car

 

Edited February 26, 2018 by ®evo03

[evo3000]

Great pics and very much appreciated

Who owned the green evo never seen that one before,is it still about.

That narrow arched 400 looks like the one that was for sale recently,i think owned by one of the H-400 crew possibly.

Edited February 26, 2018 by evo3000

[jettech1]

Not sure if the green evo is still alive, and I can't remember who owned it. I've sent mick lots of pictures, if any one else wants them just send me a wats app message and I'll  send them, 

[Mickfrad]

Set up a photo hosting site and managed to link all the photos eventually.

Thanks to Jay for sharing 

enjoy a blast from the past.

 

Edited February 27, 2018 by Mickfrad

[Mickfrad]

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 27, 2018 by Mickfrad

[jettech1]

You found a way to upload more pictures,  brill

Sorry about the ford escort in two of my pictures, but it's a manta in front all the way.

[Mickfrad]

Thanks Jay, figured it out eventually.

we'll allow a couple of fords sneaking in there the manta's more than make up for it.

If anyone's offended I'm sure we can photoshop them out.