Opel (Opel Motorsport and Rothmans Opel)

Opel was the last make to win a world title with a classic front-engined, rear-wheel-drive car. It happened in 1982 with Walter Röhrl and the Ascona 400 — the first year of Group B.

Team profile

BaseGermany (Opel Motorsport); Rothmans Opel Rally Team in Great Britain
LeadershipTony Fall (director of the Opel Motorsport Team); David Richards (co-ran Rothmans Opel, 1982–1983)
EngineeringIrmscher (body/interior), Cosworth (16-valve cylinder head)
CarsOpel Ascona 400, Manta 400; later the Kadett 4×4 prototype
DriversWalter Röhrl, Henri Toivonen, Ari Vatanen, Jimmy McRae, Rauno Aaltonen
Titlesdrivers 1982 (Röhrl)
Grouve Sport documentary

Episode 7 — The Underdogs: Toyota, Opel, Nissan, Mazda, Renault, Citroën, Porsche & Ferrari

The last rear-wheel-drive champions.

People

Tony Fall, a former BMC works driver, set up the Dealer Opel Team in Britain and became director of the Opel Motorsport Team in Germany, with which Röhrl won the 1982 world title. David Richards, co-driver to 1981 world champion Vatanen, co-ran the Rothmans-sponsored Opel team for which Henri Toivonen drove. In 1984 Richards founded Prodrive; see Rothmans Porsche / Prodrive.

Cars

The Ascona 400 and Manta 400 were developed with German tuner Irmscher and Britain’s Cosworth, which supplied a 16-valve cylinder head. The cars were reliable and handled well, but lacked the Quattro’s traction.

Opel Manta 400.
Opel Manta 400.Photo: Lukeno94 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Opel won the 1982 drivers’ world title with the Ascona 400 (Röhrl). Tony Fall ran the German works team; David Richards co-ran the Rothmans-backed team.

Results

  • 1982: Walter Röhrl wins Monte Carlo and the Ivory Coast and becomes world champion; Toivonen finishes third on the Acropolis and the RAC.
  • 1983: Ari Vatanen wins the Safari in the Ascona 400; Jimmy McRae finishes third on the RAC in the Manta 400.
  • 1984: Rauno Aaltonen finishes second on the Safari.

After 1986 Opel did not return with a front-line rally car. See the end of Group B.

European and national championships

Opel’s Group B cars were most successful in national championships: the Ascona 400 and Manta 400 won the British title in 1982, 1984 and 1985, the French title in 1983 and 1985, the German title in 1983 and the Irish Tarmac and Dutch titles, while Fassina won the 1982 European championship in an Ascona 400. See European and national championships.

In pictures 4 photos

Walter Röhrl's Group 4 Opel Ascona 400, as used on the 1982 Ivory Coast Rally where he sealed the title.
Walter Röhrl's Group 4 Opel Ascona 400, as used on the 1982 Ivory Coast Rally where he sealed the title.Photo: Steffs88 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
1984 Opel Manta 400 at the Cheruskerfahrt, Detmold, 2017
1984 Opel Manta 400 at the Cheruskerfahrt, Detmold, 2017Photo: Tsungam via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Opel Manta 400 Rallye (1985) at Sherborne Castle, 2019
Opel Manta 400 Rallye (1985) at Sherborne Castle, 2019Photo: Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Walter Röhrl's Opel Ascona 400 from the 1982 World Championship (photographed 2016)
Walter Röhrl's Opel Ascona 400 from the 1982 World Championship (photographed 2016)Photo: Steffs88 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Further resources

All Group B resources →

More from Teams

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Sources

  1. Wikipedia (EN), Tony Fall — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Fall
  2. Wikipedia (EN), Henri Toivonen (Rothmans Opel, David Richards) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Toivonen
  3. Wikipedia (EN), Opel Manta 400 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opel_Manta_400
  4. Wikipedia (EN), Ari Vatanen — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ari_Vatanen

All text is original writing for Grouve Sports Management Group, based on the sources above. Facts checked on 21 October 2026.

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Thumbnail photos on this page: Bahnfrend (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0); TaurusEmerald (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0); MrWalkr (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0); Alf van Beem (Wikimedia Commons, Public domain); MrWalkr (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0); MrWalkr (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).