The second generation of the Ascona series, the Opel Ascona B, was unveiled in August 1975 at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
It was offered in two- or four-door saloon versions, with related two- and three-door coupes in the Opel Manta family. The Ascona B was not offered in estate (“Caravan”) form.
It was based on Opel’s U-car platform, which was a slightly bigger version of the T-Car platform used by the goes-somewhere Opel Kadett C and Vauxhall Chevette.
The Ascona B retained the same engine lineup from the first-generation model. It was available in higher-octane-fuel models (98 octane), the “S” variants, and those that ran off the regular 90 octane fuel.
Several key updates were introduced in its production:
January 1976: Gasoline prices dropped, and laminated window glass was now offered at no extra cost.
September 1977: The 1.9L “S” engine was replaced by a more modern 2.0L motor (20S).
January 1978: The 20N engine was added to the range, electric windscreen washers were fitted.
1978: 2.0L diesels became available, targeted mostly at market like the Benelux and Italy, where tax incentives existed for diesel cars.
1979: The Ascona 400 performance variant with its 2.4L engine (144 PS) is launched.
The Ascona B received a couple more updates over the years:
September 1979: replaced the metal bumpers with plastic ones and came with a new grey front grille with far larger-sized mesh.
Jan 1980: 2.0E engine, electronic fuel injection (Bosch L-Jetronic)
January 1981: Last updates were small revisions to the 16N and 20N engines and a change to the availability of the 1.9 N and 2.0 N engines in Germany.
By August 1981, production of the Ascona B totaled over 1.2 million units. The equivalent Opel Manta models stayed in production until 1988.
Engine Specifications:
1.2 N
Engine: 1196 cc
Power: 55 PS (40 kW)
1.2 S
Engine: 1196 cc
Power: 60 PS (44 kW)
In Sweden and Switzerland : 58 PS (43 kW, S12S)
1.3 N
Engine: 1297 cc
Power: 60 PS (44 kW)
1.3 S
Engine: 1297 cc
Power: 75 PS (55 kW)
1.6 N
Engine: 1584 cc
Power: 60 PS (44 kW)
1.6 S
Engine: 1584 cc
Power: 75 PS (55 kW) then 70 PS (51 kW)
1.9 N
Engine: 1897 cc
Power: 75 PS (55 kW)
1.9 S
Engine: 1897 cc
Power: 90 PS (66 kW)
2.0 N
Engine: 1979 cc
Power: 90 PS (66 kW)
2.0 S
Engine: 1979 cc
Power: 100 PS (74 kW)
2.0 E
Engine: 1979 cc
Power: 110 PS (81 kW)
2.4 E
Engine: 2420 cc
Power: 144 PS (106 kW)
2.0 D (Diesel)
Engine: 1998 cc
Power: 58 PS (43 kW)
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