Manic GT

The Manic GT is a sports car that was built in the province of Quebec in Canada from 1969 to 1971. Production of the car was first based in Terrebonne and was later moved to Granby.

The GT was designed by Serge Soumille and built with the assistance of chief mechanic Maurice Gris, both of whom, like About, were originally from France. The prototype Manic GT used many parts from the Renault 8. The car was built on a Renault 8 chassis with a steel roll-over structure added to improve safety and add stiffness to the frame. Mounted behind the rear axle centre-line was a 1,108 cc (67.6 cu in) Renault Cléon-Fonte engine. This inline four-cylinder motor had a wet-linered cast-iron block with five main bearings and an alloy cylinder head with overhead valves. The body of molded fiberglass was bonded, rather than bolted, to the chassis. While this further stiffened the structure it made repairs difficult. Steering was by rack-and-pinion. The suspension was independent at all four wheels via coil springs and telescopic dampers. The brakes were likewise disks at all four wheels. An anti-roll bar was mounted at the front. Many of the car's other components and trim came from Renault.

The first Manic GT was built with financial support from a small group of lawyers in Montreal familiar with the project. Construction took place in the company's facility in Terrebonne.

The prototype was first shown to the public at the Montreal Auto Show in April 1969. That same year it was also displayed at the Québec Pavilion at the Worlds Fair in Osaka Japan.

Following the car's debut About was able to secure financial backing from the Bombardier International Capital Corporation, the Steinberg family, the Caisse de Dépôt, the Industrial Credit Bureau of Québec and the Canadian government. Initial capitalization reached more than $1,500,000.

About contracted with Renault to use the chassis and power-train from the Renault 8 and 10 sedans as the basis for the production Manic, whose full model name was the Manic GT PAI. The production engine was still a Cléon-Fonte but was now the 1,289 cc (78.7 cu in) "810" version, making this essentially a Renault 10 platform. The car was offered in three stages of tune: 65, 80 and 105 horsepower permitting top speeds of 169, 193 and 217 km/h respectively. Power reached the rear wheels through a standard four-speed manual transmission, while a five-speed was available as an option. The Manic GT was to be sold and serviced by Renault dealers across Canada.

Production of the GT began in October 1969 at the Terrebonne factory. The car was advertised at a price of $3384.00 Canadian fully equipped. Now in its final production form, the GT made another appearance at the Montreal Auto Show in 1970, where it appeared alongside the Manic-GRAC and the PA-II.

About restructured the company and renamed it Les Automobiles Manic (1970) Ltée. A new 5,574 m2 (59,998 sq ft) factory was built in Granby Québec. The factory opened on January 1, 1971 with 40 employees. Production was anticipated to be 2000 cars per year.

The factory soon ran into problems obtaining parts from Renault. While major components for unfinished cars sat on the factory floor many smaller but still critical parts were not available. The factory attempted to fill their requirements by buying parts from Renault dealers in Mexico and Spain. With no financial penalty for late delivery written into their supplier agreement with Renault, Automobiles Manic had little recourse other than to threaten to withhold payment, which only worsened the relationship with Renault.

Investors in Manic demanded that Renault assume the losses caused by these delays. Renault refused and the investors subsequently cut off funding for the company.

In April 1971, the Manic GT made two important appearances in the United States. In Detroit, a GT was successfully homologated for sale in the US. In New York a GT was put on display at that city's 1971 Auto Show. An order for 1000 cars was received from an American distributor, but this came too late to change the company's fortunes.

The Granby factory was closed in May 1971, and on June 8, 1971, Les Automobiles Manic officially ceased operations.