Today we are talking about Opel Calibra which was produced by German manufacturer Opel between 1989 and 1997 on the platform of Opel Vectra.
At that time, Opel was a part of the General Motors family, so this car is also known under the names Vauxhall Calibra in the United Kingdom, Chevrolet Calibra in South America, and Holden Calibra in Australia and New Zealand. This car had only one generation with just a small facelift in 1994 and the name “Calibra” was never used by Opel ever before or after. So, it’s pretty simple, and no confusions with names this time. By the way, right at that time, GM bought a part of Saab. And GM was going to sell Calibra in the United States under Saab name. But this plan never came to life. GM later made a different Saab car on the basis of Opel Vectra, Saab 9-3. But this is a story for another time.
Why did this car appear at all, in the first instance? Well, GM recognized a new trend coming from Japan. Small and midsized 2-door and 3-door coupes and liftbacks became very popular in Japan, and then, in Europe at the end of the eighties. Ford, the main competitive of GM, thought that this trend is going to disappear and didn’t introduce anything interesting to the European market except the very underpowered Ford Probe. But GM made a bet and won, a very rare win for GM.
The car got a warm reception from the customers and was one of the leaders in its market segment at that time. Almost 240 thousand Calibras were built in total. Among them, 3,385 4x4 versions and 12 thousand cars with V6 engine.
The aerodynamic shape of the body had the best drag coefficient in the world when the car was launched in 1989 – 0.26. For comparison, Ferrari Testarossa had the drag coefficient of 0.36. The slowest 2.0 version remained the most aerodynamic mass production car for the whole time of its production. But more powerful versions, with 4-cylinder 16-valves engines, or with V6 engines had a worse aerodynamic coefficient of 0.29 – but still better than Ferrari. The difference was caused by different air intake and cooling system and underbody changes.
At the same time, Calibra was a rather spacious and comfortable car, with enough space for 4 adults and a large trunk for 2 kids… err, I mean for 2 suitcases. Unfortunately, it was never produced as a convertible, only as a 3-door liftback. There was such a plan and prototypes of a convertible Calibra in 1992 but they never made it to the production line.
At the launch, Calibra was available with the 2-liter 8-valve engine with 117 HP. This engine was the slowest but the most reliable of all engines that Calibras had. Well, 117 HP is a very small figure nowadays, but it was not bad compared to most cars of the eighties with their 60-90 HP. And it allowed Calibra to accelerate 0-60 in 10 seconds and reach 205 km/h (128 mph). Another available engine, also 4-cylinder but with 16 valves and fuel injection was designed by British race car maker Cosworth and was able to produce 152 HP. These engines were distinctive by their red-painted parts of the valve cover and known as “redtop engines”. These cars could make 0-60 in 8.5 seconds and the top speed was 223 km/h (139 mph). Three years later, in 1992, this engine was turbocharged and this version could produce 207 HorsPors, not bad at all. This power converted to 0-60 in 6.8 seconds and the top speed of 245 km/h (153 mph), the good figures even now, 30 years later. No surprise, that these turbocharged versions are very desirable now. A year later, Opel made a 2.5-liter V6 version of Calibra with 170 HP, 0-60 in 7.8 seconds and max speed of 237 km/h (148 mph). These V6 cars are considered very balanced between power, handling, and reliability among Calibra fans and are desirable, as well. Also, it’s important to mention that in 1995 Opel decreased the power of its most popular Redtop engine from 152 to 138 PoorHorses because the new ecological regulations Euro-2 came into force. So, all Redtops of 1995-1997 are slightly slower than those installed on 1989-1994 cars. 0-60 in 9.5 seconds instead of 8.5, and the top speed of 215 km/h instead of 223 (or 134 mph instead of 139).
The Calibra was initially only available with front-wheel drive, but from November 1990, four-wheel drive became available. 4x4 drive on the Calibras wasn’t very reliable and put very strong requirements to the condition of the tires. Even a slight difference in the pressure of left and right tires could cause damage to the transfer box and an expensive repair, in its turn. But the overall work of the 4x4 drive was described as very interesting and enjoyable. The car was in general available with 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmissions. The turbo versions were available only with four-wheel drive and a 6-speed manual transmission. For V6 versions, both manual and automatic transmissions were available but Opel never offered the 4x4 drive with V6 engine.
There was a number of “special edition” Calibras produced in limited quantities. Usually, about 1,000 units. I can mention the DTM Edition of 1995 related to the success of the Calibra in the DTM racing series – Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft or German Touring Cars Championship. Also, Keke Rosberg Edition, also in 1995 and also related to DTM, Cliff Motorsport Edition in 1996, and Calibra Turbo Limited Edition of 1997. The last 984 Calibras were included into the Last Edition in March of 1997. They had different bumpers and moldings and also a numbered plaque on the central console.
There were also a number of aftermarket tuning kits available for the Calibra. Some of them just slightly changed the exterior appearance. But others allowed to get much more from your car and make it closer to the real racing DTM versions of Calibras, who could produce up to 480 HP. For example, a tuning kit for the engine offered by Irmsher, an official race division of Opel, allowed to easily increase the power of the turbo versions from 207 to 230 HP. In Germany and some countries of Central Europe the Calibra had a good but rather funny reputation of a “Poor Man Ferrari”. And you literarily could buy a body kit that made your Calibra look like Ferrari Testarossa!
Of course, there were some downsides. Opel, under GM ownership, never had a reputation for making luxury or very reliable cars. The car was annoyingly loud, the sound insulation was almost non-existing. It had stiff suspension – great on a track but difficult to live with on bumpy roads of Eastern Europe. The brakes were weak. The headlights never could lighten the road properly because they were made very small due to aerodynamic reasons. In addition, they had a tendency to get shady and blurry with the time. The sunroof easily broke due to weak, easily-snapping plastic gears. The beautiful frameless door windows often leaked. And worst of all – the Calibras were very prone to getting rusty. Well, it is common for all Opels. So, if you’d like to buy a Calibra, it’s reasonable to look for one in the southern part of Europe – say, in Italy or Spain.
But, at the same time, with all these issues, the Calibra was a great car for its time! It was very spacious and comfortable with reliable engines powerful enough to bring a lot of joy to the driver. Especially considering its aerodynamics. All cars were very well equipped for the time. Sunroof, frameless door windows, trip computer for most of the trim levels, and very comfortable sport-ish seats.
Car journalists reviewing the car were not impressed with the handling but most of owners loved it and told that the handling of the car was really great. The steering was easy and predictable, the acceleration was breathtaking, and the overall impression of driving was very enjoyable. This was a car of emotion and temper. A car you should be on the one tune with. If you were in the mood for a reasonably active driving, the Calibra was ready to give you the emotions you expected. And these emotions were pure, energetic, and amusing.
Today, you can buy a 2-liter 16-valve Vauxhall Calibra in the UK as low as 2-6K GBP. These cars have an additional charm of right-hand steering and British feeling. In continental Europe, you will pay 2-10K euro for 2-liter versions, 7-14K for V6, and 12-30K for turbo versions with the gravity to the expensive end of the range. Personally, I would go with the V6 version as it is more reliable with almost the same performance as the turbo one. But for collectible value, the turbo Calibra is the right choice, especially from the last turbo limited edition