The Opel Calibra is a coupé, which was engineered and produced by German
automaker Opel between 1989 and 1997, but sold until 1999 in the United
Kingdom as the Vauxhall Calibra by Vauxhall. It was also marketed as the
Chevrolet Calibra in South America by Chevrolet, and the Holden Calibra in
Australia and New Zealand by Holden. The Calibra was introduced to counter
the Japanese sports coupés, of the late 1980s and early 1990s. It employs the
running gear of the first generation Opel Vectra, which had been launched in
1988. Calibra production was based in the Opel factory in Rüsselsheim,
Germany, and the Valmet Automotive factory in Uusikaupunki, Finland, where
production was consolidated in November 1995.
Design The Opel Calibra was styled by GM's
designer Wayne Cherry and the German designer, Erhard Schnell. As a
front-wheel drive coupé based on the Vectra A chassis, its ride and handling
are not significantly better than that of the large family car from which it
grew. Though it had a stiffer chassis as a whole. The 4WD turbo version of the
car, which had independent rear suspension, featured the rear axle of
the Opel Omega A with some minor alterations to it. When launched in
1989, the Calibra was the most aerodynamic production car in the world.
This was glorified in an advert, shown on British television during 1990.
The eight valve model was, however, the most aerodynamically efficient Opel
ever, with a drag coefficient of 0.26. It remained the most aerodynamic mass
production car for the next 10 years, until the Honda Insight, along with the
Audi A2, were launched both in 1999, with a Cd of 0.25. All later 16V, V6,
4x4 and turbo models had a worse Cd of 0.29, due to changes in cooling system,
underbody, use of spoked wheels and glass detail.
Commercial life During its lifetime, the Calibra was
much more popular in Europe, and outsold its nearest rival, the Ford Probe, which
was considered to be underpowered, and very American for most European drivers.
However, in the United Kingdom, it failed to outsell the Rover 200 Coupé,
which offered comparable performance, but without 4WD in the top–of–the–range
models. In 1990, after General Motors bought a
stake in Saab, it was reported the Calibra would be badged as a Saab in the
United States, but these plans did not materialize. Throughout the production
run, several special edition models were launched. This began with the 1993 SE1,
and ran through to the SE9 in 1997. These limited run editions had often
unique aspects. For example, solar yellow paint on the SE2, or "Icelandic"
blue on the SE6. Neither colours were found on any other Calibra.
In September 1995, the Vectra A was replaced, but Calibra production
continued until 1997. Although a smaller coupé was available, the marque was left
without a mid-sized coupé until the Astra Coupé was launched in 2000, and
with the introduction of the Opel Speedster in 2000, three years after the
Calibra was discontinued, Opel finally offered a sports car again.
It has been stated in numerous articles, websites and television shows that the
world's fastest accelerating street–legal car has been rumoured to be
a 1993, RHD, Vauxhall Calibra, owned by Mr. Steve Pateman, boasting a 1.25
second 0 to 60 mile per hour time, and an 8.14 second quarter–mile time.
However, the car has been heavily modified, including a big–block
Chevrolet V8, and a steel tube chassis. Engines
Power was initially from 2.0 litre 8-valve and a Cosworth designed 16-valve
fuel-injected four-cylinder redtop petrol engines.
In 1992 a turbocharged 2.0 litre 16 valve engine was added to the range.
With four-wheel drive, a six-speed Getrag manual transmission and a claimed
top speed of 245 km/h, this flagship model finally gave the Calibra the
dynamics to match its looks. The Turbo model was also notable for the 5-stud
wheel hubs and the extreme negative camber of its rear wheels, which is
apparent even from a cursory visual inspection.
In 1993 a 125 kW/167 hp 2.5 litre V6 was introduced. Available with both manual
and automatic transmissions, the V6 was not as fast as the Turbo, but was rather
more civilised, and proved to be more reliable as car than the complex
four-wheel drive model. 1995 saw the introduction of the X20XEV Ecotec
engine, a new version of the classic C20XE 16-valve or "red top" engine. This
marked a reduction in power from 150 bhp to 136 bhp for the 16-valve version,
although the Turbo continued with the C20LET.
2.0 litre 8-valve SOHC I4 - 115 PS 2.0 litre 16-valve DOHC I4 - 150 PS
2.0 litre 16-valve DOHC 'Ecotec' I4 - 136 PS
2.0 litre 16-valve DOHC turbocharged I4 - 204 PS(201 bhp)
2.5 litre 24-valve DOHC 'Ecotec' V6 - 170 PS '94-'96; '97
The last Calibra Turbos were produced in early 1997 before a final run of Calibra
Turbo Limited Editions were rolled out. These were all finished in jet black
paintwork with Irmscher spoiler, BBS RX 16" alloys and colour-coded body
fittings. This final incarnation was also lowered by 35mm on Irmscher springs
and dampers. The interior was heated cream leather, with a steering wheel
trimmed in grey leather and a plaque showing the build number mounted on the
centre console. The Calibra V6 DTM race cars, while
still being four-wheel drive, had the engine mounted longitudinally instead of
transversely. Early DTM cars were using a naturally aspirated Opel-Cosworth 54°
V6 engine, based on the production C25XE car engine. Power climbed from 420 PS to
480 PS during the years. Then in 1996, due to changes to the regulations of
FIA, a newly developed engine was used instead.: the all aluminum 75° Cosworth
KF V6 engine. With this one new engine they managed to get the win in the 1996
ITC championiship. The KF V6 was capable of revving up to 15.000rpm, which is a
Formula 1 territory. Last one known KF V6 Calibra race car in
existence, is the Zakspeed prototype, Calibra Concept 2, which had been built
to be used as a test car for the upcoming FIA championiship that actually
never happened. Transmissions
In addition to a four-speed automatic transmissions that was available on all
models except the C20LET, there were five manual gearboxes for the Calibra.
F16CR-5 - Fitted to early 2.0 litre SOHC NA
F18CR-5 - Fitted to late 2.0 litre SOHC NA and late 2.0 litre DOHC NA
F20 - Fitted to early 2.0 litre DOHC NA F25 - Fitted to 2.5 litre NA
F28/6 - Fitted to 2.0 litre Turbo The transfer gearbox in the 4x4 models -
the same box was used in the Vauxhall Cavalier 4x4 - was somewhat on the
flimsy side, liable to suffer damage from conditions such as minor
differences in tyre wear or tyre pressure between front and rear axles.
Since front and rear tyres would naturally wear at different rates in
normal driving, it was necessary to swap front with rear tyres every 1500 miles.
All four tyres had to be of the same make and model, and all four tyres had
to be replaced at the same time - if one tyre was damaged or punctured, the three
remaining good tyres also had to be replaced. In addition there were other
maintenance requirements which were both exacting and unusual. Neglect of these
points through ignorance or a misconceived attempt to save money was
common, and was likely to lead to very expensive failures of the transfer
gearbox. 2007 GTC Concept
Since March 2007, the Calibra name has been connected with the Opel GTC
Concept, however, no new vehicle has yet appeared.
See also Ford Cougar - a similar large sports
coupé produced by Ford References
External links Opel Calibra Wiki Site