25th anniversary of the Opel Calibra

[Rainer271]

Opel celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Calibra

Company built 238,647 models over seven years
Opel is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Calibra by taking a look back at the iconic coupe.

Originally unveiled at the 1989 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Calibra was an instant hit and sported an impressively low drag coefficient of 0.26 which was the best among all series production cars at the time.

A variety of engines were available and entry-level 2.0-liter unit produced 115 PS (85 kW) which enabled the car to hit a top speed of 203 km/h (126 mph). The more advanced four-valve version produced 150 PS (110 kW) and increased the top speed to 223 km/h (138 mph).

The company eventually introduced a Calibra Turbo in 1992 and it featured a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine that developed 204 hp (150 kW). It was connected to a six-speed manual transmission and an all-wheel drive system.

The Calibra eventually went out of production in August 1997 following a seven year run that saw a total of 238,647 coupes being built.

Source: Opel

 

[Mr Robert]

I really liked these back in the day!

 

[Rainer271]

It's like a journey back to the youth.

 

[Rolf]

This is and was a very stylish car when it came out. I particularly liked the slim front lights and those large back lights have a hint of BMW 8 series to them. Benchmark aerodynamics it's CD factor is better than 90% of the cars that are made today and that was 25 years ago, amazing! This brings back memories!

 

[Kowalski]

It was and still is in my opinion a good looking car.

 

[MikeJ]

Some 90,000 of those were built in Finland. Back then, it was quite a big deal for the only car factory in this country.

 

[SCOTT27]

The Calibra was in development when I was at Opel along with the first Vectra.
It was an interesting time because there was nothing quite like it on the market.
They even built a Cabrio model.

Some 90,000 of those were built in Finland. Back then, it was quite a big deal for the only car factory in this country.

Is it the Boxster and E-Klasse Cabrio built at valmet today?

 

[SCOTT27]

This is and was a very stylish car when it came out. I particularly liked the slim front lights and those large back lights have a hint of BMW 8 series to them. Benchmark aerodynamics it's CD factor is better than 90% of the cars that are made today and that was 25 years ago, amazing! This brings back memories!

Both the BMW 8er and Opel Calibra premiered at the 1989 IAA I worked with both cars but the 8er was in the final year before launch.

 

[MikeJ]

Is it the Boxster and E-Klasse Cabrio built at valmet today?

The production of the Boxster/Cayman at Valmet ended with the previous generation. They're currently building the Merc A-class there, and if Fisker ever gets its act back together, they're ready to continue building the Karma.

 

[Giannis]

An old friend used to have a Calibra back in the day and I recall me being fascinated by it as a young fella that grew up with old Renault, Citroen and Mazda sedans and even older Nissan pick-ups. I stumbled upon this very same car this July. It was kept in surprisingly good condition but it was far from the impressive coupe of my younger days.

I'd be far happier with a 3er coupe of the same era than with a Calibra, but that said, the Calibra was quite something back then. Both objectively and emotionally for many.

 

[Kowalski]

This could've been a new Calibra...

... If there was enough demand for a new Calibra, which I doubt there is.