The Vauxhall Calibra was the British version of the Opel Calibra, a three-door coupé sold from 1989. It used the running gear of the first Vectra, and when it was launched it was the most aerodynamic production car in the world, with a drag coefficient of 0.26.
Vauxhall Calibra at a glance
| Maker | Vauxhall (Opel Calibra on the continent) |
|---|---|
| Production | 1989–1997; in Britain until 1999 |
| Class | three-door coupé |
| Based on | Opel Vectra A |
| Styling | Wayne Cherry and Erhard Schnell |
| Drag coefficient | 0.26 at launch; 0.29 for later 16V, V6, 4×4 and turbo models |
| Headlamps | 7 cm high ellipsoid units developed with Hella |
| Drive | front-wheel drive; four-wheel drive from November 1990 |
| Built at | Rüsselsheim, Germany and Uusikaupunki, Finland |
| UK sales began | June 1990 |
| Facelift | summer 1994 |
Written from the English and German Wikipedia articles on the Opel Calibra; the Vauxhall car is the same model with a different badge.
History of the Vauxhall Calibra
The Calibra was introduced to replace the Manta, belatedly, and to take on the Japanese sporting coupés of the period. It was built on the chassis of the first-generation Opel Vectra, launched in October 1988, and was styled by General Motors’ Wayne Cherry together with the German designer Erhard Schnell. Production was based at Opel’s Rüsselsheim factory and at Valmet Automotive in Uusikaupunki, Finland, where it was consolidated from November 1995; more than 90,000 were built in Finland.
Aerodynamics made the car. When it was launched on 10 June 1989 the Calibra was the most aerodynamic production car in the world, with a drag coefficient of 0.26, and it held that title for ten years until the Honda Insight arrived with 0.25. Getting there took wind-tunnel work in the Netherlands, where the prototype was tested above a rolling road; tapering the rear waistline and side windows by about 50 mm improved the figure by some 0.035, and a similar gain came from altered panel lines, an integrated front spoiler ahead of the tyres, an engine shield and a panel joining the fuel tank to the lower rear bumper. The slim 7 cm headlamps, made possible by new ellipsoid technology developed with Hella, were central to the shape. Later 16V, V6, four-wheel-drive and turbo models had a worse figure of 0.29 because of cooling, underbody, wheel and glass changes.
The hatchback rear made the Calibra unusually practical for a coupé of its size: it could seat four adults and hold 300 litres of luggage. Front-wheel drive was standard at first, with four-wheel drive available from November 1990; the turbo 4×4 used independent rear suspension and the rear axle of the Omega A with small modifications, and Irmscher suspension was fitted to sporty limited editions. Vauxhall sales began in June 1990, with hopes of up to 15,000 cars a year that were never reached, but the Calibra still outsold its nearest rival, the Ford Probe.
A light facelift came in summer 1994, moving the badge from the bonnet’s leading edge into the grille. Vauxhall’s special editions ran from the Tickford conversion of October 1991, of which only 26 were made, through its own SE1 in 1993 to the SE9 in 1997, with unusual colours such as Solar Yellow on the SE2 and Icelandic Blue on the SE6. There was also a Keke Rosberg edition in white, celebrating the car’s success in the German touring car championship, and continental buyers could choose DTM, Cliff, Colour and Last editions, some with lowered Irmscher suspension and a numbered plaque.
Design and features
- Record aerodynamics: a drag coefficient of 0.26 made it the world’s slickest production car in 1989.
- Vectra underpinnings: the running gear and hatchback body of the Vectra A.
- Practical coupé: four seats and a 300-litre boot.
- Four-wheel drive: available from November 1990, with Omega-derived rear suspension on the turbo.
- Special editions: Tickford, SE1 to SE9 and the Keke Rosberg model.
Vauxhall Calibra versions
- Calibra 2.0 8V and 16V: the mainstream front-wheel-drive cars.
- Calibra 4×4: four-wheel drive from November 1990.
- Calibra Turbo 4×4: the top model with independent rear suspension.
- Tickford (1991): a Vauxhall-approved conversion, 26 cars.
- SE1–SE9 (1993–1997): Vauxhall’s own limited editions.
- Keke Rosberg edition: white cars celebrating touring car success.
The Calibra shared its chassis with the Cavalier of the same years, and its four-wheel-drive rear axle came from the Omega. More cars are in the Vauxhall collection.
Sources
- Opel Calibra, English Wikipedia: design, aerodynamics, production, editions
- Opel Calibra, German Wikipedia: model history
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