Photo: Instagram | automotive.diffusion
Back when General Motors and Opel/Vauxhall used to hold hands, they came up with all sorts of cars, some of which made a splash on the right side of the pond, like the Opel Calibra.
Also sold in the UK as a Vauxhall, and in other markets as a Holden and Chevrolet, the Calibra has an unmistakable design and used to be very common at drag racing events in Europe (and not only) back in the day.
Production used to take place in Germany and Finland, and from 1989 to 1997, almost 240,000 of them are said to have been built. A small number of those came with the V6 engine and even fewer with an all-wheel drive system. The majority packed a 2.0-liter straight-four, with or without forced induction, and they were hooked up to manual and automatic transmissions and front-wheel drive.
Sharing some nuts and bolts with the Vectra A, the Calibra was rumored to make a comeback numerous times. However, it is clear that we’d have more chances of seeing the moniker used on an electric crossover than a sports coupe, because most new car buyers are no longer interested in such body styles. That said, we wouldn’t hold our breath for a new-gen Calibra that would be a direct successor to the real thing at all.
If it did return, then it would have to be based on the same platform as the Insignia – aka Vectra’s successor. However, that wouldn’t be feasible at all, because the Insignia is the brand’s last remaining GM product, and an aging one, which will be dropped by the end of the year (if it wasn’t already). But even so, that hasn’t stopped automotive.diffusion on Instagram from imagining how a possible modern-day Calibra would look like, and their digital illustration stays true to the Insignia, up to a point. It looks more like a two-door version of the Insignia than a 2023 Calibra, so it doesn’t do justice to the nameplate, does it?
Production used to take place in Germany and Finland, and from 1989 to 1997, almost 240,000 of them are said to have been built. A small number of those came with the V6 engine and even fewer with an all-wheel drive system. The majority packed a 2.0-liter straight-four, with or without forced induction, and they were hooked up to manual and automatic transmissions and front-wheel drive.
Sharing some nuts and bolts with the Vectra A, the Calibra was rumored to make a comeback numerous times. However, it is clear that we’d have more chances of seeing the moniker used on an electric crossover than a sports coupe, because most new car buyers are no longer interested in such body styles. That said, we wouldn’t hold our breath for a new-gen Calibra that would be a direct successor to the real thing at all.
If it did return, then it would have to be based on the same platform as the Insignia – aka Vectra’s successor. However, that wouldn’t be feasible at all, because the Insignia is the brand’s last remaining GM product, and an aging one, which will be dropped by the end of the year (if it wasn’t already). But even so, that hasn’t stopped automotive.diffusion on Instagram from imagining how a possible modern-day Calibra would look like, and their digital illustration stays true to the Insignia, up to a point. It looks more like a two-door version of the Insignia than a 2023 Calibra, so it doesn’t do justice to the nameplate, does it?
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