Opel Calibra History

Introduced in 1989 as a spiritual successor to the Manta, the Calibra was built on Vectra A underpinnings but wore swooping coupe bodywork engineered for exceptional aerodynamics. A drag coefficient of just 0.26 made it the most aerodynamic production car in the world at launch — a record it held for nearly a decade.

The Calibra was offered with four-cylinder and V6 engines, and a turbocharged four-cylinder all-wheel-drive version added performance credibility. Around 238,000 units were produced in Rüsselsheim and later in Finland (Valmet Automotive) before production ended in June 1997.