My Dad worked for Vauxhall then Opel in Germany for 3 years during the 90’s so we lived there during that time. It’s a big world outside your bedroom in your mums house for your troll account that’s only 5 months old.@2nd.2nd.2nd
43 old American from NY here. Huge car nut since birth love the cool cars,brands,models we didn't get here. Fan of the channel. Little info here the Chevy Cavalier was a fwd turd. We deff never had a turbo or AWD version. Love my country but as a car enthusiast,we always get the lame or neutered version of the special cars. One reason people pay the money they do to import 25 year old cars. I'm no different I'll dump 10 grand on my 02 NB Miata before I'd use that for a payment on a newer car that I don't even like,has way too many extra unnecessary breakable cheaper made parts, with 5 years left to pay on it, and isn't even fun to drive. Every penny of my hard earned money that i spend on that car doesn't bother me for a second because every single time I get in and drive it I am happy. On this I will never ever compromise ever. Live well ,live right my brother's
That takes me back. I used to have a 4x4 turbo in the 90's. Almost zero wind noise even when your driving almost flat out. Very fast when compared to similar cars but handling let it down. They sounded great with a Skorpion stainless steel exhaust and a decat.
The Calibra wasn’t designed in one week. The basic theme was, however, decided quickly and approved and supported by Wayne Cherry, Design Director of Opel at that time. Erhard Schnell was studio chief - a great designer, real gentleman and my first boss as a young designer at Opel. He had also led the design of the Opel GT, amongst many others. Miki Hattori sketched the Calibra out, closely guided by Erhard and Carlos Barba did the interior, although the dashboard was carried over from the Vectra for cost reasons. A shorter wheelbase version was proposed, but also nixed due to cost. I remember doing the aerodynamic fine tuning in the Stuttgart University wind tunnel- we had a favorable basic shape and did a lot of detail refinements including underbody to get the 0.26CD end result. We also managed to make the shape very stable in yaw, not always easy with very aerodynamic vehicles. By the way, a name that nearly got used for the vehicle was Cresta. I remember the design team getting many plaudits when the car was launched at the IAA alongside the 8 series BMW. I later drove many high speed kilometers in a black 4x4 Turbo and the thing was utterly stable at top speed on the ‘Bahn. It was not very agile at lower speeds, but you could rely on it not biting, even when transgressing its pretty high limits, which made it great in the wet. It had very little turbo lag and low wind noise, making it a great cruiser. Very happy memories of leaving more than a few BMWs and Mercs in the Opel’s wake.
My father bought a 2L cavalier 4x4 (after ditching his XR4i) loved it. I'd hired a Calibra 2L whilst my car was being repaired & said to him 'you should get one, really good on a long run ' (fuel consumption) so he took my advice & bought the 2L turbo (not so good on fuel) he had it for around 4years during which suspension & engine were tuned. In switchable power mode went between 220 to 300 bhp. Back in the day only exotics with huge price tags were any faster. It was Vauxhalls reply to the Cosworth Sierra.
ahh the C20LET engine..born from the original 20XEJ "redtop".. best engine vauxhall/opel ever made. i have a fully forged 20XEJ turbo in my Astra GTE 16v.. so fun to drive with 400+bhp 👌
Seeing that interior gave me a deep feeling of nostalgia. I'm a 90s child and my dad had the early Mk.III Cavalier CD 2.0i as the family car back in the 90s. It was the family far for almost 15 years till it ended up as sandwich filler between two cars. A lady who was screaming at her two kids in the back of her car hit us pretty hard from behind and the force shunted us into the car in front and the insurance company wrote the car off. I think I was more devastated to see the car go than my dad. That car was a huge part of my young life while growing up. If i recall correctly, it had some nagging issues.... It didnt like cold starts on super cold days and the gearbox was quite a bone of contention for my dad and he ended up taking the garage or insurance to court over it. Something to do with gearbox issues that landed him with a £300 or £600 bill that the insurers wouldnt pay for and the garage he had taken the car for inspection to did something dodgy with it and it never ran right after they had a look at it till it didnt run at all. I can understand why dad was happy to see the car go.
@@john1703 This may explain why Dad always had spare ignition leads in the boot. During colder months the car would idle extremely rough and he would pull the plugs for a clean and change the ignition cables. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it didnt and the car still continued to run pretty roughly even under power even if it was allowed to idle for 5-10mins to warm up. If it continued to run rough then most trips were cancelled 😅😅 I never understood why he had the cables or why he always changed or cleaned the plugs but this makes sense now! I dont think he ever thought that it would have been the fuel relay which was causing the Issue and the dealerships he went to never could fix the issue and he just accepted that it was just how it was.
Also a 90s child here. My dad had numerous back to back ‘fast’ Cavaliers and then Vectras. I remember drooling over Calibras in the showroom being my dad to get one. 😂
I had a 95 in silver after I got fed up of my MG Montego Turbo constantly breaking down. I loved it would regularly drive it flat out in the days when you could enjoy driving
Montego Turbos were quick cars when the were running. Rover knew how to make a free revving engine but nothing about reliability. The 220 coupe turbo was another 90s coupe legend and looked stunning in the metallic blue
Was obsessed with these as a kid and begged my dad to get one. But he hated 2/3 door cars. In my late teens and early 20s it was a bit of a war between these and sapphire cosworths. Back then values weren't miles off. £5k could get you either in the early 00s believe it or not. They were both 2.0 4x4 turbo with around 200hp. The Calibra was better looking and more modern. But the Sapph was just a better car. And that's reflected in the fact they're now unobtainable and most Calibras have been scrapped. Don't say it too loudly either, but in 2024, I sort of think a late Cavalier 4x4 turbo or GSI2000 is a better looking car...
@@FlatmatI was a Max Power nut. I remember a guy with a silver Nova doing some Lotus things on his Nova, running a 2ltr redtop on twin carbs. He had Lotus badges on that. ❤😂😂
I saw the Calibra at the 1989 Earls court motorshow. I still remember now thinking it looked fantastic. I was 16, and had got the train there with my mate. Despite notable cars such as the last of the line Countach anniversary, Ferrari F40 etc, I still remember this. Miss the Earls court shows.
In the early 90s, during childhood, my neighbour was a Vauxhall salesman at the local dealership. He would always bring different cars home but mainly Calibras. I remember being fascinated by the sporty shape and definitely wanted one when l was older.
Remember these when they came out, but if I'm honest, I always preferred the look of the Peugeot coupe. It was a Pininfarina design and I believe even had the Pininfarina badge on the side, by the door.
To be fair, if you are talking about a 406 coupe (which other car could you have meant?) they are totally different generation cars... Werent contemporary competitors for more than a few months at the end of Calibra production.
Vauxhall/Opel had some great looking cars mixed in with performance models. Is there any chance you could get the mighty Senator 3.0 24V on the channel.
Gorgeous car. I drove it some 15 years ago on a short distance 8V with dead tyre and shocks, and still drove beautifully. The Opel version had a much nicer front, they sold quite well in Italy where I live, and for a LONG time you could see them running, usually in good condition. Who owns (or owned) her, cares for her. It means it's a car easy to love. A great GT, able to carry 4 people comfortably on long distances with excellent mileage. Still one of the most beautiful design in history (in my top ten, for sure).
They still look good today and a friend had a white 4x4 Turbo when new. But I was a Capri boy, so lusted after big engines and rear wheel drive, so neither the Calibra nor the Probe (or later Cougar) really appealed. The Vauxhall that DID wasn't really a Vauxhall at all.......the later Monaro is much more my pint of XXXX. Would love to see you test one of those, particularly a VXR. I so nearly bought one, but went 5th Gen Mustang instead :)
Man i miss Vauxhall of this era, i had 2 x cav gsi2000 and 3 x calibras. Great cars and much better looking than anything the electric car manufacturers can muster up these days. Give me a cavalier gsi2000 in ash black metallic over a tesla any day of the week
OK Jack, I must take umbridge with you over this. The chassis is a Cavalier chassis, from the GSi. That chassis when setup properly was epic (I owned 2). The 4x4 was rubbish, purely because of the heavy flywheel & electronic 4x4 system - ask Dougie about his 3.0 24v 4x4 Cav Gsi that's setup properly, when it runs! As you know, I've got one of the last auto v6SEs, it turns in and holds better than any yr2000 onwards car that I've owned. Please note how EV cars are echoing Calibra headlights (with influences from other places like that epic Alfa a few days ago). P.S., don't start me on the red top, I'd bore you out of Peroni!
"When setup properly" - that sounds highly promising. I got a 1994 Calibra V6n X25XE, maybe you can give me some tips. Is largely in original condition, I upgraded to 16 inch wheels, only new other new chassis parts are rear shocks, where I chose Bilstein B6. When the front shocks go, I intend to use B6 there, too. (brake parts are replaced when required, but that has no effect on handling. I can brake until the ABS sets in, no need for bigger brakes) I have no intention for shorter springs - the car is anyhow so low that the rooftop is hardly higher than the upper door corner of e.g. a BMW X4. And so I do not have to fear curbstones, road holes etc, and can still squeeze my head under it. I have the intention to keep it quite original - the fewest Calibras today are not optically tuned in some way or other. (well, there is another red Calibra 2.0 NE around here, original, first owner) And I will not change something for pure optics - i.e. as long as I do not have reliable info that a rear wing is either reducing drag ( = higher speed/better efficiency) or producing so much downforce that it improves handling I do not see the point.
@@feedingravens Hello and welcome to the (very) rare car club! Mine's a 1997 SE9 Auto v6. Bilsteins are great on them. My biggest advice is tyres. Grippier the better. My Cavs I ran on Goodyear Eagles - but you cannot get them in size or compound anymore. My v6 is on Avons, which are shit! I'm looking for something that isn't Pirrelli to put on it. I've put a K&N air filter in mine and it does 40mpg on the motorway. Keep it as stock as possible. Mine came with the spoiler and it does set the car off properly. I don't know about efficiency - I can't go that quickly in the UK. I do know that with this setup that it will out drag a Golf TDi on the motorway when it tried to tailgate me 🙂
I LOVE a Calibra. I was 13 or 14 when they came out and my parents and their friends were all in their 40's and could get these on company car schemes instead of Cavaliers so I've got a lot of good memories of them. Never been in a turbo but plenty of 16v's and 8v's and the odd V6. I'm half tempted to get one as a daily driver over winter. Reckon that's a good idea? I haven't been in one since the late 90's.
I remember being at Cubs in the 90s, and one of the dads who dropped off his kids had a new red Calibra. It seemed like a spaceship somehow and I remember marvelling at the 6 speed gearstick as I walked past it. For comparison, my dad drove a red mk1 Astra 1300S estate at the time with a 4 speed box. It smelled of engine oil and nothing worked on it, but I loved it. That place must've been a trap for Vauxhalls, because one of the arkayla-type people was a lad with a brown Chevette and he'd installed a megaphone speaker under the bonnet linked to a CB type microphone, which we all thought was cool at the time.
I had one of these, I miss it so much. I'd modified it massively it was running 286hp, full time locked transfer box, it stuck to the road like rails, it was rapid. I'd say it's as fast as my current 2016 BMW M235i. It's a responsive engine because it's got a Cosworth head.
Many years ago I had a post university job selling for vauxhall network q (nearly new) and the new 4x4 s. Wasn't great at selling but I loved driving all the px or other cars in stock so I could talk about them. This one in a dark green was great for a 22 year old . I also fondly remember the ford Scorpio with cosworth engine. Sat in it was like your favourite comfy chair fired from a catapult. Not so nice from the outside I know. Thanks for the interesting & varied topics. Can't beat cars as a hobby
I`d love to see what you`d have to say about the South African Opel Kadett and Astra 200ts...Delta Motor Corporation (they managed the Opel Brand in South Africa) imported a thousand or so of the Calibra Turbo motors from Germany and slapped them into front wheel drive cars with an added LSD, the result was monstrous!
I had a 16v as a company car and drove it from 0 to 130k miles in just three years. I racked up 9 points for speeding, mostly on the M4, where it would cruise at 100 effortlessly. I also had a tow bar installed to pull a 24-foot Sea Ray boat. It was a really fun car to own-Vauxhall was never a flashy brand, but it definitely turned heads at the time.
Great car. I had a Cav 2L 8V, took it to 155k miles, zero breakdowns, sold it to my best mate who did another 50k plus. A pal had a Calibra in 92, a lovely mileater with a cavernous boot.
I've got an 8v Calibra. Right about the boots on them. Definitely a lot more space than you'd expect given the style. Went from central Scotland down to Blackpool last year with a passenger and the car loaded up with guitars, amps etc. Plenty of room and a pleasure to cruise on the motorway.
Back in the 1990's I had a Calibra 4x4 turbo, a Cavalier 4x4 Turbo and a Cavalier GSI. The GSI was a fine car until it pushed hard and epic understeer and did like to aquaplane. I swapped to the Cavalier 4x4 turbo after this and the difference was night and day. The understeer was much less and the grip levels went up significantly. I sold this with 100,000 miles as the transfer boxes do about then and swapped to the Calibra 4x4 Turbo. This car did not drive in the same manner as the Cavalier 4x4 Turbo and I only had it for a short while as the driving experience was so different. The 4x4 was done on these via a viscous coupling on the transfer box and a replacement was circa £3000 back in the 90's, so when most of these failed, they were left as front wheel drive with 200bhp!!
My wife used to have an Irmscher DTM Calibra 4x4 Turbo, one of just 50 made. It was a first class touring rocket. Very civilised inside too. Another car that we shouldn't have sold 😢. Ended up being bought by a collector in Ireland. Hope it's still alive and well.
The 8v and the Turbo were dropped later in the car's life so this being a facelift Turbo (with the newer grille) makes it very rare indeed. Coupled with the fact it's not been messed around with externally and the paintwork looks factory fresh (must surely have had a respray as red Vauxhalls all go pink) and this is a real museum piece.
The Calibra was more of a GT than a proper sports car. The wet noodle Vectra/Cavalier chassis was to blame for that. When looking at it as an autobahn cruises, it suddenly makes sense :) The fragile transfercase story is untrue when dealing with only mild improvements. Had a 260bhp turbo and it never broke, despite some hard launches. Driving it in snow really exaggerated the delay for power to the rears. Made it great fun in those conditions. Still have a 3.0 V6 with 6 speed and ITB's now. Owner knows his Calibra's though, the 8v is the best all rounder, especially with a Lexmaul intake and a mild cam.
Nobody ever said it was bad handling did they? They just said it was the same as the Cavalier. And in its time the Cavalier’s handling was hugely praised.
He doesn't seem to be able to drive. Or never pushes them. Regurgitation of bits of car reviews. I've owned a few cars he has reviewed, and his conclusions have no relation to reality
@@redsidebiker Sorry, I dont fully get what you mean? Are you saying later models were modified in some way this wasnt? Because you arent comparing a racecars handling to a normal car, right?
Between 1991 and 1994 I had a Calibra 2.0 8 valves 115 HP and the handling was pretty good. The only thing you really need to drive fast, is experience and some recklessness😅
I had a 2.0 cavalier cdi and traded it for a 2.0 8v k reg red calibra. At 21 it was completely different from the cars my friends were driving (escorts, fiestas and novas) and cheap insurance for the time. still looks great today.
cheers from germany...nice video.....when 1st introduced back then it was soo beautiful and sleek...but still only an opel...oh well....but later on in the german top race series DTM the calibra did win the title in 1996 against merc and bmw......well done.....didn't happen again....
Had a 16v Redtop Cavy back in the day. Lowered 60mm with gas shocks and 15 inch alloys. Also put a tow-bar on the back to stiffen up the chassis. Was honestly the best car I have ever had, handled like a train on rails and the engine could sit all day in the red.
i remember a calibra during my childhood in the neighbourhood. had a body kit, coilovers and nice wheels. thought it was one of the coolest cars around. and that as an already bmw infected kid
I had a '92 turbo back in the mid '90s and have to say the steering was no issue and felt nicely balanced. You also mentioned a fragile transfer box, the only issue was when people didn't change all four tyres. If they didn't it could "wind" up the transfer box. I had immense fun with mine, it's one car I really do wish I still had. As I think I've said to you before I have a V6 version sitting in my garage waiting to be put back on the road
My mate had a Turbo, it was a poorly maintained unloved example but it still managed to hit 150mph with 3 of us in it......I'm extremely surprised we survived!.... that is still the fastest I've ever travelled in a car and I'll always remember that terrifying jurny 😂
There were two generations of Ford Probe in the USA, starting in the late 1980s. We never got the first one in Europe, which probably explains why sales of the Probe are higher than the Calibra. An interesting piece of trivia about the Calibra is that it was built in Finland by Valmet Automotive for most of its life.
Yes, i am from Finland and i had almost 20 years ago 4x4 turbo made in Finland. What a great cars they were, calibra and vectra a, might not be a drivers car but they still have great racing history.
This was a huge hit here in Brazil, where it was sold as Chevrolet Calibra between 94 and 95 model years only I guess. Despite having little selling numbers, it was a pride joy of Chevrolet of that time, which was fully renovating it's lineup with the Corsa B (being built here), and Omega as the top model. But they never ever said anything about the lower cx being only in the steel wheel version 😂
Seen a green one in the underground carpark of my local shops the other day, has to be at least 20 years since I've seen another. Great looking car and so small compared to the bland pumped up shtboxes everyone seems to drive today..
Thanks for this video! Actually this car was supposed to be GM's World Rally Championship weapon in the 1990s but the project was ditched because GM prioritized touring car racing on the motorsport front. In Australia the 4WD Turbo Calibra was sold as a Holden but it was road tested alongside the Toyota Celica GT4 once and the car magazine favored the Toyota. So the dice was loaded and it did not sell well down under. Oh and it did not have a V8...
I had one of these, built in Sweden, and with the Coscast head. So, the best version of this car. It had a EDS (famous German tuner of LET engiens) stage 1 chip, blowoff, stainless exhaust and a K&N panel filter. I´m still kicking myself for selling it :( Bought it in 2001 for €6000 and sold it the next year for the same money. I guess now it would be double or triple that to replace it, here in Germany :(
All 4x4's had a fuse that was often removed due the often troublesome 4x4 setup so it just powered the front wheels, some enthusiasts went as far as retrofitting the whole rear hardware back to the 4x2 setup found on the lesser models to save weight! So many heathens broke these for their engines to stick in mk2 Astra GTE's if they had given up the art of self preservation or the Nova if they were completely insane! Such a shame really as the Calibra still looks lovely today, totally timeless design even if it is just a well dressed Cavalier!
I recall in Max Power all those years ago some guy butchered a Calibra to put the all wheel drive system into an Astra, even transplanting part of the floorpan. Teenage me was impressed, middle-age me thinks it was a waste of two perfectly good cars.
Nice video. Over the years I`ve owned 7 calibras, 2 turbos 1 of which was chipped to 245bhp and was my favourite , a 3L V6 ( started out as a 2.5L) which coupled to the 5 speed long geared gearbox drove like a auto and had the best sound ,2 16v Ecotecs which in my personal opinion were the worst, a redtop (2L 16v) which was lots of fun and a 2L 8v which again was great fun but the slowest. The chipped turbo had no issues with the transfer box but it was always on my mind( even used pull fuse 19? when driving on long motorway journeys to disengage the 4x4 system ) and the unchipped turbo was acquired with a broken transfer box and leaked power steering fluid which it shared with the steering reservoir. I don`t see any on the road anymore, shame.
Thanks for reviewing this car. They never sold them in the USA. I have 2 of the turbo models in Australia. Only about 110 turbos made it here. p.s. If you ever make it to Australia. More than welcome to review my Megane RS275R trophy 🏆 😎
I just think it really was a car of its time, I grew up in early 70s, ie 76 got my license n then went directly into a driving job with a transit van, then a Vauxhall Chevet van, nearly all similar cars of this era handle like pigs compared to todays cars, but pls remember we absolutely didn’t know any better back then, and in my humble opinion made us all the better as drivers. By the way I then went to drive HGVs across all Europe n parts of Africa and Middle East. So I’m no Reginald Husband ( those that know… know ? ) 🤔😎 keep up the good work mate 👍
Scariest test drive I ever had was in one of the first 8 valves: me in the back, a mate in the passenger seat, & a salesman that seemed determined to kill us all. Neither of us bought one, although the car certainly went OK. I would like to try a V6, & see if anything could be done to address the handling these days.
My mate had this Calibra 4x4 but in the blue metallic, looked great back in the day when lowered - had common 4x4 issues - the fix was to pull the fuse and sell it on! You had to be sure when buying a 4x4 that the 4x4 was actually working! Once in a snowy carpark, we tried to do some doughnuts! but the back end would not budge! It's more like an FWD with a little more traction!
I remember in my early 20s going to the Earls Court Motor Show specially to see it at launch. You couldn't get any where near it as there were so many people around it, there was nothing else like it apart from the SZ which I also still love.
A friend had one back when it was current, and I got to drive it 😊 I recall a humdinger of a tussle through some tight twisty lanes and I can understand the less than sporty dynamics……… however, at that time we were getting through old bangers quite quickly……… rear drive Cavaliers, Carina, Corolla, 100A, Renaults 4, 5, 9, 11 and 12, Maxi, Mini, Marina and Cortina’s……… so, a 4x4 turbo Coupe was highly exotic 🙂🇬🇧 I’ve always been a fan and they’ve aged better than many of their peers……. Saying that, I can’t remember the last time I saw one…….. Footnote: the Probe was dreadful, in name and reality - you can guess what we called them. But, Ford didn’t learn, cue the Cougar 😳 🙂🇬🇧
In my humble opinion, the MkIII Cavalier represents the epitome of automotive development, specifically the pre-facelift model made before 92. No CAT, no ABS, no airbags, very little to go wrong, yet it has an almost bulletproof EFI and engine management, an unbreakable engine in the 2.0 8v with a decent output, leccy windows, central locking and PAS comfy seats, a fair ride and drive. Stylish (even today) reliable, surprisingly economical (probably helped by that lovely low drag body) and easy to maintain. If you know how, you can fit a clutch in 20 mins! Everything since then has been downhill! I've owned a couple of dozen Cavs at least and never had a bad one. I used to keep a couple around as loan cars for my workshop customers, mostly 2.0 8vs, but I kept having to buy more as those same customers kept buying them off me! Till, all of a sudden, they were all gone! I also had a lone Calibra, a 2.0 8v auto, which became my wife's first car after she passed her test (quite late in life) She absolutely loved it! Yes the handling wasn't the best, on the Cav or the Calibra, like I always say, Vauxhall made the best powertrains , but couldn't make a chassis for toffee! But it's good enough for a daily driver. Personally, I don't think the IRS (also stolen from the top spec Cav III GSi as was the Redtop engine) makes much difference and the 4WD even less, considering it's complications not worth the benefits.
I had 2 a silver 2.0 ltr and a V6 green one. They were both brilliant, especially if you take out the parcel shelf and put in a 21" bass speaker where the magnet would sit on the boot floor, upgrade to a striaght through exhaust and upgrade the air in take........ great fun
Always loved the Calibra had a few cavaliers couple of Sri 8 valves and two gsis all great cars and handling easily improved with a decent suspension set up.
I had a 2 litre 8v in the same colour red in the mid 90's drove it from UK through the channel tunnel and to the south coast of France during the world cup in '98, it never missed a beat.
I remember driving a similar vintage Cavalier, and the front wheel came off while i was on the motorway. I barely noticed much difference in the handling.
The remarkable thing about the 6 speed box is.... that they fitted a 6 speed box. At the time, where 5 speeds were the norm and there were still 80s cars about with 4 speed boxes, having 6 gears seemed unattainably futuristic!
This car was on all the automotive magazine front pages when I was just becoming interested in cars. This looked like the future of cars and really got me interested. I would buy Autocar and motor as often as my pocket money would allow and read it cover to cover. This car more than any brings back memories of those times 😊
I had a black 8v. Yes I know it’s the slowest one of the group but on the motorway it soon got going, it drove so smooth and was a really comfortable ride👍🏻
I've had 3 Calibras. I loved my V6 the most in magnetic blue with cream leather interior, really did feel special. That V6 made the most amazing noises too, only bettered by the Monaro I now drive.
My dad had one of these in a dark green-ish/black colour and it was my favourite car of his growing up… my best mate’s dad also had one on some legendary TSW alloy’s, used to see it everyday when he got picked up from school in it😁
From memory, the Calibra shared a platform with the (GM) SAAB 900. Both suffered from vague, wandering steering. A UK outfit called Genuine SAAB developed a cheap and simple steering rack brace and clamp (£150 at the time), that was transformational.
I owned one of these myself. Id wanted one as a kid. Finally got one when i turned 21 in 2001. I thought it was the bee's knees, but yeah, that steering did let it down. The steering rack mounted high on the bulkhead and on the struts was the culprit in my opinion, all the vauxhalls felt woolly around that time.
They had a very specific way of filling up the oil in them as well If I recall correctly and if you didn't do it by the book they didn't get enough in them.
extremely correct, thanx man. The system worns quickly by a rolling tyres difference over 1mm, that's why a lot of Transfer Box (4x4 system) were destroied by bad maintenance. To preserve it a simple tyre reversal every 5.000km keep it alive forever. Plenty of over 500.000km driven transfer box without any failure
Love how the guy who designed the car in a week second name was schnell
Living up to his name. 😅
😹😹😹😹✨
Considering it looks like a Cavalier, it wouldn't take long.
So good
My Dad had the V6 version when we were living in Germany I thought it was brilliant doing 140mph on the autobahn as a kid.
This week on things that never happened
@@0-60.tests.with.Passengers you were there weren't ya. Plonker
My Dad worked for Vauxhall then Opel in Germany for 3 years during the 90’s so we lived there during that time. It’s a big world outside your bedroom in your mums house for your troll account that’s only 5 months old.@2nd.2nd.2nd
Had a Vectra.... The V6 revved like a cut snake....
@@danieltynan5301The Cavalier V6 was better
43 old American from NY here. Huge car nut since birth love the cool cars,brands,models we didn't get here. Fan of the channel. Little info here the Chevy Cavalier was a fwd turd. We deff never had a turbo or AWD version. Love my country but as a car enthusiast,we always get the lame or neutered version of the special cars. One reason people pay the money they do to import 25 year old cars. I'm no different I'll dump 10 grand on my 02 NB Miata before I'd use that for a payment on a newer car that I don't even like,has way too many extra unnecessary breakable cheaper made parts, with 5 years left to pay on it, and isn't even fun to drive. Every penny of my hard earned money that i spend on that car doesn't bother me for a second because every single time I get in and drive it I am happy. On this I will never ever compromise ever. Live well ,live right my brother's
That takes me back. I used to have a 4x4 turbo in the 90's. Almost zero wind noise even when your driving almost flat out. Very fast when compared to similar cars but handling let it down. They sounded great with a Skorpion stainless steel exhaust and a decat.
Agree on the handling over steer I had the 16b 2wd version but loved the shape of it.
I'm 1997 I bought a 93 model
Yeah my V6 was smoothest quietest car I've ever owned above 120
On looks alone the Calibra has always won my heart, from the sleek base model to its ultimate form, the DTM Calibra race machine.
That DTM version had nothing in common with production car.
@@napraznicul The Opel logo was the same.
@@napraznicul As was the norm of Class 1.
@@napraznicul explain more? Same power plant?
The Calibra wasn’t designed in one week. The basic theme was, however, decided quickly and approved and supported by Wayne Cherry, Design Director of Opel at that time.
Erhard Schnell was studio chief - a great designer, real gentleman and my first boss as a young designer at Opel. He had also led the design of the Opel GT, amongst many others. Miki Hattori sketched the Calibra out, closely guided by Erhard and Carlos Barba did the interior, although the dashboard was carried over from the Vectra for cost reasons. A shorter wheelbase version was proposed, but also nixed due to cost. I remember doing the aerodynamic fine tuning in the Stuttgart University wind tunnel- we had a favorable basic shape and did a lot of detail refinements including underbody to get the 0.26CD end result. We also managed to make the shape very stable in yaw, not always easy with very aerodynamic vehicles.
By the way, a name that nearly got used for the vehicle was Cresta.
I remember the design team getting many plaudits when the car was launched at the IAA alongside the 8 series BMW.
I later drove many high speed kilometers in a black 4x4 Turbo and the thing was utterly stable at top speed on the ‘Bahn. It was not very agile at lower speeds, but you could rely on it not biting, even when transgressing its pretty high limits, which made it great in the wet. It had very little turbo lag and low wind noise, making it a great cruiser.
Very happy memories of leaving more than a few BMWs and Mercs in the Opel’s wake.
My father bought a 2L cavalier 4x4 (after ditching his XR4i) loved it. I'd hired a Calibra 2L whilst my car was being repaired & said to him 'you should get one, really good on a long run ' (fuel consumption) so he took my advice & bought the 2L turbo (not so good on fuel) he had it for around 4years during which suspension & engine were tuned. In switchable power mode went between 220 to 300 bhp. Back in the day only exotics with huge price tags were any faster. It was Vauxhalls reply to the Cosworth Sierra.
ahh the C20LET engine..born from the original 20XEJ "redtop".. best engine vauxhall/opel ever made. i have a fully forged 20XEJ turbo in my Astra GTE 16v.. so fun to drive with 400+bhp 👌
Are you local to Sunderland by any chance? I ask as an Astra GTE passed me at light speed last week. 😊
@@josephfannan yes mate i live in sunderland ..wasnt me driving though..i dont speed 🤫
@@Davidsasuk That's a wonderful car you have there sir.
Probably one of the best engines that ever came out of the GM stable, still used by tuners today
They are strong and have good power potential but are heavy!
Seeing that interior gave me a deep feeling of nostalgia. I'm a 90s child and my dad had the early Mk.III Cavalier CD 2.0i as the family car back in the 90s. It was the family far for almost 15 years till it ended up as sandwich filler between two cars. A lady who was screaming at her two kids in the back of her car hit us pretty hard from behind and the force shunted us into the car in front and the insurance company wrote the car off.
I think I was more devastated to see the car go than my dad. That car was a huge part of my young life while growing up.
If i recall correctly, it had some nagging issues.... It didnt like cold starts on super cold days and the gearbox was quite a bone of contention for my dad and he ended up taking the garage or insurance to court over it. Something to do with gearbox issues that landed him with a £300 or £600 bill that the insurers wouldnt pay for and the garage he had taken the car for inspection to did something dodgy with it and it never ran right after they had a look at it till it didnt run at all.
I can understand why dad was happy to see the car go.
They also had a fault with a relay in the fuel injection system, which overheated and failed, but it was a much better car than Clarkson said.
@@john1703 This may explain why Dad always had spare ignition leads in the boot. During colder months the car would idle extremely rough and he would pull the plugs for a clean and change the ignition cables. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it didnt and the car still continued to run pretty roughly even under power even if it was allowed to idle for 5-10mins to warm up. If it continued to run rough then most trips were cancelled 😅😅
I never understood why he had the cables or why he always changed or cleaned the plugs but this makes sense now!
I dont think he ever thought that it would have been the fuel relay which was causing the Issue and the dealerships he went to never could fix the issue and he just accepted that it was just how it was.
Also a 90s child here. My dad had numerous back to back ‘fast’ Cavaliers and then Vectras. I remember drooling over Calibras in the showroom being my dad to get one. 😂
I had a 95 in silver after I got fed up of my MG Montego Turbo constantly breaking down. I loved it would regularly drive it flat out in the days when you could enjoy driving
You can still enjoy driving?? Unless you live in the overpopulated South that is!
Montego Turbos were quick cars when the were running. Rover knew how to make a free revving engine but nothing about reliability. The 220 coupe turbo was another 90s coupe legend and looked stunning in the metallic blue
Montego turbo! My days, they were quick! The diesels were bomb proof😂
Was obsessed with these as a kid and begged my dad to get one. But he hated 2/3 door cars.
In my late teens and early 20s it was a bit of a war between these and sapphire cosworths. Back then values weren't miles off. £5k could get you either in the early 00s believe it or not.
They were both 2.0 4x4 turbo with around 200hp. The Calibra was better looking and more modern. But the Sapph was just a better car. And that's reflected in the fact they're now unobtainable and most Calibras have been scrapped.
Don't say it too loudly either, but in 2024, I sort of think a late Cavalier 4x4 turbo or GSI2000 is a better looking car...
The Calibra needed a magic wand called Lotus. Just imagine a Lotus Calibra with 300+bhp and proper 4wd!
I put a Lotus badge on my 16v Calibra in 1990. I had a dream, but it never materialised 😂
@Flatmat that's brilliant! 😂😂😂
@@FlatmatI was a Max Power nut. I remember a guy with a silver Nova doing some Lotus things on his Nova, running a 2ltr redtop on twin carbs. He had Lotus badges on that. ❤😂😂
I saw the Calibra at the 1989 Earls court motorshow. I still remember now thinking it looked fantastic. I was 16, and had got the train there with my mate. Despite notable cars such as the last of the line Countach anniversary, Ferrari F40 etc, I still remember this. Miss the Earls court shows.
That age of cavalier was a cracking car. I did lots of miles in a 2.0CD
Me too 157,000 in an automatic 2.0CD. I once did Alston to Penrith in 15 minutes on the A686. Clarkson et al are ignorant of the car's abilities.
CD cavaliers where well finished indeed and just as nippy as the 8v SRI and the 16 Lv was the one to have
In the early 90s, during childhood, my neighbour was a Vauxhall salesman at the local dealership. He would always bring different cars home but mainly Calibras. I remember being fascinated by the sporty shape and definitely wanted one when l was older.
Remember these when they came out, but if I'm honest, I always preferred the look of the Peugeot coupe. It was a Pininfarina design and I believe even had the Pininfarina badge on the side, by the door.
My mums 2005 Hyundai Matrix has a Pininfarina Badges. Crazy.
To be fair, if you are talking about a 406 coupe (which other car could you have meant?) they are totally different generation cars... Werent contemporary competitors for more than a few months at the end of Calibra production.
@@GoldenCroc true the 406 came out late 97 or 98? both very aesthetic, the 406 ferrariesque
Vauxhall/Opel had some great looking cars mixed in with performance models. Is there any chance you could get the mighty Senator 3.0 24V on the channel.
I always liked the Calibra, especially the 16v / V6 versions.
In fact, I'd have one right now!
How much for a '97 v6SE9 with 98k on the clock?
My Dad had a ‘93 Turbo in 1994 and I loved it - It felt so quick!
Gorgeous car. I drove it some 15 years ago on a short distance 8V with dead tyre and shocks, and still drove beautifully. The Opel version had a much nicer front, they sold quite well in Italy where I live, and for a LONG time you could see them running, usually in good condition. Who owns (or owned) her, cares for her. It means it's a car easy to love. A great GT, able to carry 4 people comfortably on long distances with excellent mileage. Still one of the most beautiful design in history (in my top ten, for sure).
They still look good today and a friend had a white 4x4 Turbo when new. But I was a Capri boy, so lusted after big engines and rear wheel drive, so neither the Calibra nor the Probe (or later Cougar) really appealed. The Vauxhall that DID wasn't really a Vauxhall at all.......the later Monaro is much more my pint of XXXX. Would love to see you test one of those, particularly a VXR. I so nearly bought one, but went 5th Gen Mustang instead :)
You are on fire, so many of the cars I really liked in my youth are being featured on this channel right now
Man i miss Vauxhall of this era, i had 2 x cav gsi2000 and 3 x calibras. Great cars and much better looking than anything the electric car manufacturers can muster up these days.
Give me a cavalier gsi2000 in ash black metallic over a tesla any day of the week
OK Jack, I must take umbridge with you over this. The chassis is a Cavalier chassis, from the GSi. That chassis when setup properly was epic (I owned 2). The 4x4 was rubbish, purely because of the heavy flywheel & electronic 4x4 system - ask Dougie about his 3.0 24v 4x4 Cav Gsi that's setup properly, when it runs! As you know, I've got one of the last auto v6SEs, it turns in and holds better than any yr2000 onwards car that I've owned. Please note how EV cars are echoing Calibra headlights (with influences from other places like that epic Alfa a few days ago). P.S., don't start me on the red top, I'd bore you out of Peroni!
Umbrage.
"When setup properly" - that sounds highly promising. I got a 1994 Calibra V6n X25XE, maybe you can give me some tips.
Is largely in original condition, I upgraded to 16 inch wheels, only new other new chassis parts are rear shocks, where I chose Bilstein B6. When the front shocks go, I intend to use B6 there, too.
(brake parts are replaced when required, but that has no effect on handling. I can brake until the ABS sets in, no need for bigger brakes)
I have no intention for shorter springs - the car is anyhow so low that the rooftop is hardly higher than the upper door corner of e.g. a BMW X4. And so I do not have to fear curbstones, road holes etc, and can still squeeze my head under it.
I have the intention to keep it quite original - the fewest Calibras today are not optically tuned in some way or other.
(well, there is another red Calibra 2.0 NE around here, original, first owner)
And I will not change something for pure optics - i.e. as long as I do not have reliable info that a rear wing is either reducing drag ( = higher speed/better efficiency) or producing so much downforce that it improves handling I do not see the point.
So, any suggestions?
@@feedingravens Hello and welcome to the (very) rare car club! Mine's a 1997 SE9 Auto v6. Bilsteins are great on them. My biggest advice is tyres. Grippier the better. My Cavs I ran on Goodyear Eagles - but you cannot get them in size or compound anymore. My v6 is on Avons, which are shit! I'm looking for something that isn't Pirrelli to put on it. I've put a K&N air filter in mine and it does 40mpg on the motorway. Keep it as stock as possible. Mine came with the spoiler and it does set the car off properly. I don't know about efficiency - I can't go that quickly in the UK. I do know that with this setup that it will out drag a Golf TDi on the motorway when it tried to tailgate me 🙂
I LOVE a Calibra. I was 13 or 14 when they came out and my parents and their friends were all in their 40's and could get these on company car schemes instead of Cavaliers so I've got a lot of good memories of them. Never been in a turbo but plenty of 16v's and 8v's and the odd V6. I'm half tempted to get one as a daily driver over winter. Reckon that's a good idea? I haven't been in one since the late 90's.
I'm with you all the way!
I remember being at Cubs in the 90s, and one of the dads who dropped off his kids had a new red Calibra. It seemed like a spaceship somehow and I remember marvelling at the 6 speed gearstick as I walked past it. For comparison, my dad drove a red mk1 Astra 1300S estate at the time with a 4 speed box. It smelled of engine oil and nothing worked on it, but I loved it. That place must've been a trap for Vauxhalls, because one of the arkayla-type people was a lad with a brown Chevette and he'd installed a megaphone speaker under the bonnet linked to a CB type microphone, which we all thought was cool at the time.
Not many left and they shouldn't die the rust death.
What do you want to pay for one with 98k on the clock?
@@redsidebiker Not a lot
In the early 90´s this was my dream car. Never owned one though, but I still think it´s a very good looking car.
I had one of these, I miss it so much.
I'd modified it massively it was running 286hp, full time locked transfer box, it stuck to the road like rails, it was rapid.
I'd say it's as fast as my current 2016 BMW M235i.
It's a responsive engine because it's got a Cosworth head.
Many years ago I had a post university job selling for vauxhall network q (nearly new) and the new 4x4 s.
Wasn't great at selling but I loved driving all the px or other cars in stock so I could talk about them.
This one in a dark green was great for a 22 year old .
I also fondly remember the ford Scorpio with cosworth engine. Sat in it was like your favourite comfy chair fired from a catapult. Not so nice from the outside I know.
Thanks for the interesting & varied topics. Can't beat cars as a hobby
Man that Scorpio was ugly no matter what angle you looked at it. Shame really.
Got a 16v in 97 was a 93 and was 22 years old.. Loved the shape and power but it lacked handling and suffered understeer badly.. But still loved it
TY Jack 🙏🙏. Think I first saw one at the NEC Car show, liked it straight away!
A more or less stock turbo in mint condition...that's a rare beast these days.
I`d love to see what you`d have to say about the South African Opel Kadett and Astra 200ts...Delta Motor Corporation (they managed the Opel Brand in South Africa) imported a thousand or so of the Calibra Turbo motors from Germany and slapped them into front wheel drive cars with an added LSD, the result was monstrous!
I had a 16v as a company car and drove it from 0 to 130k miles in just three years. I racked up 9 points for speeding, mostly on the M4, where it would cruise at 100 effortlessly. I also had a tow bar installed to pull a 24-foot Sea Ray boat. It was a really fun car to own-Vauxhall was never a flashy brand, but it definitely turned heads at the time.
A beautiful coupe, this and the 1984 Astra GTE, both looked awesome in red.
Great car. I had a Cav 2L 8V, took it to 155k miles, zero breakdowns, sold it to my best mate who did another 50k plus. A pal had a Calibra in 92, a lovely mileater with a cavernous boot.
I've got an 8v Calibra.
Right about the boots on them.
Definitely a lot more space than you'd expect given the style.
Went from central Scotland down to Blackpool last year with a passenger and the car loaded up with guitars, amps etc. Plenty of room and a pleasure to cruise on the motorway.
Back in the 1990's I had a Calibra 4x4 turbo, a Cavalier 4x4 Turbo and a Cavalier GSI. The GSI was a fine car until it pushed hard and epic understeer and did like to aquaplane. I swapped to the Cavalier 4x4 turbo after this and the difference was night and day. The understeer was much less and the grip levels went up significantly. I sold this with 100,000 miles as the transfer boxes do about then and swapped to the Calibra 4x4 Turbo. This car did not drive in the same manner as the Cavalier 4x4 Turbo and I only had it for a short while as the driving experience was so different.
The 4x4 was done on these via a viscous coupling on the transfer box and a replacement was circa £3000 back in the 90's, so when most of these failed, they were left as front wheel drive with 200bhp!!
My wife used to have an Irmscher DTM Calibra 4x4 Turbo, one of just 50 made. It was a first class touring rocket. Very civilised inside too. Another car that we shouldn't have sold 😢. Ended up being bought by a collector in Ireland. Hope it's still alive and well.
drove one from new, albeit a lesser 16v version, the handling seemed much better with the Irmscher /Bilstein suspension
I'll Never forget driving my mates blue one, 5 up at 125mph on the way to a nightclub in the next town. (private road all the way apparently) 😅
The 8v and the Turbo were dropped later in the car's life so this being a facelift Turbo (with the newer grille) makes it very rare indeed. Coupled with the fact it's not been messed around with externally and the paintwork looks factory fresh (must surely have had a respray as red Vauxhalls all go pink) and this is a real museum piece.
The Ford Probe was a gaudy design that was developed for the US market. Thankfully the Calibra was a tasteful harmonious design.
The Calibra was more of a GT than a proper sports car. The wet noodle Vectra/Cavalier chassis was to blame for that.
When looking at it as an autobahn cruises, it suddenly makes sense :)
The fragile transfercase story is untrue when dealing with only mild improvements. Had a 260bhp turbo and it never broke, despite some hard launches. Driving it in snow really exaggerated the delay for power to the rears. Made it great fun in those conditions.
Still have a 3.0 V6 with 6 speed and ITB's now.
Owner knows his Calibra's though, the 8v is the best all rounder, especially with a Lexmaul intake and a mild cam.
Nobody ever said it was bad handling did they? They just said it was the same as the Cavalier. And in its time the Cavalier’s handling was hugely praised.
He doesn't seem to be able to drive. Or never pushes them. Regurgitation of bits of car reviews.
I've owned a few cars he has reviewed, and his conclusions have no relation to reality
What did John Cleland do to the Facorty team when the UK Vectra came to BTCC? I've owned both and that is why I have a Cavvilerba
@@redsidebiker Sorry, I dont fully get what you mean? Are you saying later models were modified in some way this wasnt? Because you arent comparing a racecars handling to a normal car, right?
Cavaliers handled very well - at least the 2wd GSI did anyway
Between 1991 and 1994 I had a Calibra 2.0 8 valves 115 HP and the handling was pretty good. The only thing you really need to drive fast, is experience and some recklessness😅
I had a 2.0 cavalier cdi and traded it for a 2.0 8v k reg red calibra. At 21 it was completely different from the cars my friends were driving (escorts, fiestas and novas) and cheap insurance for the time. still looks great today.
cheers from germany...nice video.....when 1st introduced back then it was soo beautiful and sleek...but still only an opel...oh well....but later on in the german top race series DTM the calibra did win the title in 1996 against merc and bmw......well done.....didn't happen again....
Had a 16v Redtop Cavy back in the day. Lowered 60mm with gas shocks and 15 inch alloys. Also put a tow-bar on the back to stiffen up the chassis.
Was honestly the best car I have ever had, handled like a train on rails and the engine could sit all day in the red.
i remember a calibra during my childhood in the neighbourhood. had a body kit, coilovers and nice wheels. thought it was one of the coolest cars around. and that as an already bmw infected kid
I had a '92 turbo back in the mid '90s and have to say the steering was no issue and felt nicely balanced. You also mentioned a fragile transfer box, the only issue was when people didn't change all four tyres. If they didn't it could "wind" up the transfer box.
I had immense fun with mine, it's one car I really do wish I still had.
As I think I've said to you before I have a V6 version sitting in my garage waiting to be put back on the road
My mate had a Turbo, it was a poorly maintained unloved example but it still managed to hit 150mph with 3 of us in it......I'm extremely surprised we survived!.... that is still the fastest I've ever travelled in a car and I'll always remember that terrifying jurny 😂
Poorly maintained.. and 150mph.. 😳
@Number27 yup...it' was a real basket case of a car, but yes it hit 150mph! It was travelling slightly downhill but yeah 150 very scary!
The Calibra turbo was one fast car, I think top end was 151/152 mph.
@clivemitchell4316 yup definitely a fast car....even when broken! 🤣
Fortunately Vauxhall speedometers are incredibly inaccurate, so you wouldn't have been doing 150mph.
I had 1988 Cavalier CD 2 litre. As I recall 115 bhp. Excellent motorway car. Very quiet and comfortable. Had it up to an indicated 115 mph!
I love front end and rear actually reminds me of a 90s Mustang.
I used to hire Calibras cheaply through my workplace when I was younger.
I still love the shape of them.
There were two generations of Ford Probe in the USA, starting in the late 1980s. We never got the first one in Europe, which probably explains why sales of the Probe are higher than the Calibra. An interesting piece of trivia about the Calibra is that it was built in Finland by Valmet Automotive for most of its life.
Yes, i am from Finland and i had almost 20 years ago 4x4 turbo made in Finland. What a great cars they were, calibra and vectra a, might not be a drivers car but they still have great racing history.
When were they ever conveyed as being bad to drive?
My memory was that it was good, very good….as was the Cavalier
This was a huge hit here in Brazil, where it was sold as Chevrolet Calibra between 94 and 95 model years only I guess. Despite having little selling numbers, it was a pride joy of Chevrolet of that time, which was fully renovating it's lineup with the Corsa B (being built here), and Omega as the top model. But they never ever said anything about the lower cx being only in the steel wheel version 😂
We had those in Australia as the Holden Calibra.
Seen a green one in the underground carpark of my local shops the other day, has to be at least 20 years since I've seen another. Great looking car and so small compared to the bland pumped up shtboxes everyone seems to drive today..
Thanks for this video! Actually this car was supposed to be GM's World Rally Championship weapon in the 1990s but the project was ditched because GM prioritized touring car racing on the motorsport front. In Australia the 4WD Turbo Calibra was sold as a Holden but it was road tested alongside the Toyota Celica GT4 once and the car magazine favored the Toyota. So the dice was loaded and it did not sell well down under. Oh and it did not have a V8...
I remember when these came out I thought the shape was Epic, so futuristic and cool-looking.
I had one of these, built in Sweden, and with the Coscast head. So, the best version of this car. It had a EDS (famous German tuner of LET engiens) stage 1 chip, blowoff, stainless exhaust and a K&N panel filter. I´m still kicking myself for selling it :( Bought it in 2001 for €6000 and sold it the next year for the same money. I guess now it would be double or triple that to replace it, here in Germany :(
16 v my sons and I loved borrowing it. Looked great and accelerated well on the motorway. Felt solid. Enjoyed the video. Good memories.
I liked the look of the Calibra ,still looks good today .
Imperfect , but adds too the charm , maybe ?
All 4x4's had a fuse that was often removed due the often troublesome 4x4 setup so it just powered the front wheels, some enthusiasts went as far as retrofitting the whole rear hardware back to the 4x2 setup found on the lesser models to save weight! So many heathens broke these for their engines to stick in mk2 Astra GTE's if they had given up the art of self preservation or the Nova if they were completely insane! Such a shame really as the Calibra still looks lovely today, totally timeless design even if it is just a well dressed Cavalier!
Jealous mates used to call mine a Cavalier with a shell suit on !
I was on a Nova mailing list in the 90s and someone had fitted the 2l turbo in there's. I had a 1.6GSi and that punted down the road nicely enough.
I recall in Max Power all those years ago some guy butchered a Calibra to put the all wheel drive system into an Astra, even transplanting part of the floorpan. Teenage me was impressed, middle-age me thinks it was a waste of two perfectly good cars.
Nice video. Over the years I`ve owned 7 calibras, 2 turbos 1 of which was chipped to 245bhp and was my favourite , a 3L V6 ( started out as a 2.5L) which coupled to the 5 speed long geared gearbox drove like a auto and had the best sound ,2 16v Ecotecs which in my personal opinion were the worst, a redtop (2L 16v) which was lots of fun and a 2L 8v which again was great fun but the slowest. The chipped turbo had no issues with the transfer box but it was always on my mind( even used pull fuse
19? when driving on long motorway journeys to disengage the 4x4 system ) and the unchipped turbo was acquired with a broken transfer box and leaked power steering fluid which it shared with the steering reservoir. I don`t see any on the road anymore, shame.
The first car I ever heard about that had a 6 speed gearbox. Blew my 12yo mind!
Thanks for reviewing this car. They never sold them in the USA. I have 2 of the turbo models in Australia. Only about 110 turbos made it here.
p.s. If you ever make it to Australia. More than welcome to review my Megane RS275R trophy 🏆 😎
Such a beautiful design, particularly for the time.
My pals Dad was the first owner of this Calibra, he used to polish it regularly and loved that car. I showed him the for sale advert a few weeks ago!
I just think it really was a car of its time, I grew up in early 70s, ie 76 got my license n then went directly into a driving job with a transit van, then a Vauxhall Chevet van, nearly all similar cars of this era handle like pigs compared to todays cars, but pls remember we absolutely didn’t know any better back then, and in my humble opinion made us all the better as drivers. By the way I then went to drive HGVs across all Europe n parts of Africa and Middle East. So I’m no Reginald Husband ( those that know… know ? ) 🤔😎 keep up the good work mate 👍
I wanted the Calibra but for various reasons stayed with the Cavalier. I had a lot of fun in the Cavalier including driving it ;-)
Scariest test drive I ever had was in one of the first 8 valves: me in the back, a mate in the passenger seat, & a salesman that seemed determined to kill us all. Neither of us bought one, although the car certainly went OK. I would like to try a V6, & see if anything could be done to address the handling these days.
V6 has traction control - the handling is OK. I have one in very good condition and it is maybe not super-sharp car but ot gives a lot of fun.
My Dad had a white 16v on an H plate in 1991. Used to turn heads. As a kid I loved it
Back in the day, I had a silver 8v and then a black 16v. I actually preferred the 8v with its better midrange torque.
I still remember the reveal of the Calibra and how it completely stole BMW's 8 series release's thunder at the Geneva Motorshow.
I ran a V6 auto in the late nineties. If you accepted it was no sports car it was a pleasant thing to trundle about in.
My mate had this Calibra 4x4 but in the blue metallic, looked great back in the day when lowered - had common 4x4 issues - the fix was to pull the fuse and sell it on! You had to be sure when buying a 4x4 that the 4x4 was actually working!
Once in a snowy carpark, we tried to do some doughnuts! but the back end would not budge! It's more like an FWD with a little more traction!
I remember in my early 20s going to the Earls Court Motor Show specially to see it at launch. You couldn't get any where near it as there were so many people around it, there was nothing else like it apart from the SZ which I also still love.
A friend had one back when it was current, and I got to drive it 😊
I recall a humdinger of a tussle through some tight twisty lanes and I can understand the less than sporty dynamics……… however, at that time we were getting through old bangers quite quickly……… rear drive Cavaliers, Carina, Corolla, 100A, Renaults 4, 5, 9, 11 and 12, Maxi, Mini, Marina and Cortina’s……… so, a 4x4 turbo Coupe was highly exotic 🙂🇬🇧
I’ve always been a fan and they’ve aged better than many of their peers……. Saying that, I can’t remember the last time I saw one……..
Footnote: the Probe was dreadful, in name and reality - you can guess what we called them. But, Ford didn’t learn, cue the Cougar 😳
🙂🇬🇧
A nice, honest, objective review. Thank you.
In my humble opinion, the MkIII Cavalier represents the epitome of automotive development, specifically the pre-facelift model made before 92. No CAT, no ABS, no airbags, very little to go wrong, yet it has an almost bulletproof EFI and engine management, an unbreakable engine in the 2.0 8v with a decent output, leccy windows, central locking and PAS comfy seats, a fair ride and drive. Stylish (even today) reliable, surprisingly economical (probably helped by that lovely low drag body) and easy to maintain. If you know how, you can fit a clutch in 20 mins! Everything since then has been downhill!
I've owned a couple of dozen Cavs at least and never had a bad one. I used to keep a couple around as loan cars for my workshop customers, mostly 2.0 8vs, but I kept having to buy more as those same customers kept buying them off me! Till, all of a sudden, they were all gone! I also had a lone Calibra, a 2.0 8v auto, which became my wife's first car after she passed her test (quite late in life) She absolutely loved it!
Yes the handling wasn't the best, on the Cav or the Calibra, like I always say, Vauxhall made the best powertrains , but couldn't make a chassis for toffee! But it's good enough for a daily driver. Personally, I don't think the IRS (also stolen from the top spec Cav III GSi as was the Redtop engine) makes much difference and the 4WD even less, considering it's complications not worth the benefits.
😂😂😂😂
My neighbours had two of these when I was a kid, I loved the way they looked.
I had 2 a silver 2.0 ltr and a V6 green one. They were both brilliant, especially if you take out the parcel shelf and put in a 21" bass speaker where the magnet would sit on the boot floor, upgrade to a striaght through exhaust and upgrade the air in take........ great fun
Always loved the Calibra had a few cavaliers couple of Sri 8 valves and two gsis all great cars and handling easily improved with a decent suspension set up.
This Opel , if tuned properly it is amazing it can go up against an R33 and even an R8. Plus it featured in Manta Manta 2 going up against a Jag.
I had a 2 litre 8v in the same colour red in the mid 90's drove it from UK through the channel tunnel and to the south coast of France during the world cup in '98, it never missed a beat.
I remember driving a similar vintage Cavalier, and the front wheel came off while i was on the motorway. I barely noticed much difference in the handling.
The remarkable thing about the 6 speed box is.... that they fitted a 6 speed box. At the time, where 5 speeds were the norm and there were still 80s cars about with 4 speed boxes, having 6 gears seemed unattainably futuristic!
I owned a bright blue one of these in the 1990s. Damn I loved that car. Maybe when I retire in a few years I'll buy another.
This car was on all the automotive magazine front pages when I was just becoming interested in cars. This looked like the future of cars and really got me interested. I would buy Autocar and motor as often as my pocket money would allow and read it cover to cover. This car more than any brings back memories of those times 😊
I had a black 8v. Yes I know it’s the slowest one of the group but on the motorway it soon got going, it drove so smooth and was a really comfortable ride👍🏻
I've had 3 Calibras. I loved my V6 the most in magnetic blue with cream leather interior, really did feel special. That V6 made the most amazing noises too, only bettered by the Monaro I now drive.
I loved my 1990 16v Calibra. My Mum’s company 2.0i Cavalier was a favourite too. Good cars 🙏
Dougie from Once Driven Forever Smitten would rag this and get it woken up.
exactly this!
@tobymcnicol922
He's a great driver, Dougie
@@paulie-Gualtieri. heheheh
@@paulie-Gualtieri.👋🏻
@@Qmark78
😂 haha
My dad had one of these in a dark green-ish/black colour and it was my favourite car of his growing up… my best mate’s dad also had one on some legendary TSW alloy’s, used to see it everyday when he got picked up from school in it😁
From memory, the Calibra shared a platform with the (GM) SAAB 900. Both suffered from vague, wandering steering. A UK outfit called Genuine SAAB developed a cheap and simple steering rack brace and clamp (£150 at the time), that was transformational.
I owned one of these myself. Id wanted one as a kid. Finally got one when i turned 21 in 2001. I thought it was the bee's knees, but yeah, that steering did let it down. The steering rack mounted high on the bulkhead and on the struts was the culprit in my opinion, all the vauxhalls felt woolly around that time.
All cavalier 4x4 had rear IRS and the GSi
Were the transfer box issues not caused by people not putting tyres on in pairs on the same axle?
They had a very specific way of filling up the oil in them as well If I recall correctly and if you didn't do it by the book they didn't get enough in them.
extremely correct, thanx man. The system worns quickly by a rolling tyres difference over 1mm, that's why a lot of Transfer Box (4x4 system) were destroied by bad maintenance. To preserve it a simple tyre reversal every 5.000km keep it alive forever. Plenty of over 500.000km driven transfer box without any failure
Always a pleasure to watch, thanks for another great video!
Wow! That's a rare beast!
Nothing wrong with a Cavalier, bulletproof!!
What it needs is an LSD that should fix some of the steering issues.