1994 Vauxhall Calibra Turbo 4X4 – Classified of the Week
October 18, 2022
Nowadays, we think it’s fair to say, the name Vauxhall conjurers up somewhat negative connotations, at least in our collective mind. Images of smoking Vectras, rotting Victors and chavved up Corsas that look like they’ve been covered in glue and then driven through a Halford’s window. And let’s not forget the frankly terrible Zafira. But that’s unfair because Vauxhall has made some brilliant cars over the years. The likes of the Firenza HP “Droopsnoot”, the Astra GTE and any of the myriad cars it raced in the British Touring Car Championship from 1989 onwards. Amongst that group of victorious Vauxhalls there is another car we want to talk about, though: The Calibra. Not the bog standard car, although that’s still a goodie. No, the one we’re referring to is the Calibra Turbo 4X4. Ooof.
View the advert for this 1994 Vauxhall Calibra Turbo 4X4 here
Unveiled in 1989 the Calibra was a sharply styled coupé that built upon the success of the Cavalier, bringing a viable contender to the then crop of Japanese sports coupés to the table. Fast forward 33 years to today and the Calibra represents a much cheaper alternative to those JDM cars that are now, for the most part, prohibitively expensive. Oh the trappings of cult status. That’s good news for us mere mortals, though, because it means we can still enjoy this tasty looking, practical four-seat coupé for not a lot of bunce. Rejoice.
Design of the Calibra was a joint effort between American Wayne Cherry (better known for penning various GM grocery-getters in the late ’90s and early 2000s) and German Erhard Schnell. It certainly had the goods in the looks department but sadly it was rather unrefined in the drive-ability stakes due to being based on somewhat mundane saloon car dynamics. It was a particularly aerodynamic beast though and so even with the bog standard 2.0-litre four cylinder under the bonnet it was fairly rapid. Then Vauxhall, well Opel, had an idea.
In 1992 it decided to add four-wheel drive to the Calibra and strap a turbo to the already eyebrow-raising 16-valve Red Top engine. Designed by Cosworth, this particular motor – offered from the factory – was already churning out a respectable 150bhp but the addition of forced induction upped that power to just over 200bhp. Coupled with a six-speed Getrag manual gearbox and drive to all four wheels that abolished the understeer of the standard front-wheel drive cars overnight, the Calibra Turbo 4X4 could hit 60mph in a shade over six seconds and achieve a top speed of 152mph, which is plenty fast enough, even today. Yep, it was a bit special.
Lucky for you, then, that Car & Classic currently has this pristine example available via our classifieds. The car is in Italy, the seller is Italian and therefore the advert is not in English but a rudimentary Google translation gives us the gist and the photos speak a thousand words each, at least. The car in question is in fantastic original condition, even down to the factory stereo, and along with a comprehensive service history is ready to be enjoyed. The black leather interior perfectly compliments the “High Voltage” paint job and the car has covered a mere 57,000 miles.
The Calibra has risen from the ashes of budget banger status to be welcomed into the hugging embrace of the modern classic fraternity, and rightly so. It still looks great, something that a lot of cars of that era simply cannot emulate and the Turbo 4X4 version has the grunt to back up that sporty aesthetic. It’s a rare thing too. When was the last time you came across another in this top-spec guise? It may be at the pointy end of the pricing scale, especially with today’s exchange rate, but boy do we want it. We’ll leave you with a sketchy translation from the seller’s web site: “You are already the protagonist, today as in the past. The Turbo then…”. Indeed.
If you miss out on this beauty, here’s where to keep a look-out for another Vauxhall Calibra for sale.
