Its clean lines, simple yet bold, are still inspiring to this day. We could indeed consider it the precursor of the “Bold and Pure” stylistic course, an expression recently coined by Opel to refer to its own stylistic renaissance.
Opel Calibra was introduced at the end of 1989 at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt, bursting into a market that had long forgotten the mid-range coupés, reduced to a minimal amount and represented almost exclusively by scant—albeit very respectable—offers, mostly Japanese. The prize-winning Celica, the Honda Prelude, and the Nissan 200 SX were all considered niche products, and their commercial impact was meagre, in line with the trends of the time. For this reason, the German car manufacturer was definitely not expecting the success they would find upon launching the Calibra. All thanks to the American designer Wayne Cherry, whose pencil encompasses all the golden years of Opel (see: Astra, Corsa, Tigra, and, indeed, Calibra). Cherry—assisted by the then head of the styling studio, the celebrated Erhard Schnell—drew a formidable coupé with an aerodynamic profile on the base of the Vectra, well-balanced but extremely aggressive. Thousands of hours of development in the wind tunnel had given all the aficionados a new object to desire, a sleek and seductive car with the lowest drag coefficient in the world: a Cd of 0.26, which the Opel marketing immediately highlighted as significant element to reduce fuel consumption and achieve high performance. It was introduced from the start with two 2.0 L, naturally aspirated petrol engine options, either 8 or 16 valves, which could reach respectively 205 km/h and 223 km/h.
Apart from its astonishing aesthetic appeal, it was also optimally positioned in the market—truly the cherry on top of a nearly flawless product: the launch price (Quattroruote 12/1990) was between 28 million liras for the basic option and 38 millions for the 16-valve, 4WD option. The coupé was back, and with a sales record so successful that Opel had to open another factory along with the historical one in Rüsselsheim. During the first quarter of 1992, the selection was widened to include the most powerful Calibra: the 2.0 Turbo 4×4, 204 hp and a top speed of 250 km/h. Sure, the price for the top-of-the-range model rose to 42,500,000 liras, accessories excluded. However, it was a reasonable price for the performance of a car that, despite the fierce competition always ready to spawn valid opponents, had no rivals in terms of sales.

In a reflection of its commercial success, the whirlwind Calibra tore up the racetrack as well, with excellent results in rallies and Touring Car Championships. I am talking in particular about the 1996 season, remembered by experts as one of the most compelling in the history of the International Touring Car Championship (ITC), which in the mid-90s was one of the most followed motorsport events due to the technical features of the competing vehicles. On tracks worldwide, monsters just shy of 500 hp would race against each other, with drivers such as Fisichella, Nannini, JJ Lehto, and Manuel Reuter at the wheel—the latter triumphing with the Calibra V6 4×4, winning the title as driver and contributing to the success of Opel as constructor ahead of Alfa Romeo and Mercedes.
Also in 1996, following the anti-pollution regulations, Opel halted the production of Calibra with its most powerful engine, though the rest of the range stayed in production for over a year after that.

At the end of its career, Calibra counted around 240,000 vehicles, of which only 3,500 with four-wheel drive, split between naturally aspirated and supercharged engines. A myth of the 90s.