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Welkom in Amsterdam: On his 30th birthday, the Opel Calibra is visiting the Dutch capital.
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Ruesselsheim, Amsterdam, Zandvoort: a roadtrip serves as a birthday gift
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When the borderless side windows hit the thick rubber seal strip, the 1990s are suddenly back within reach. Your eyes are on a clear, angular cockpit with plenty of matching decoration, your hands on a four-spoke steering wheel, and your heart skips a beat when you cast your gaze upon the delicate central console. If this were a movie, there would be nothing to stop a parting kiss. We’re still on an entire road trip away from that. First, we sink into the comfortable sporty seats and ask ourselves: has it really been 30 years already?
THE MANTA SUCCESSOR TURNS 30
For all those who can not believe it: It’s true, the calibra is celebrating its 30th birthday this year. Opel started sending the wonderful, affordable Coupe for the masses of the races in 1989 as a successor to the Manta. Calibra 4 × 4 out for this milestone birthday, which loyally and dutifully enriched the Opel Classic until a few weeks ago. It has been given its first actual license plate, been registered for the road, and is ready to go. We head off together on our trip from Rüsselsheim to the coast, with a pit stop in Amsterdam.
Sunroof, comfortable seats, four-spoke steering wheel: The cockpit of the Calibra still always impresses with its understated elegance.
Time for a history lesson: In the 13th century, Amsterdam what a fishing village located behind a water that comes from the Amstel. It was initially known as the Amstelredam, which refers to the dam and the Amstel.
A helping of fries with mayonnaise, please: While the potato sticks often play second fiddle as a side order in Germany, they are much preferred as the main event of a meal in the Netherlands.
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Fried foods, canals and loads of tulips
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It’s no secret that Amsterdam has been one of Europe’s most popular cities for decades. For drivers on the other hand, the city is double-edged sword. That’s because the dreamy little streets flanking Amsterdam’s approximately 200 canals are packed more often than not – except if you drive on them just after sunset, or just before the night takes over.
BOOMING BUSINESS
The Calibra opts for the blue hour and circles the city center following the oldest of the canals. Once upon a time, they serve as transport routes for boats and as sewers for the residents. These days, they mainly make tourists explore them on small floating barges happy. Sightseeing cruises in front of narrow houses and times in which the width of the building has been determined. As a result, the slender houses were built during the nautical era – the thinnest measures just 1.5 meters.
Along with their idiosyncratic culinary approach of deep-frying something to come light or high water, the Dutch also love flowers. Every resident spends about € 80 each year on tulips and other flowers. They are so leading exports, with around € 8 billion being spent globally on flowers from the Netherlands every year.
Time for a drink: Founded in 1864, the Heineken brewery calls Amsterdam home.
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Bicycle cult, coffee shops and red lights
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The humble bicycle is popular in the Netherlands. There are now supposedly more than residents in Amsterdam, with the city being home 865,000 of them. The fact that the “fiets” (as the Dutch call it) is one of the most popular forms of transport feels never ending.
AMSTERDAM’s Triptych
Three other distinctive features about the city are worth mentioning: Amsterdam is home to coffee shops that serve a good cup of coffee, but instead make a legal cannabis to give a pleasurable pit stop. The Old Church in the city – since it stands in De Wallen, the city’s main red-light district. Here, scantily clad women of all shapes, sizes, and writhe around in colorfully lit windows. When a client enters, the curtains are drawn and the rest needs no explanation. Prinsengracht 296K has something more informative to offer – here you can discover the story of the water loft at the unique houseboat museum.
Head turner: The yellow birthday car gets everyone on the post-industrial NDSM site’s attention at night as well.
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Facts and Figures
The Calibra succeeds in the popular Manta in 1989 and embodies a classic four-seater coupe that is molded into a timeless design. Anyone who was not satisfied with the standard 115-HP, 2.0-liter engine chose the 2.0 16 V turbo with 240 HP and reached speeds of up to 245 km / h.
The Calibra competed in the Touring Car Championship with a 450-hp V6 engine with Manuel Reuter winning the title in 1996. But the two-door model never took off: it cost 36,900 marks at launch, while you would have expected to shell out nearly 55,000 marks for the V6 in the mid-90s.
Almost 240,000 Calibras were produced until 1997 – and its successor had already been already decided. There was even a tasty prototype – but then GM hit the emergency brake.
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Had enough of the city? The Calibra thinks so too and whisks us off to the countryside – and towards the coast. Its aerodynamic shape means it does not need a lot of horsepower to serve up a slice of driving pleasure. And it has enough space for its passengers without compromising on comfort since it’s designed to be a car for the masses. It’s incredible how highly regarded a sporty coupe’s suspension was 30 years ago – these days every other mid-range sedan jolts around more.
ON A WAVE OF SYMPATHY
We’ve been enjoying the ride in the world without a car in the world, by the rare feeling of sitting in a vintage car that does not feel like one at all a vintage car. Nobody asks if the Calibra wants to arrive at its destination. It makes people happy – and amazes them with how vivaciously its two-liter engine roars into life. How much it sounds when 6,000 revolutions and 150 HP set the tone.
The waves clap enthusiastically on the sandy beach as we arrive in Zandvoort. We park our yellow Calibra right on the coast and let it catch its breath. How Timeless It Looks Like It – The beautiful, now 30-year-old lightning bolt.
Say cheese: The Calibra poses in front of an illuminated backdrop that is actually only meant for pedestrians.
August 2019
Text and Photos: Dani Heyne