1993 Opel Calibra

The Opel Calibra was styled by the US head of General Motors design Europe, Wayne Cherry. It is a front-wheel drive coupé, but because it is based on the Vectra chassis, its ride and handling are not significantly better than that of the large family car from which it grew. On its launch in 1989, the Calibra was the most aerodynamic production car in the world.[citation needed] This was glorified in an advert on British television during 1990.

The eight valve model was, however, the most aerodynamically efficient Opel ever,[citation needed] with a drag coefficient (Cd) of 0.26. It remained the most aerodynamic mass production car for the next 10 years, until the Honda Insight and Audi A2 were launched in 1999 with a Cd of 0.25.[citation needed] All later 16V, V6, 4x4, turbo models had a worse Cd of 0.29 due to changes in cooling system, underbody, use of spoked wheels and glass detail.

During its lifetime, the Calibra was much more popular in Europe than its nearest rival, the Ford Probe, which was considered to be underpowered and too American for most European drivers. However in the UK, it failed to outsell the Rover 200 Coupe which offered comparable performance at a lower cost and at the time Rover had a better image.[citation needed]