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A short back story.
1989 and the first time I saw the ads for the new Opel Calibra in red driving down a slope with a cloud of dust rising.
https://youtu.be/AY97q1Il7CI
It looked good in video but never thought it photographed particularly well. Roll on 6 years later and I bought a 91 Calibra, blue with a C2.0XE 4x4. I really enjoyed it, nice speed, decent grip and very practical. While living in Dublin it got stolen, used in a robbery in Kildare I think, and recovered in Tallaght. Damage was only to the drivers door lock, Steering column and clutch. All repaired I kept it for another few months including some great commuting over the Wicklow gap in some heavy snow when others were “parked” in the ditches, it was no problem to the Calibra. Family life, kids and a long commute dictated a more suitable car was needed and 91 Cally was gone. My memories were I loved driving it but it was the most unreliable car I had owned. It never failed to get me to my destination but there was always something going faulty with it.
Now imagine your sped up montage of life, work and kids growing up.
February 2020, roll on midlife crisis (It’s an excuse for all my madness over the last few years) and I’m searching classifieds for I don’t know what but expecting inspiration from the next click of the mouse. Yea, sod your iPads and phones for searches, I’m still old school with a laptop and mouse. Anyway, up pops an ad for a Calibra turbo on FB in the UK.
Calibra 001.jpg
It looks really clean and on further investigation its being sold by someone I have known and trusted for over 14 years of my Opel GT ownership. He had started up a classic car dealership and this was probably one of the newest cars he had for sale. I sent an inquiry and replied that he had a few calls already about the car and didn’t expect it to hang around long. I know it sounds like sales speak but this is a guy I trust. I sent him a deposit and said I would be over at the end of March to drive it home. Well, guess what? I couldn’t collect it as some minor inconvenience got in the way and it was July before I eventually organised someone to go collect it for me. Thanks JD Recovery Services. Met him in Dublin and drove it home. Insured with Autoline and VRT was a relatively painless process.
The car is totally standard. Fully serviced, valid MOT, refurbished alloys, new tires and very clean. It has a near complete service history and only 71242 Miles on the clock as it had been unused for the last few years.
Calibra 002.jpg
Calibra 003.jpg
1989 and the first time I saw the ads for the new Opel Calibra in red driving down a slope with a cloud of dust rising.
https://youtu.be/AY97q1Il7CI
It looked good in video but never thought it photographed particularly well. Roll on 6 years later and I bought a 91 Calibra, blue with a C2.0XE 4x4. I really enjoyed it, nice speed, decent grip and very practical. While living in Dublin it got stolen, used in a robbery in Kildare I think, and recovered in Tallaght. Damage was only to the drivers door lock, Steering column and clutch. All repaired I kept it for another few months including some great commuting over the Wicklow gap in some heavy snow when others were “parked” in the ditches, it was no problem to the Calibra. Family life, kids and a long commute dictated a more suitable car was needed and 91 Cally was gone. My memories were I loved driving it but it was the most unreliable car I had owned. It never failed to get me to my destination but there was always something going faulty with it.
Now imagine your sped up montage of life, work and kids growing up.
February 2020, roll on midlife crisis (It’s an excuse for all my madness over the last few years) and I’m searching classifieds for I don’t know what but expecting inspiration from the next click of the mouse. Yea, sod your iPads and phones for searches, I’m still old school with a laptop and mouse. Anyway, up pops an ad for a Calibra turbo on FB in the UK.
Calibra 001.jpg
It looks really clean and on further investigation its being sold by someone I have known and trusted for over 14 years of my Opel GT ownership. He had started up a classic car dealership and this was probably one of the newest cars he had for sale. I sent an inquiry and replied that he had a few calls already about the car and didn’t expect it to hang around long. I know it sounds like sales speak but this is a guy I trust. I sent him a deposit and said I would be over at the end of March to drive it home. Well, guess what? I couldn’t collect it as some minor inconvenience got in the way and it was July before I eventually organised someone to go collect it for me. Thanks JD Recovery Services. Met him in Dublin and drove it home. Insured with Autoline and VRT was a relatively painless process.
The car is totally standard. Fully serviced, valid MOT, refurbished alloys, new tires and very clean. It has a near complete service history and only 71242 Miles on the clock as it had been unused for the last few years.
Calibra 002.jpg
Calibra 003.jpg
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