DURAN STEPHEN

Duran’s Opel Calibra is a super-rare gem

IF YOU got your driver’s licence between the late 1980s and the millennium, you would probably still remember just how desirable the Opel brand used to be among the performance-obsessed. The GTE, GSI, Superboss, 200IS and 200TS were just some of Opel’s highly successful performance badges of that era.

The range-topper, however, was the lesser spotted though highly powerful and exquisitely balanced Opel Calibra.

Duran Stephen, 31, is a petrol head residing in Woodview, Phoenix, north of Durban. Duran, whose hobbies include car refurbishment, runs his own car trade business which allows him the opportunity of turning his much-loved hobby into both a fun and profitable business.

His “super-worked” Honda was also featured in this column recently.

This week we feature his gorgeous, low-mileage, turbocharged 1993 Opel Calibra.

With just 111 000km of original mileage on the clock, Duran’s car boasts the highperformance likes of a C20XE 2.0 16-valve engine kitted out with OPC pistons, an OPC head gasket set, turbo cams, a Mandrel bend manifold, an external waste-gate, a dump valve and boost controller.

In addition, the engine features precision injectors, a front-mounted intercooler and a Brospeed performance exhaust system.

In addition, the car is fitted with a Dicktator 60-2 performance engine management system and is, incidentally, also nitrous-ready.

This Calibra is said to make 240kw on the wheels at just 1 bar of boost pressure, using ordinary pump fuel.

A factory tilt and slide sunroof complement the impeccably neat stock interior, featuring semi-leather bucket seats, an on-board computer and electric windows – which, incidentally, were not as common in the 1980s and 90s as they are today. A sports steering wheel, Isotta pedals and a boost gauge make for a pretty well-equipped performance cruiser.

Acoustically, Duran’s Calibra is kitted out with the high-quality likes of a Kenwood mp3 USB head unit which is mated to a kit of Pioneer splits, Calibra amplifier and a Pioneer competition 12-inch subwoofer.

The car’s exterior features the original factory paintwork, accentuated by the functional likes of high-speed bonnet pin locks and a set of Futura Oz racing mag wheels, with 7.5J front and 8.5J tyres in the rear. This Calibra also flaunts a sleeve-over lowered suspension with a 60mm drop.

An undisclosed amount of money was spent on this build. SERVICE PROVIDERS: