Opel Calibra V6 4 × 4

Opel
Calibra from the '96 season
Calibra V6
Production period:	1993-1996
Class :	race car
Racing series	Touring car prototype (DTM)
Body versions :	Coupe
Engines:	Gasoline engine
Length:	4673 mm
Width:	1850 mm
Height:	1750-1756 mm
Wheelbase :	2600 mm
Empty weight :	1040-1060 kg
Previous model	Opel Omega 3000 EVO 500
successor	Opel Astra V8 Coupe

Team Rosberg Calibra silhouettes in the Motorsport Museum Hockenheim

Lehto-Calibra

Stucco Calibra

The Opel Calibra V6 4 × 4 was a prototype from Adam Opel AG , based on the Opel Calibra , which was approved for the road and was developed for the DTM / ITC and used in these racing series. In 1996 Manuel Reuter won the ITC with this car. In 1999, Volker Strycek fielded a DTM Calibra on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Opel in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring .

background

In 1992, the new Opel sports director Walter Treser withdrew the Opel Omega from the DTM in order to build a new car for 1993 as part of the rules passed by the ITR in 1991 .

The new regulations no longer provided for a racing series with several classes, but a uniform displacement of 2.5 liters and a maximum of 6 cylinders. All-wheel drive was allowed. The old "law" of the homologation number of 500 copies sold in twelve months has been abandoned. It was permissible to use a model from the mass production with a suitable motor from in-house (also from other model series).

These changes should go into effect in the 1993 season. The Calibra with all-wheel drive and a naturally aspirated V6 engine was not yet completed for 1993. Opel used it on a trial basis in the last race of the 1993 season in Hockenheim with the renowned Joest team , which was successful in Group C sports cars at Le Mans and Daytona . The drivers were initially the Le Mans winner Manuel Reuter and the Formula 1 world champion Keke Rosberg .

1993 season

Test at the race in Hockenheim

Manuel Reuter proved the efficiency of the new Calibra with fifth place on the grid in qualifying, Rosberg finished seventh in the first race. In the second run, however, both cars failed due to electronic problems, so there was still a lot to be improved for the 1994 season.

1994 season

The most important innovation in the car was the engine, which was built by Cosworth , which proved to be very reliable; because until the middle of the season there was no engine damage at Opel. Officially, however, this unit was not referred to as "Cosworth", but as "Phase 3".

The Joest team fielded three vehicles this season, the drivers initially being Manuel Reuter and Keke Rosberg; The Bremen merchant Louis Krages with the pseudonym "John Winter" was added. However, the car repeatedly failed due to small technical issues. In the race at Berlin's Avus, John Winters Calibra went up in flames after a violent impact in the guardrail, Winter was unharmed.

First win

The first Calibra victory came under strange circumstances. In the British Donington Park an invitational race took place, that did not count in sport for political reasons DTM standings. In the first of two runs, Manuel Reuter rammed his manager and team mate Rosberg off the track in the crowd.

As a failed player in the first run, Reuter had to line up at the end of the starting field in the second run, but still finished second. After the race, Alfa driver Alessandro Nannini , who had been waved as the winner, was disqualified due to the mandatory fuel test and Reuter came first.

Balance of the first season

Opel fell far short of expectations due to repeated braking problems and other technical difficulties. It remained with some "respectable successes".

Manuel Reuter as the best Opel driver with a victory (not counted in the championship) and with eighth place and 89 points was able to create respect in the new DTM despite the not yet fully developed Calibra. Keke Rosberg put in an average performance during the season, but showed in training with good times and a third place in Hockenheim what the Calibra was capable of, and came 14th with 27 points at the end of the season. Louis Krages alias "John Winter" got eleven points and came in 16th.

1995 season

Reorganization of the teams

For the new season, Walter Treser formed his "armed force" and distributed the cars to two teams, the Joest team and the newly founded Rosberg team from Neustadt an der Weinstrasse . Rosberg acted as driver and team owner. Klaus Ludwig drove the second Rosberg Calibra after a spectacular move from Mercedes-Benz to Opel . The Joest team fielded four cars with the drivers Manuel Reuter, the Finn JJ Lehto , the French Yannick Dalmas and the Portuguese Ni Amorim .

The drivers' practice times were very promising, but the races were mostly canceled due to technical problems. The long-awaited breakthrough came towards the end of the season. Klaus Ludwig won both races at Hockenheim and Manuel Reuter contributed with his second place to the first Opel one-two victory.

Balance of the '95 season

New to the season was that races abroad also counted. Therefore there was the new designation DTM / ITC and two ratings. The "Phase4" Calibra - as it was officially called - was completely redesigned with technical and electronic parts from various suppliers, including a hydraulic system built by the Williams Formula 1 racing team . However, there were always malfunctions, especially with this system, because the technicians and mechanics were not yet familiar with the complicated technology. It was noticeable that at the beginning of the season, Manuel Reuter broke almost all existing records with the old Phase 3 Calibra, although the Phase 4 Calibra should have been a winning car.

• Klaus Ludwig : One of the outstanding drivers in the DTM and the Opel in 1995 was Klaus Ludwig. With the victory at Hockenheim he proved the capabilities of the Calibra and came in third with a total of 80 points in the DTM standings. In the ITC (International Touring Car Championship), however, he had to admit defeat to Manuel Reuter.
• Manuel Reuter : Made it to 12th place in the DTM with a total of 39 points. Internationally, he was able to get 50 points and thus achieved 5th place in the ITC. It was Reuter who, thanks to his performance, convinced the CEOs of Opel to continue the DTM project.
• JJ Lehto : After Reuter in the ITC / DTM, the third best Opel driver, took third place in his home race in Helsinki.
• Yannick Dalmas : Dalmas came in 18th in the DTM together with Rosberg with 17 points each. Internationally, he made it to 16th place with 15 points.
• Keke Rosberg : After founding his own team, he was the worst Opel driver and fell short of expectations. He drove his last race in the DTM finale and said goodbye to motorsport.

1996 season

The end of the class 1 touring car

At Opel, Walter Treser was replaced as head of sport by Wolfgang-Peter Flohr , and he strengthened the squad again to take the title. The Zakspeed team was a new addition and, alongside Klaus Ludwig, deployed the new addition Uwe Alzen . Hans-Joachim Stuck and JJ Lehto now drove for the Rosberg team . Manuel Reuter continued to drive with Joest, next to him Yannick Dalmas, young driver Alexander Wurz and Oliver Gavin . In addition, continued Gianni Giudici a '95er Calibra a private. However, after the cost of participating in the DTM became ever higher, Alfa Romeo and Opel announced their exit, so that the DTM / ITC ended and only experienced a comeback in 2000, in which Opel was heavily involved.

Dominant car 1996

During the winter break, Opel improved its vehicles and set standards for the 1996 season in advance. From the start, Manuel Reuter proved to be the number one Opel driver.

But the other Opel drivers also impressed with their good performances. Opel drove a dominant race in Helsinki . Opel drivers took first to third place in both races. Something similar happened at the Norisring. Ludwig won both races ahead of Alzen and Lehto. After Reuter was able to record a victory in Hockenheim and the Eifel race , he was prepared for tactical driving and collecting points early on. At the last race in Germany he won again before he was able to secure the championship title in São Paulo .

Balance of the season '96

After a strong season, Opel won the championship title and the brand classification.

Manuel Reuter won the title with three wins and a total of 218 points ahead of Mercedes driver Bernd Schneider with 205 points. After the victory at Hockenheim, Reuter stopped with his Calibra on the start-finish line, got out to celebrate the victory and had to pay a fine for it.

JJ Lehto finished fifth in the championship with 148 points. At the Nürburgring , Helsinki, the Norisring , Silverstone and Magny-Cours he was among the top three.

Klaus Ludwig finished seventh in the championship with four wins and 170 points. Hans-Joachim Stuck finished ninth with one win and 112 points. Uwe Alzen reached eighth place with 119 points. Alexander Wurz got 43 points and was 16. Yannick Dalmas came in 17th with 18 points. Oliver Gavin , a young and still inexperienced driver, came in 22nd with 16 points.

24-hour race on the Nürburgring in 1999

For the 100th anniversary of Opel, Head of Motorsport Volker Strycek brought a former Phase 3 DTM Calibra to the Nordschleife , which, however, was not to be fully used in the race from the start. Exactly at zero o'clock, Strycek steered the Calibra off the track into the marquee where the anniversary celebration began. In the 40 laps driven, the Calibra had once again proven its class and took five seconds off the favored car, the Zakspeed Viper , per lap.

literature

• Book: TourenwageStory 1993–1996 by Rallye Racing Spezial
• Axel Lengert: Opel Motorsport with tradition; over 100 successful years . Heel, Königswinter 2002, ISBN 3-89880-010-5 .

Web links

Commons : Opel Calibra V6 4 × 4  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files