I heard mention of this thread and thought it would be useful to post a reply...
I presently own a Calibra 4x4 Turbo ('95 N-plate) with 112,000 miles on the clock and the original Transfer Box still in use, so I think it is safe to say that the comments on it being made of porcelain are a little exaggerated.
You DO have to take care of the TX it is true - you need to rotate the tyres to keep the tread depth between axles at 2mm difference or less. You also have to make sure that the tread depth on the same axle is as near as damn' the same. This is just taking care of the car... nothing special.
Without wishing to sound rude, the TX box only blows because of owner ignorance... but then there are lots of things that a comment like that can be aimed at... performance cars need taking care of.
You can get a complete replacement TX box for the Cally for £1075 all in from VTS in Kegworth.
Oh, and I REALLY don't agree with the comments of it being better in FWD only - you lose all the traction advantages of 4WD, and with 200+ bhp available, the handling is insane.
As to the rusty arches... this is on the pre-galvanised models, later models do not suffer from this problem - mine is still rust free, not DENT free... I bloody hate car-parks
, and yeah the doors are huge and heavy! (the side impact protection doesn't help here)
The stock figures for a Turbo are 0-60 in 6.4 secs, Top Speed of 154mph, 204bhp and (I think) 210 ft/lbs torque.
However there aren't that many that are stock any more
Mine was last dyno'd at 240bhp / 260ft/lbs with the boost turning down to 10psi - It should be running (and now is) at 15psi held, 22psi overboost and it is swift!
There are examples of Cally Turbos running well in excess of 300bhp (one nutter is aiming for 400+ at the moment!!!) It is an EXCELLENT car, VERY easily tuneable with a realible 4-wheel drive system when it is taken care of, and in my opinion still one of the best looking cars on the road.
You get a full leather interior, heated seats, air-con, 6-speed gearbox, 4 wheel drive, plenty of power and oodles of torque... electric sun-roof, mirrors, good size boot, the ability to mod to your hearts content, and a damn' fine looking car
(yeah okay I'm biased, so what
)
If you want to find out more facts about the Calibra from owners, and not hearsay,
pop over to
www.clubcalibra.net - the official ClubCalibra site (I'm a site moderator on there), there is an active community, and a LOT of information available.