TOPBUZZ Project Car Page 9
I brought the Calibra...
I brought the Calibra and trying to get insured on it was a nightmare. I brought the latest issues of Max Power, Revs and Fast Car etc and phoned EVERY SINGLE INSURANCE ADD. I wanted to declare EVERYTHING on the car, so if it did get damaged I should get some of these parts back (in cost). The main problem was with the Superchip added. As soon as I mentioned it was Superchipped, the insurance companies didn't want to know. In the end there were only about 3 to 5 insurance brokers that would accept me. The most ridiculous quote for my Calibra came from the Nationwide Building Society Car Insurance. As I'm a member, they guarantee cover and low cost. So I thought I give them a try. After about a good half hour explaining all the stuff that's been done to it, I got a quote. Ready....for fully comp with everything declared....£10,000!!! I had to make him repeat it a few times...I couldn't believe the price. This just shows how out of touch insurance companies are and how little they trust you. As you can imagine I declined the offer. In the end I got a very reasonable low quote that was about £800 from a different insurance broker.
Yep, even with all those mods done to it (see the Gallery pages for spec on the Calibra), I still want to do the odd mod here and there. The first is to sort out the camber on the car. As its been lowered 60mm, theres are large amount of wear on the inside of the tyres. Next is to give the engine a good service and a tune up on a rolling road. I might even put some new 16v cams in there as well. After that I'll put some bigger brakes on it, front and back. Other than that the next consideration is to put a different spoiler on, one with a brake light in it. I've seen some EVO style ones, buy most of them seem TOO LARGE. So I do some more looking before I buy one.
Is this the end of the Topbuzz project?I think after the amount this little dream has cost me....yes it is. I'll keep this Calibra for a very long time, and in the process I intend to change it here and there. Also having a car like this I'm parnoid leaving it anywhere (ie getting nicked) or going to locations which are difficult to drive to (ie speed bumps and terrible road conditions). But I'm still happy of what I have done and I don't regret it even though it has nearly taken me over 2 years to do it.
Topbuzz Project
March 1997 to April 1999
