Lotus Carlton

The Lotus Carlton was a Vauxhall Carlton saloon modified by Lotus into a 176 mph (283 km/h) sports car. Like all Lotus vehicles, it was given a type designation — Type 104 in this case. The external differences were minimal to the five seater with only the rear spoiler, a couple of air intakes on the bonnet, Lotus badges on the front wings and bootlid, and considerably wider wheel arches telling it apart from any other Carlton. The car was only sold in one colour, a shade of British racing green called Imperial Green, a very dark green that in anything but direct light appears black. Lotus' modifications included an upgraded engine, which was stroked from the standard Vauxhall 3 L 6 cylinder, used in the GSi, to a capacity of 3615 cc. Lotus then added twin Garrett T25 turbochargers to give 377 hp (281 kW). A six-speed manual ZF transmission from a Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 was used to transfer this power to the rear wheels. The car was capable of 0-60 mph in 5.2 seconds and had massive 12.5 in (330 mm) AP ventilated disc brakes with racing calipers all round so it could still stop with all its new-found power.

As well as being sold as the Vauxhall Lotus Carlton in the UK, the car was sold in Europe as the Opel Lotus Omega. Production of the Lotus Carlton began in 1990, four years after the original Carlton went on sale. General Motors (the parent company) had hoped to build 1,100 cars in total, but due to the recession of the early 1990s, the £48,000 cars were not selling as well as anticipated and production at Lotus was halted in December 1992. Only 950 cars were completed: 320 Vauxhalls and 630 Opels, 150 short of the original target.

Comparisons

 * 1989-1994 BMW / Alpina B10 Bi-Turbo - 360 hp 0-60 mph - 5.6 s. Top speed: 182 mph (291 km/h)
 * 1989-1995 BMW M5 E34 - 315 / 340 hp 0-60 mph - 6.3 / 5.9 s. Top speed: 155 mph (250 km/h)
 * 1991-1995 Mercedes / Porsche 500E W124 - 326 hp 0-60 mph - 6.0 s. Top speed: 155 mph (250 km/h)
 * 15. Sep 2005 Maybach 57s / 615 hp 0-60 mph 5,0 s. Top Speed 275 (electronically limited)

Specifications

 * Top speed - 177 mph (285 km/h)
 * Peak power - 377 hp (281 kW) @ 5200 rpm
 * Acceleration - 0-60 mph: 4.9 s, 0-100 mph: 11.5 s
 * Peak torque - 419 ft·lbf / 568 N·m @ 4200
 * Engine displacement - 3615 cc
 * Engine type - Twin turbocharged straight six-cylinder
 * Configuration - Front-engined, rear-wheel drive
 * Transmission - Six-speed ZF manual
 * Production - 950 or 1100 units
 * Price - £48,000