The Lotus Carlton was a Vauxhall Carlton saloon modified by Lotus into a 176 mph (283 km/h) supercar. 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, and Lotus badges on the front wings and bootlid, telling it apart from any other Carlton. The car was only sold in one colour, 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 (557 N·m). 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, it 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 and production stopped at Lotus in December 1992. Only 950 were completed, 320 Vauxhalls and 630 Opels, 150 short of the original target.
Specifications
Top speed - 176 mph
Peak power - 377 hp @ 5200 rpm
Acceleration - 0-60 mph: 5.2s
Peak torque - 419 ft·lbf
Engine displacement - 3615 cc
Engine type - Twin turbocharged six-cylinder
Configuration - Front-engined, rear-wheel drive
Transmission - Six-speed ZF manual
Production - 950
Price - £48,000
Last edited by Matt; 06-05-2006 at 09:31 AM.
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