1993 Lotus Carlton

In 1989 Lotus introduced the Carlton Omega at the Geneva Auto Show and production began in 1991 and concluded in 1994. The vehicles were produced in limited numbers, resulting in around 1100 examples being created.

At the time, GM owned both Lotus Cars Limited and Opel. Mike Kimberly, the director of Lotus, and Bob Eaton, the president of GM Europe, decided that a high performance version of the Opel/Vauxhall Omega 3000 GSi 24v should be created. The goal was to use the standard Opel car but refine it with Lotus performance and handling. The result was the Lotus Carlton Omega outfitted with a three-liter DOHC 24 valve inline-six cylinder engine. Later, the displacement was enlarged to 3.6 liters and fitted with two Garrett T25 turbochargers and a water-cooled intercooler. The twenty-four valve clyinder head received a larger combustion-chamber. The five-speed manual gearbox was replaced with a ZF six-speed manual courtesy of the Corvette ZR-1. The gearbox was so large the Lotus engineers were required to enlarge and modify the floor and transmission-tunnel. With 377 horsepower and 420 foot-pounds of torque, the 3600 pound vehicle could race from zero to sixty in 4.9 seconds. The top speed was achieved around 175 miles-per-hour.

The interior was outfitted with Recaro seats and Conolly leather. Suede was used on the door trim panels and Alcantara was placed on the steering wheel.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2005

The Lotus Carlton, also known as the Opel Lotus Omega, was produced from 1990 through 1992. Lotus took the Vauxhall Carlton and made modifications, bringing it to true sports car status with a blistering 177 mph top speed. There were few exterior visual differences between the Lotus and the Vauxhall, the most obvious being the rear air spoiler, and air intakes on the bonnet. Other differences included Lotus badges and wider wheel arches. The Lotus came in only one color called Imperial Green. Under direct light, the color appeared black.

The bid differences were under the hood, where Lotus fitted the six-cylinder engine with twin Garret T25 turbochargers. Horsepower rose to 382 horsepower. The 6-speed ZF transmission found in the Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 was mated to the engine, sending the power to the rear wheels.

By Daniel Vaughan | May 2009

Nearly 70 years before Vauxhall's Lotus Carlton was launched, the company's top brass were being lauded for bringing the 100mph 30-98 to market. But in 1989, Paul Tosch – Vauxhall's then Chairman and MD – was thrown on the defensive with the mainstream press when the Lotus Carlton became the world's fastest four-door saloon car, with a top speed of 176mph.

Using GM's 3.6-litre straight-six, with the addition of two Garrett T25 turbochargers and twin water-cooled intercoolers, the Lotus Carlton produced a quite shocking 377bhp and 419lb ft of torque, giving it its headline top speed (later found to be conservative) and acceleration to beat a Ferrari Testa Rossa.

Lotus Engineering was responsible for developing the LC's MacPherson strut front suspension and multi-link rear set-up, and the result was a superbly assured and blindingly fast GT of the highest order.