1990 Vauxhall Carlton

The Lotus Carlton was in production from 1990 until 1992. A development of the Vauxhall Carlton styled in house, it is a front engined, rear wheel drive saloon seating four adults.

The Lotus Type 104 Carlton was born from enthusiasm. GM European President Bob Eaton had wanted to work with Lotus on a range topper, to mark the fact that GM had bought the Norfolk sports car company in 1986. Initial plans for a compound charged Vauxhall Senator were swiftly kyboshed, in favour of a halo car for the new Carlton range. The 3000GSi 24v was chosen as a base, though by the time the twin turbocharged engine was installed it had been enlarged to 3.6 litres and 377bhp. The Corvette ZR1 donated its six speed gearbox, and ten years after its launch it remained the world’s fastest four door saloon. The interior received a makeover, with leather seats in the mould of the larger Senator, and the suspension and braking systems were thoroughly overhauled.

1100 Lotus Carltons and Omegas were planned, but just 950 were built. Of these 700 were left hand drive Lotus Omegas (to ape the Opel nomenclature), while just 250 were UK spec Lotus Carltons. The high price of £48000 plus the vilification of the car in the press, police and safety groups meant that many were still unsold by 1994 – two years after production ended. This undesirability when new has shifted however, with Lotus Carltons fiercely prized today.

0-60 in 5.2 seconds, 0-100 in 11.5 seconds, and 177mph top speed make the Lotus Carlton formidable even to Ferrari drivers, and the lack of driver aid makes it scary. The twin turbocharging effectively gets rid of any sense of turbo lag, giving a big surge akin to that of a larger naturally aspirated engine. It feels nice and weighty from behind the wheel too – this is a proper supercar, it just has space for the children.

Check for white smoke suggesting a blown turbocharger – everything else is fairly standard Carlton. The gearbox may be from a Corvette but they rarely give trouble as they’re overspecified, the biggest issue you’re likely to face is rust. Check the sills, arches and door bottoms first – getting behind the bodykit if you can. Corrosion repair work isn’t a bad thing if it’s been done well. Viscous fans can fail, while if the clutch feels too light or notchy it needs investigating quickly. Front end knocking can be cracked springs or spring cup washers, and it’s worth checking the suspension system as a whole for worn bushes as most of this is unique to the Lotus variants. Electric fans should only come on over 97 degrees Celsius, or if the air conditioning is switched on. While on the topic of air con, check it works – an R134a conversion is a bonus.

Nothing really came close in truth at the time, if you’re considering alternatives – especially as the Germans had a verbal agreement not to exceed 155mph in their ever-accelerating sports saloon programmes. Nowadays, those seeking a rapid saloon have plenty of choice. The Jaguar X300 XJR offers the same sort of shove with equally tasteful British trim, while the Germans have produced some hard hitters in the shape of the BMW E34 M5 and the Mercedes 500E. The closest rival in period was the Ferrari-engined Lancia Thema 8.32, but it was nowhere near as quick and was targeted more as a gentleman’s GT than an outright performance saloon. You might consider the Ford Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth, but this was smaller, slower, and far less of a tour de force without some aftermarket tuning work. Those seeking the thrills at a fraction of the cost might be tempted by a SAAB 9000 Turbo.