The car they wanted to ban: Lotus Carlton up for auction

Very few cars have such a notorious reputation, or such a place in automotive folklore, as the Vauxhall Lotus Carlton. 

Subjected to a campaign by the Daily Mail to have it banned, and even mentioned during a debate in the Houses of Parliament, the Lotus Carlton became an infamous car from the outset. 

Despite the huge amount of hype that still surrounds the Carlton, this 177mph four-door saloon lived up to expectations when we drove one for our Retro Road Test. 

Now is the chance to own your own piece of Lotus history, with this example being listed for auction with Collecting Cars.

Special badge engineering

Eagle-eyed readers will have spotted this is actually a 1992 Opel Lotus Omega, rather than the Carlton. Offered for sale in France, the Omega was the European cousin of the Vauxhall, with its steering wheel on the other side.

The Opel-badged model is slightly more common, with 630 examples produced compared to the 320 Vauxhalls. Nomenclature and steering wheel position aside, however, the two cars are basically identical.

This includes the menacing Imperial Green paintwork, 17-inch five-spoke alloy wheels and a bespoke bodykit.

A true 90s gladiator

The source of all the controversy in the early 1990s was, of course, the 3.6-litre twin-turbocharged straight-six engine, which was heavily modified by Lotus. 

Combining its increased displacement with a pair of Garrett T25 turbochargers resulted in a heady 377hp and 419lb ft of torque. For comparison, that exceeds the contemporary, 964-generation Porsche 911 Turbo.

With a six-speed manual gearbox taken from a Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1, plus a limited-slip differential used in the Holden Commodore, the Lotus certainly had a robust drivetrain. 

A 0-60mph time of around five seconds and a top speed of 177mph earned the it the title of the world’s fastest saloon car at the time.

Ready to hit the road

This particular example is said to have spent 25 years on display in an Opel dealership before being purchased by another garage. The current vendor took ownership of the car around three months ago.

Just under 45,500 kilometres (28,000 miles) have been added to the odometer, with servicing last carried out in 2022. A roadworthiness inspection was performed at the end of last year.

Some light scratches are said to be present on the bodywork, but the black Connolly leather upholstery and wood interior trim are noted as being in excellent condition.

Fast-moving four door

With limited production numbers, huge performance and an even bigger reputation, demand for the Lotus Omega is likely to be strong. 

Collecting Cars saw a similar Vauxhall-badged version sell for £54,000 last year, albeit with a higher recorded mileage. 

You will need to be quick if you want to own this iconic 1990s super saloon, with the Collecting Cars auction set to end on Friday 2 February 2024. 

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