Autocar heroes: Lotus Carlton video review

We look back at the performance four-door saloon

[@Nation010]

Raced one in my 325i back in the days, we both took off at the lights, 1...2... and woooph it was over like a flash, took off like a scalded cat. Incredible car

[@gunnerhoward3134]

Think this was the fastest 4 door production car in the world for a while.

[@MrRohanThomas]

Lotus Carlton would effortlessly beat any sedan at its time

[@looniegaming9419]

Judge 400 Years yes

[@phillees6547]

Absolutely true :-)

[@gunnerhoward3134]

@@phillees6547 Bet it still quick today :)

[@energymc22]

Comparable performance to the Alpina B10 Biturbo 👍

[@mistamontiel]

What a hero. I remember first stumbling into the Lotus Carlton, thanks to Gran Turismo 4. What a cute looking beast.

[@massive7455]

Had the privilege too drive a few of them in my 20,s now in my 40,s I still rate them very highly top car , wolf in sheep's clothing ; )

[@ABCDEFGHIJKELA...]

an absolute forgotten Beasty car. it's hard to understand how cars like this slip between the cracks, and even become unheard of, literally, high performance car circles...how does this happen to such a brilliant piece of kickassery!?

[@michaelwilson7924]

Jey Lee, given the impact it made when it was released, and the controversy surrounding it....it's astonishing that this monster has been forgotten

[@paulthomson9014]

@@michaelwilson7924 didn't realise this car had been forgotten ?

[@freebirdh604]

My friend used to have one of these. It was absolutely incredible performance. He took me out in the beastie several times for a blast and play with the traffic.... yeah I know irresponsible, etc, etc. However, he was an amateur race driver and could handle the car. Scary, blasting down a motorway doing a ton more than the other cars that you were overtaking, scary but exhilarating. It used to surprise unsuspecting motorbikes when a car kept up with them accelerating away from traffic lights. Very fond memories of those times. It was a lovely luxury car to sit in as well.❤️👍☮️

[@hayksamvelyan]

It looks like it's straight out of Ronin, I love those classic mid-90s sports sedans.

[@thebigbowler]

Back in the day when high performance cars still had nice interiors, Wood and Leather, none of that Bucket seat nonsense.

[@davidhoulihan5749]

Brilliant car was allways my dream alongside a BMW M635csi

[@CobraAce04]

it looks understated and somber, and goes like the clappers. I cant imagine a more charming car :D

[@Taco-bomb-GTA]

To bad that the Carlton didn't came to Brasil , we have just the regular Ômega CD 3.0 165hp and 4.1 liter 168 HP , but still kicked some ass.

[@dowahdiddyman]

But why would you want a Mitsibushi, there`s an evo on every street corner, when was the last time you saw a Lotus Carlton.

[@CalebRulez2]

Gotta love the headlamp wipers.

[@245thegreat]

this holds the record for the fastest 4 door saloon

[@Guy_de_Loimbard]

"These days?" You're talking like GM's acquisition of Opel is some kind of recent event. GM has owned Opel for almost a century now.

[@TheHijuja1]

It`s sad that opel/vauxhall would not dare to make anything like this. OPC things just don`t have the charestics

[@Cupid_Stunt73]

I had the pleasure of driving one of these back in the day, used to go out in it daily, it's still one of my favourite cars to this day, fuck ya scoobys & skylines & ya evos, the lotus carlton is a real car..... RAW POWER!

[@redactedcomment709]

I have seen this exact lotus carlton in countless videos and magazines. Im guessing this is one of the very few left on the uk's roads. Such an amazing machine aswell.

[@D5DRIFT]

Not quite. There are plenty on the UK roads. This particular car, K948 XGS is the vauxhall heritage car. They use it alot. Like they should. Apparently they have enough spare parts for it , so that is not an issue. I doubt many owners would hand the keys over to the press. That's why you always see this car. I've seen this vehicle in person, and even tho it's used alot, it's still flawless in fit , finish and appearance

[@00kirbyd]

My dad had one when I was young, it wasn't a Lotus though it was a base spec K reg carlton 1.8 petrol in white, plastic hub caps, manual sunroof and an elecric ariel - good times!

[@gregaperkin]

Much better production Autocar well done!!

[@MagicForest2]

The ultimate sleeper

[@supercar97]

a big step up in the quality of the acual video, fantastic intro really good job

[@allyc85]

What roads are those, I want to drive them!

[@NATEZPLAZE]

I have this car in Gran Turismo 5. I drift in it and its beast! i got like 565hp in the game with this car.its beast. I love this car..idk why o.o

[@JakubLorenc]

Stunning car ! I`d love to have one !

[@stephanoya]

Fantastic video, more heroes more ancestors!

[@local_hotpotato]

Thought i once saw a lotus omega. Turnd out to the evo 500

[@alexandermathar7780]

An Evo 500! That's rare as golden eggs! Only 36 were ever produced !

[@SuperSedans]

I still miss my Lotus

[@papaleguasemacao6554]

Esse carro é sensacional

[@patriciogrezh1155]

Yo tuve un Opel Omega 3000 de 1993. Lo compré porque conocía sus antecedentes y su valía, y aunque era de segunda mano y tenía 120.000 km, sus prestaciones eran muy satisfactorias ya que doblaba y frenaba muy bien, al igual que aceleraba con rapidez ya que tenía una buena cifra de torque, pese a que su peso era de 1.500 kg., y su potencia era de solo 204 hp. Lo tuve durante 10 años y me costó decidirme a venderlo, ya que además era full equipo. Acá en Chile solo había tres o cuatro, ya que todos los restantes eran de 2.000 cc solamente. Sin duda era una muy buena plataforma base, para escalar hacia el Lotus Omega.

[@user-ge8oz6qq6y]

así es... la gran mayoría de OMEGA A en Chile, son 2.0 CD Sedan y unos pocos Caravan "SW" Automatico. El OMEGA A 3000 es otra cosa... ese motor 6 en linea tira... Yo tuve un OMEGA 2.5 V6 CD del 95 :) saludos desde Chile

[@blackjacket_]

the best saloon ever made

[@constructivecritique4049]

This dude's looks & voice kinda puts me to mind of Roger Taylor, the drummer for Queen.

[@ianlow78]

Great car and very rare. I see more veyrons than lotus carltons.

[@peanuts2105]

My dads tax evading business partner had one of these, and he was a wanker. Still, it's an awesome car

[@Bumphuk]

@Michaisi One of my all time favourites!

[@fsaeduardo]

@Ricardo1e93 Omega is actually the MODEL of the Opel original car (Opel Omega, first released in 1986). Vauxhall just took Opel's original car and change the steering side (and velocimeter to MPH), "creating" the Vauxhall Carlton. Back in 1989, Opel, Vauxhall & Lotus belong to General Motors and they decided to send Omegas and Carltons to Lotus to "see what they could do". Lotus made the project, and in 1991 two models were released: the Opel Lotus Omega and the Vauxhall Lotus Carlton...

[@McLarenMercedes]

@idontcare80 It was only called Carlton in Great Britain. In the rest of the world where it was sold it was called the Lotus Omega. It was based on the German Opel Omega, which was sold as the Vauxhall Carlton in the UK, doesn't change the fact that is was Opel designed.

[@Lolzilol123]

I didn't get what the Carlton was all about. "When you find yourself on a straight long enough to do this" - do what? I'm confused

[@rayanehaddad8406]

These cars were uncatchable by the police when they were stolen

[@FLundeborg]

@gnamus Not really. In a boxer engine (as in a Porsche or Subaru) the pistons i each "pair" travels in opposed directions, as the fists of two boxers. Whereas in a V-engine (like the Testarossa) the pistons in a pair always move in the same direction. Not the best description maybe, but I'll bet you get it =)

[@AHMADF93]

Lotus need to bring back this model .

[@V8_screw_electric_cars]

Faster than current audi a8 for instance

[@SmashGhost]

Love the Heroes films. Could you do one on the Integrale Evo?

[@Ib2damnhigh_]

My favorite drift build

[@asm1]

How quick does it feel today ? down to second gear, about 40MPH.... lol.

[@JOCKATEO]

The one car I wish I never sold

[@louisgreenleaf235]

Worth a fortune now

[@lewis72]

Still not as much as they were new !!

[@tonyeff4447]

Wrong. There is one on eBay with only 4k miles on the clock. Seller is asking £125k They were 50k new

[@iraqlobster1479]

Tony Eff Adjusted for inflation they were worth around 100/105k new

[@UltimateDud]

come to Australia, these things are everywhere only with a "Holden" badge slapped on them.

[@polakdawido]

My dream car since I was 9 and I'm nearly 20 now :( The closest I will probably ever get is owning a 3.2 Omega with a manual gearbox and that's still only about 210 hp :(

[@CarelessGamer15]

here in portugal, 3 years ago i saw one for sale for 34000€. Not that much. just keep saving money and you'll get there

[@EgoShredder]

@@CarelessGamer15 Now three times the price in 2021

[@CarelessGamer15]

@@EgoShredder really? that's crazy money.!

[@MichaelStergides]

@Bumphuk I agree and I like that kind of looks but the Escort Cossie was from that era and I believe it was much better looking

[@SympathyRS]

Looks kinda like a volvo... with those headlight wipers... But the it was really a good landmark...

[@0jesse10397]

Thats a pretty epic car....

[@jaycee1011]

from a distance it looks a little like the original scorpio cosworth around the bonet and headlight line areas.

[@devfuse]

@Ricardo1e93 no no no omega gave the carlton to lotus to tune as a joint job, so its the lotus carlton and the omega carlton

[@robinmarples5198]

The real equivalent a the period was the alpina b10 on the e34 model

[@TheLiquidKnight]

If it wasn't for my dad it would have been the Lotus Senitor. GM wanted their UK flagship car to wear the badge but the wheel base was too long to make the car reasponsive.

[@Veyronp87]

great video

[@scoot24925]

great,just great video

[@Guy_de_Loimbard]

@Lolzilol123 - if you didn't get what the Carlton was about, you weren't part of the market they were aiming at.

[@WIPEYOURLENZ]

Only available in green

[@WallyBurner]

Ha Ha, Ferrari Testarossa had a Flat 12 not a V12 although he's right, it was slower than the Carlton.

[@thebigbowler]

I was going to get straight on that when I heard him say it, but you beat me to it. By 2 weeks in fact :)

[@WallyBurner]

Shows we know our cars though ;-)

[@thebigbowler]

We should apply for Autocar!

[@WallyBurner]

Only if I can drive that Carlton!

[@camryt]

WallyBurner Well, it has a flat-12, but Ferrari insists on calling it a 180-degree V12 for some reason.

[@gnamus]

@Luktarros that would make it an opposed engine then making it flat, just like any porsche or subaru etc

[@Gewehr_3]

Talk about a sleeper, looks like a $2000 car but goes like a $70,000 one

[@Bumphuk]

@Michaisi Like a lot of performance cars of the era it's looks are more of a thuggish bruiser than delicate and pretty.

[@marcus6285]

@porschezappa testarossa has a 180° V12 dont ask me whats the difference between that and a Boxer/ Flat 12 but there is one

[@sannyf2000]

This car may one want not for its preformance impresses one now but for the prestige and heritage it has. That is why you se gen 1 m5 and m3 still beeing so desierd.

[@SachaKDrums]

@turbillb Funny - as soon as the reviewer said Vaxhaul I noticed the commodore shape immediately. I'd be very surprised if it wasn't the same chassis and front end.

[@idiotatwack]

Pure British Engineering I Say

[@hosrom]

For the record, the Porsche 944 Turbo was also just as fast as the Ferrari testerossa, despite it being a 4 cylinder single turbocharged car with 220Bhp (250 later models).

[@evanfinch4987]

correct, and 5 minutes of work and the 951 will waste the ferrari

[@MrAxelow80]

So basically this is Omega on steroids...

[@MrRohanThomas]

pretty much

[@hussguy1990]

he's wrong testarossa is a flat 12

[@darkslide0909]

lmao maybe he meant 180°v12. but nah you're right

[@hussguy1990]

+Travis Hall yeah I know like depending on crankshaft journals and shit there is a difference between a boxer and a flattened v engine even if 180 degrees, but if it's flattened I always say flat 12 flat 6 etc whatever.

[@darkslide0909]

+hussguy1990 you right. but idk how he doesn't know its a flat 12. lmao thats a significant part of the testarossa

[@theant9821]

hussguy1990 a flat 12 is very general in regards to engine format

[@sannyf2000]

They were supose to be a v8 followup but never realsied as the engine gm gave opel was considerd unrelyable as they kept braking down during tests.

[@vx.calibre2901]

the V8 option caused too many issues with retaining air conditioning, a major factor with the target audience

[@Lolzilol123]

@DroverChicago What I was trying to do in my previous post was ask this: What were they trying to do with it? What market were they aiming at?

[@TheLiquidKnight]

@lewis72 One of the design team who worked on the 104 project.

[@wasptim]

He made a mistake. The figures he quoted were factory figures. Autocar test figures were 4.8 to 60 and 10.6 to 100. God knows why he messed that up.

[@russcattell955i]

Singing "daddy was a bank robber and he traded his Jag for this Carlton"

[@FadriZappa]

Testarossa has a flat 12, and not a V12 as stated by the guy in the video

[@Sj1bby]

This could have an ancestor vid: with the VXR8

[@lewis72]

I like these cars... alot but they're almost too precious now to own and enjoy. Many bits for them aren't available or cost the earth and there are so few about that you'd feel so guilty about getting one up to 160k miles. Now, you can get a 370bhp or 400bhp Jag XJR for about half the price of one of these and use it everyday without the guilt

[@FLundeborg]

@flimsyshow Technically it had a 180 degree V12

[@hosrom]

@Turbulence654321 I got one, my first car actually, when i was 20, had to get 4 part time jobs and took me 3 years (all this which in college) to get it.

[@EgoShredder]

Insurance must have cost you more than the car lol

[@jakethreesixty]

super sleeper, and it may be the only lotus who's model name doesn't start with an e

[@MrGTR1988]

the fucking ENGLISH way of power! YES !

[@Thesuperblack22]

My first car on Gran Turismo PSP :D

[@lewis72]

@Luktarros but a 180 degree V is a straight line !! :-)

[@oOoironhideoOo]

those hood scopes ar sooo RS Cosworth ...

[@jp0484]

now what's the difference between this car and the Alfa Romeo 75

[@245thegreat]

@justblaze3417 lotus carlton doesn't have restrictions so your wrong, if a car is built without restrictions and is road legal to anyone, it makes it faster. anyone can drive it, not anyone can get a racing licence. my point is proved.

[@konliner9286]

Now we have the Subaru STi and the Mitsubishi Evo

[@SMDTURBO]

lol, this is RWD and still fasterr than them.

[@RTWUROTTS]

Yes !

[@foxsake_]

HM GOV - please bring back that number plate font

[@PaBLo99215]

brilliant

[@AlternativeUses]

awesome

[@happy_camper]

It's so damn serious.

[@FlamerK6]

no seatbelt?

[@dsherlock94]

Still prefer a 1988 VL holden calais turbo they were not only a good looking car but fast

[@Hezz_2jz]

Wa want bugatti super sport vs agera r that s the perfect video for 2 exeptionnal car

[@einstein1984]

@35yearoldboy Actualy, a 180 degree V12.

[@SachaKDrums]

@turbillb OK just did 10 seconds worth of research and now see that the Carlton is the UK Commodore. Oops.

[@Kipas_Maspoin]

I like this car, would buy one if i can ship it here to indonesia really, because it looks like a normal car, it's not an exotic car, i won't have to pay an extra for that a form tax to get a massive amount of power lol 😂

[@HENRYHOBBS1]

legend

[@TheClareybrown61170]

WANT !!!!