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
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!?
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!
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.❤️👍☮️
@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.
+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.
Someone may have more knowledge and i am happy to be corrected. I believe that the longest ever UK car chase in time and distance was the police trying and failing to stop a stolen lotus carlton in metallic green the car was later found burned out 😢
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!
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.
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
@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.
@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...
@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 =)
@xxViolentGamerxx or more to the point in which you obviously couldnt grasp, the "anyone" could have written the page, and got the facts wrong/mistyped..... wikipedia isnt fact
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 :(
@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.
@245thegreat Rapide, Panamera, CTS-V are all faster off the top of my head. An M5 without restrictor would also easily be, same can be said for Mercedes 4 doors.
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 😂
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
@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.
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.
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.
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
Think this was the fastest 4 door production car in the world for a while.
Lotus Carlton would effortlessly beat any sedan at its time
Judge 400 Years yes
Absolutely true :-)
@@phillees6547 Bet it still quick today :)
Comparable performance to the Alpina B10 Biturbo 👍
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!?
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
@@michaelwilson7924 didn't realise this car had been forgotten ?
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 ; )
"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.
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.
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.
It looks like it's straight out of Ronin, I love those classic mid-90s sports sedans.
It`s sad that opel/vauxhall would not dare to make anything like this. OPC things just don`t have the charestics
Back in the day when high performance cars still had nice interiors, Wood and Leather, none of that Bucket seat nonsense.
Brilliant car was allways my dream alongside a BMW M635csi
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!
What roads are those, I want to drive them!
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
My dads tax evading business partner had one of these, and he was a wanker. Still, it's an awesome car
What a hero. I remember first stumbling into the Lotus Carlton, thanks to Gran Turismo 4. What a cute looking beast.
it looks understated and somber, and goes like the clappers. I cant imagine a more charming car :D
this holds the record for the fastest 4 door saloon
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.❤️👍☮️
Thought i once saw a lotus omega. Turnd out to the evo 500
An Evo 500! That's rare as golden eggs! Only 36 were ever produced !
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
These cars were uncatchable by the police when they were stolen
The ultimate sleeper
a big step up in the quality of the acual video, fantastic intro really good job
Great car and very rare. I see more veyrons than lotus carltons.
Gotta love the headlamp wipers.
Esse carro é sensacional
This dude's looks & voice kinda puts me to mind of Roger Taylor, the drummer for Queen.
I still miss my Lotus
@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.
Insurance must have cost you more than the car lol
he's wrong testarossa is a flat 12
lmao maybe he meant 180°v12. but nah you're right
+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.
+hussguy1990 you right. but idk how he doesn't know its a flat 12. lmao thats a significant part of the testarossa
hussguy1990 a flat 12 is very general in regards to engine format
Faster than current audi a8 for instance
Someone may have more knowledge and i am happy to be corrected. I believe that the longest ever UK car chase in time and distance was the police trying and failing to stop a stolen lotus carlton in metallic green the car was later found burned out 😢
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!
the fucking ENGLISH way of power! YES !
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.
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
@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.
Much better production Autocar well done!!
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.
The one car I wish I never sold
Worth a fortune now
Still not as much as they were new !!
Wrong. There is one on eBay with only 4k miles on the clock. Seller is asking £125k
They were 50k new
Tony Eff Adjusted for inflation they were worth around 100/105k new
enduring that crap advert is worth a thumbs down. car was a legend in it's own birth.
So basically this is Omega on steroids...
pretty much
@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...
Stunning car ! I`d love to have one !
Ha Ha, Ferrari Testarossa had a Flat 12 not a V12 although he's right, it was slower than the Carlton.
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 :)
Shows we know our cars though ;-)
We should apply for Autocar!
Only if I can drive that Carlton!
WallyBurner Well, it has a flat-12, but Ferrari insists on calling it a 180-degree V12 for some reason.
@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 =)
@xxViolentGamerxx
or more to the point in which you obviously couldnt grasp, the "anyone" could have written the page, and got the facts wrong/mistyped..... wikipedia isnt fact
It wasn't faster than a Testa Rossa, it was about the same, and the Testa Rossa want a V12 either.Oh my GOD this bloke is a knob
How quick does it feel today ? down to second gear, about 40MPH.... lol.
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 :(
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
@@CarelessGamer15 Now three times the price in 2021
@@EgoShredder really? that's crazy money.!
@Michaisi One of my all time favourites!
the best saloon ever made
@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
damnit somebodys allready said about the 521tr being flat not v, anyway he sure makes an emphasis on the "V" when hes saying it
@porschezappa testarossa has a 180° V12
dont ask me whats the difference between that and a Boxer/ Flat 12
but there is one
The real equivalent a the period was the alpina b10 on the e34 model
@Lolzilol123 - if you didn't get what the Carlton was about, you weren't part of the market they were aiming at.
@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.
@turbillb OK just did 10 seconds worth of research and now see that the Carlton is the UK Commodore. Oops.
Fantastic video, more heroes more ancestors!
@xxViolentGamerxx
ill never give wikipedia any attention, its not always right
@xxViolentGamerxx
you are kidding right? you do know that anyone can edit wikipedia?
Looks kinda like a volvo... with those headlight wipers... But the it was really a good landmark...
@jp0484
Shit loads of horsepower?
come to Australia, these things are everywhere only with a "Holden" badge slapped on them.
Love the Heroes films. Could you do one on the Integrale Evo?
Testarossa has a flat 12, and not a V12 as stated by the guy in the video
Talk about a sleeper, looks like a $2000 car but goes like a $70,000 one
Only available in green
now what's the difference between this car and the Alfa Romeo 75
@justblaze3417 your not that clever that's why
@245thegreat Rapide, Panamera, CTS-V are all faster off the top of my head. An M5 without restrictor would also easily be, same can be said for Mercedes 4 doors.
Not at the time of production they weren't.
@245thegreat I have no idea what you're talking about.
Lotus need to bring back this model .
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 😂
It's so damn serious.
This could have an ancestor vid: with the VXR8
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
@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.
It is quite an ugly landmark car though...
those hood scopes ar sooo RS Cosworth ...
@chrisbarlow01
It's "did", not "done".
@245thegreat it hasn't for a long time
Still prefer a 1988 VL holden calais turbo they were not only a good looking car but fast
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.
HM GOV - please bring back that number plate font
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.
What kind of name is Carlton for a car?
@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
Singing "daddy was a bank robber and he traded his Jag for this Carlton"
do bmw m635csi next or the e9 csl or m1 (mid-engine) or 507, yeah...
please do the bmw 507 next, please....
Pure British Engineering I Say
@Michaisi
Like a lot of performance cars of the era it's looks are more of a thuggish bruiser than delicate and pretty.
You mean a flat-12 Ferrari...
@carguy88 -- with huge turbos
@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?
@Luktarros that would make it an opposed engine then making it flat, just like any porsche or subaru etc
Thats a pretty epic car....
super sleeper, and it may be the only lotus who's model name doesn't start with an e
from a distance it looks a little like the original scorpio cosworth around the bonet and headlight line areas.
I dream every day this car ...
It has to own at least he had to steal or hijack