1990 Lotus Carlton Registration Number: J874 RFJ   Chassis ...

Hammer

£27,000

1990 Lotus Carlton

Registration Number: J874 RFJ  
Chassis Number: SCC000019M1092132 
Recorded Mileage: c.82,000 miles

- Number 167 of 286 UK cars
- Two owners from new
- Running project car for restoration

Take a pedestrian executive car and hand it to the Lotus engineers at Hethel to work their magic and the end result is a 377bhp super saloon able to hold its head high against rivals from the BMW Motorsport and Mercedes Benz AMG. The base 3-litre twin overhead camshaft 24 valve engine was bored and stroked to 3.6 litres, Lotus strengthened the block, upgraded the cylinder head, replaced the crankshaft, pistons and connecting rods and bolted on a pair of Garrett T25 turbochargers with intercoolers. With the Opel/Vauxhall standard gearbox unable to handle the huge additional torque (419 lb-ft), ZFs 6-speed enabled the Lotus Omega to accelerate from 0-60 mph in 5.2 seconds, 0-100 in an astonishing 11.1 seconds, going on to a top speed of 186 mph (achieved in 5th rather than 6th gear). A controversial figure, given that almost all of its rivals adhered to a gentleman’s agreement restricting the top speed of their super saloons to 155 mph. The car's performance was so epic that the authorities attempted to have the car banned from the road, as a result of public and governmental criticism due to its speed and potential for misuse. Some sought to ban it due to its high top speed and potential for criminal activity, particularly ram-raids. Instead, Vauxhall offered a special high speed driving course to new owners.

Obviously, with Lotus' reputation for producing sweet-handling cars, they transformed the handling of the car, converting the rear suspension from an inferior semi-trailing arm set up to a multi-link setup offering vastly superior geometry. Fitment of 17” Ronal alloys enabled Lotus to squeeze in larger vented brake discs and four-pot calipers. With a limited slip differential and larger tyres, this amped up Carlton was now more than capable of handling all that additional power. Only produced from 1990 until 1992, a total of 950 Lotus Carltons were ever built.

This original example has had just two owners from new, the vendor’s late father being the current keeper. Recently inspected, the engine has been confirmed to be in generally good condition, adding reassurance to its restoration potential. However after several years of garage storage, the car does require corrosion repairs to the underside, doors, also remedial work on dents and scratches to the bodywork. The Lotus comes with its original book pack, extensive history receipts, and handover documents.

Sensibly estimated to reflect both its originality and restoration requirements, this is all in all a rare opportunity to acquire a genuinely iconic performance car with clear potential for future value.