Morning Symphony: A Lotus Carlton Being Beaten Like A Rental Car


Morning Symphony: A Lotus Carlton Being Beaten Like A Rental Car

What does a Ford Falcon from Australia and this dark green Opel Omega with a bodykit have in common? They both were so fast that they actually stirred up political action. In Australia, the headline printed on the June 25, 1972 front page of the New Sun-Herald paper in an article that editor Evan Green had written up: 160 MPH SUPERCARS SOON. One article was enough to spool up government leaders so fast that in a matter of days, there were denials that the Ford Falcon GTHO Phase IV, Holden Torana GTR XU-1 and Valiant Charger R/T E55 were coming to murder families and drink the alcohol while they were at it. Ultimately, though, the planned cars were canned before they could do damage…except for the Valiant, which was watered down into a luxury form of the Charger line.

The Carlton was almost an even better story. Your standard Vauxhall Carlton/Opel Omega A (first generation, 1986-93) isn’t anything to get giddy over…liken it to a Ford Taurus or a Chevrolet Celebrity, but rear-drive and you’ll get the idea of what Lotus had to start with. But Lotus went straight to work. The Opel 3.0L 24-valve six was punched out to 3.6L, and fitted with two Garrett AiResearch T25 turbochargers. Along with suspension modifications, the Lotus-modified cars sported the ZF 6-speed manual trans that was found in the Corvette C4 ZR-1, which the little screamer would need. With 377 horsepower and 419 ft/lbs of torque on hand, nobody stood a chance trying this little warmed-up Opel out. This was a four-door sedan that would put the fear of God into a Ferrari Testarossa driver. And just like the Falcon, once word got out about the performance numbers, politicians made a fuss, claiming that nobody needed a car this potent. Luckily, common sense prevailed in the U.K. and the Lotus Carlton was sold without so much as a speed limiter.


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