RE: Lotus Carlton: Spotted
Discussion
HedgeyGedgey said:
B'stard Child said:
Wind noise at speed is typical of Carlton/Senators it gets more bearable after 160 
For the rest of the comments I'm gonna very politely suggest that it wasn't in "perfect" running order or someone was being nice to it
If you want the full eyeballs in the back of the sockets then perhaps you can advise the owner
Engage GPS mode - side step the clutch at 3500 rpm you'll get a brief chirp from the rear tyres but she will dig in and you'll be looking for another gear - you might need to feather the throttle very briefly after the change to second to stop the rears lighting up and 60 will be with you in 5 secs. 100 will be with you 6 secs after that.
Like I've said before I don't drive mine gently very often.
It wasn't a nice example For the rest of the comments I'm gonna very politely suggest that it wasn't in "perfect" running order or someone was being nice to it
If you want the full eyeballs in the back of the sockets then perhaps you can advise the owner
Engage GPS mode - side step the clutch at 3500 rpm you'll get a brief chirp from the rear tyres but she will dig in and you'll be looking for another gear - you might need to feather the throttle very briefly after the change to second to stop the rears lighting up and 60 will be with you in 5 secs. 100 will be with you 6 secs after that.
Like I've said before I don't drive mine gently very often.
it just wasn't what i expected tbh. Seriously running on 95 RON will drop the bhp into the 340-350 bhp area they like 98 or higher - any knock detection and you are down in the 320 mark until the ECU gets reset or you drive for a long enough period that it gets brave enough to start winding up the boost
If I run 95 RON it needs to be doing 80 mph to maintain 6th gear with any kind of slight incline
With the right 98 or 99 RON it will maintain sixth gear down in the 60 mph mark on any kind of slight incline
Mine is very intolerant of certain fuels - feed it Optimax and it will reward you with a really responsive feel - Sainsburys Super it will cope with for the odd tank but BP Ultimate it doesn't care much for at all might as well be supermarket 95 for how it feels running that.
HedgeyGedgey said:
I actually have a theory that a c20let corsa/nova with the f28 gearbox would be able to push the LC right up to silly speeds. The corsa would have a better power to weight so should accelerate better, and the f28 box is geared for 185, so more than the LC can achieve
Is your first name John and should ICMFP?Google HMS Broadside Carlton if you name isn't John - it will probably become clear
Chap called John stuck a C20LET (Hand Grenade - I call em) engine in a GSi Carlton with some Lotus Body kit
Edited by B'stard Child on Tuesday 16th January 01:13
B'stard Child said:
Engage GPS mode - side step the clutch at 3500 rpm you'll get a brief chirp from the rear tyres but she will dig in and you'll be looking for another gear - you might need to feather the throttle very briefly after the change to second to stop the rears lighting up and 60 will be with you in 5 secs. 100 will be with you 6 secs after that.
Fond memories. 
fesuvious said:
Are you aware it's 2018 and not 1997?
I think Max Power has gone under mate
A half decent c20let corsa still has ~300bhp/ton. Easy engines to get to 270+bhp. Just rather expensive nowadays. Might be an old school conversion, but 300bhp/ton isnt something to be messing with is it I think Max Power has gone under mate
s m said:
ZOOMCARLT!!!
[russellbulgin.jpg]
Great article, one of the ones that helped make the LC's reputation [russellbulgin.jpg]
Edit: Article here for our younger viewers who may not have seen it http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-reviews/compariso...
I raced 1 last century coming back from milk round in my 1.2 nova supa with 4 speed gearbox, I was doing 70 and saw him pull out ahead of me just got beside him and he looked over smiled and off he went-never stood a chance lol
great bit of car history-seen a few in the flesh and they still look awesome!
great bit of car history-seen a few in the flesh and they still look awesome!
The bloke who’s owns the military transport museum on Anglesey has two, one standard and one with 500bhp painted in a pearlescent paint (not my cup of tea!) both of them are on display and get used regular. Was over the moon when I saw them both.
I was an apprentice when I left school at a Vauxhall garage in Harrogate, we used to get one of these in for servicing. We used to have a ‘mark’ we tested quick cars against, we’d pull out on the bypass and see how quick we could get before the first gate on the left side of the road. This beat everything else we’d had in.
I was fresh out of school at the time and was aloud to bring all the cars in from the carpark into the garage when we closed. (I wasn’t aloud to test drive them). I was waiting all day to get the keys for this thing. I rang my mate that lived up the road told him to wait at the bottom of the road at 4.30.
He was sat in his nova looking in the rear view mirror as I came sideways out on to the road behind him, completely unintentional. I floored it before the car was straight and nearly pilled it up. We then went on a half hour blast in it together, had to do some serious begging to keep my job when I got back and the boss was stood waiting for me. He new all along what I was going to do so had been watching. The first properly quick car i ever drove and for this reason it’s one of my favourite cars ever.
I was an apprentice when I left school at a Vauxhall garage in Harrogate, we used to get one of these in for servicing. We used to have a ‘mark’ we tested quick cars against, we’d pull out on the bypass and see how quick we could get before the first gate on the left side of the road. This beat everything else we’d had in.
I was fresh out of school at the time and was aloud to bring all the cars in from the carpark into the garage when we closed. (I wasn’t aloud to test drive them). I was waiting all day to get the keys for this thing. I rang my mate that lived up the road told him to wait at the bottom of the road at 4.30.
He was sat in his nova looking in the rear view mirror as I came sideways out on to the road behind him, completely unintentional. I floored it before the car was straight and nearly pilled it up. We then went on a half hour blast in it together, had to do some serious begging to keep my job when I got back and the boss was stood waiting for me. He new all along what I was going to do so had been watching. The first properly quick car i ever drove and for this reason it’s one of my favourite cars ever.
Edited by Branch666 on Thursday 18th January 10:43
Edited by Branch666 on Thursday 18th January 10:45
Branch666 said:
The bloke who’s owns the military transport museum on Anglesey has two, one standard and one with 500bhp painted in a pearlescent paint (not my cup of tea!) both of them are on display and get used regular. Was over the moon when I saw them both.
I was an apprentice when I left school at a Vauxhall garage in Harrogate, we used to get one of these in for servicing. We used to have a ‘mark’ we tested quick cars against, we’d pull out on the bypass and see how quick we could get before the first gate on the left side of the road. This beat everything else we’d had in.
I was fresh out of school at the time and was aloud to bring all the cars in from the carpark into the garage when we closed. (I wasn’t aloud to test drive them). I was waiting all day to get the keys for this thing. I rang my mate that lived up the road told him to wait at the bottom of the road at 4.30.
He was sat in his nova looking in the rear view mirror as I came sideways out on to the road behind him, completely unintentional. I floored it before the car was straight and nearly pilled it up. We then went on a half hour blast in it together, had to do some serious begging to keep my job when I got back and the boss was stood waiting for me. He new all along what I was going to do so had been watching. The first properly quick car i ever drove and for this reason it’s one of my favourite cars ever.
So you Ferris Bueller'd it? I was an apprentice when I left school at a Vauxhall garage in Harrogate, we used to get one of these in for servicing. We used to have a ‘mark’ we tested quick cars against, we’d pull out on the bypass and see how quick we could get before the first gate on the left side of the road. This beat everything else we’d had in.
I was fresh out of school at the time and was aloud to bring all the cars in from the carpark into the garage when we closed. (I wasn’t aloud to test drive them). I was waiting all day to get the keys for this thing. I rang my mate that lived up the road told him to wait at the bottom of the road at 4.30.
He was sat in his nova looking in the rear view mirror as I came sideways out on to the road behind him, completely unintentional. I floored it before the car was straight and nearly pilled it up. We then went on a half hour blast in it together, had to do some serious begging to keep my job when I got back and the boss was stood waiting for me. He new all along what I was going to do so had been watching. The first properly quick car i ever drove and for this reason it’s one of my favourite cars ever.
Edited by Branch666 on Thursday 18th January 10:43
Edited by Branch666 on Thursday 18th January 10:45
HedgeyGedgey said:
A half decent c20let corsa still has ~300bhp/ton. Easy engines to get to 270+bhp. Just rather expensive nowadays. Might be an old school conversion, but 300bhp/ton isnt something to be messing with is it
Yes yes, that's all very well and good. But you're sat in a Corsa, worth tuppence. So, I'm out. I'm lucky enough to have driven one on several occasions in the last decade. They still feel rapid, even by today's standards.
Here's a few from the impromptu 'owners meet' at PHSS a few years back...
phss-vauxhall-200714-154 by Adam Lister, on Flickr
phss-vauxhall-200714-183 by Adam Lister, on Flickr
phss-vauxhall-200714-181 by Adam Lister, on Flickr
phss-vauxhall-200714-165 by Adam Lister, on Flickr
Dave's '890LC' puts all others to shame tbh!
adam. said:
Yes yes, that's all very well and good. But you're sat in a Corsa, worth tuppence. So, I'm out.
I'm lucky enough to have driven one on several occasions in the last decade. They still feel rapid, even by today's standards.
Here's a few from the impromptu 'owners meet' at PHSS a few years back...
phss-vauxhall-200714-154 by Adam Lister, on Flickr
phss-vauxhall-200714-183 by Adam Lister, on Flickr
phss-vauxhall-200714-181 by Adam Lister, on Flickr
phss-vauxhall-200714-165 by Adam Lister, on Flickr
Dave's '890LC' puts all others to shame tbh!
Joe's road racer makes a nice contrast though I'm lucky enough to have driven one on several occasions in the last decade. They still feel rapid, even by today's standards.
Here's a few from the impromptu 'owners meet' at PHSS a few years back...
phss-vauxhall-200714-154 by Adam Lister, on Flickr
phss-vauxhall-200714-183 by Adam Lister, on Flickr
phss-vauxhall-200714-181 by Adam Lister, on Flickr
phss-vauxhall-200714-165 by Adam Lister, on Flickr
Dave's '890LC' puts all others to shame tbh!
Nice photos Adam
s m said:
Joe's road racer makes a nice contrast though
Nice photos Adam
K948 is the Vauxhall heritage car, 890LC is Dave's, K928 is my Dads, White Racer is Joe Ellis'.Nice photos Adam
https://flic.kr/s/aHsjZQ7k4f
Plenty more pics in the album..
456lbft said:
That's my white one on the left.
Joe I presume?adam. said:
s m said:
Joe's road racer makes a nice contrast though
Nice photos Adam
K948 is the Vauxhall heritage car, 890LC is Dave's, K928 is my Dads, White Racer is Joe Ellis'.Nice photos Adam
https://flic.kr/s/aHsjZQ7k4f
Plenty more pics in the album..
456lbft said:
That's my white one on the left.
Joe I presume?IanJ9375 said:
mikey P 500 said:
They nearly made a lotus cavalier too, when I was about 12yrs old I had a ride in the prototype one (nextdoor neighbour was Roger Becker), had the similar performance in a smaller car. Still have memories of how fast it was. I assume the lotus Vauxhall link finished before it made production.
Always had the Lotus Cav down as a rumour but apparently not - Post by Wobert https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=13...
iirc the "Silver" LC mentioned was the MD or CEO of Lucas
I can say that with a degree of certainty as I was doing the turbocharger installation..... :-)
Thinking more about this, the LC powertrain was originally put into standard vehicles for development work.
It was a bit before my time, but there were numerous stories of test drivers losing control on the Hethel test track, as the standard brakes simply weren’t up to the performance of the powertrain.
One story I can recall, was one of the development team re-entering the factory via the main gate (the one with the security hut, for those who have to Hethel).
Apparently he lost it on the brakes at the bottom hairpin (opposite end of the track from the steering pad) and had gone on into the field of cabbages at the bottom end.
The only choice from there was out onto the bottom end of Potash Lane and back up to the factory.
I’m wondering if the guy above who went in the Cavalier, that it was in fact an early Carlton development car?
It was a bit before my time, but there were numerous stories of test drivers losing control on the Hethel test track, as the standard brakes simply weren’t up to the performance of the powertrain.
One story I can recall, was one of the development team re-entering the factory via the main gate (the one with the security hut, for those who have to Hethel).
Apparently he lost it on the brakes at the bottom hairpin (opposite end of the track from the steering pad) and had gone on into the field of cabbages at the bottom end.
The only choice from there was out onto the bottom end of Potash Lane and back up to the factory.
I’m wondering if the guy above who went in the Cavalier, that it was in fact an early Carlton development car?
Edited by wobert on Friday 19th January 22:21
s m said:
wobert said:
I’m 99% certain the Cavalier never got beyond being an installation buck in the vehicle workshop.
I can say that with a degree of certainty as I was doing the turbocharger installation..... :-)
Do you know what stage the Calibra got to?I can say that with a degree of certainty as I was doing the turbocharger installation..... :-)
LotusOmega375D said:
456lbft said:
That's my white one on the left.
Possibly the most famous LC: but is it really an original LC?....For those on PH that haven't seen it
Not exactly your average ring sticker
Edited by B'stard Child on Saturday 20th January 06:11
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