Lotus Carlton | Spotted
Remember when a measly 377hp blew everyone's mind?
Today's spotted is a Lotus. Well, sort of. A half Lotus, actually. When I were a lad in 1990 (the teenage spotty and impressionable kind) the half Lotus burst onto the scene with a hell of a furore. This rage was nothing to do with middle England being exercised by a meditation position, though, it was rage aimed at squarely at a large, family saloon. A very fast one that was deemed too fast and too dangerous for the road. The Lotus Carlton.
This car shouldn't be allowed, they cried. Thank God that middle Englanders weren't furnished with crystal balls, then, because if they'd seen how much power and speed the Mercedes-AMG E 63 S would have 30 years later, it would've caused aneurisms up and down the land for sure. Anyway, as I said, I was impressionable back then but also naughty, so this brouhaha immediately made the half Lotus very appealing indeed. As did its lovely, lustrous Imperial green paint, its big arches, its deep skirts and, of course, it's 3.6-litre twin-turbocharged straight-six with 377hp. What a lump. That kind of power was completely unheard of in an executive express back then. I read with great interest that it could propel the otherwise humdrum Carlton to 177mph, which is the thing that was making middle England so apoplectic. That was cool, sure, but I was astounded by another half Lotus fact.
It could go from 0-100mph in 10.5 seconds. Now, that claim has since been disputed by various road tests, but the fact is I read it somewhere at the time, and it struck a chord. Why? Because it matched a Lamborghini Countach. The Countach had barely two seats or opening windows. Instead, it had many scoops and NACA ducts. It also came from Sant'Agata Bolognese, in Italy, which to me was the country that invented speed. Meanwhile, the half Lotus had four doors and four fully opening electric windows. It also had a body kit that appeared to have been plucked from the Ripspeed catalogue and came from Luton, which, as far as I can see, is a place that's most famous for inventing hats. How could this car be this good, then?
The first time I saw a half Lotus in the flesh was at the 1993 NEC motor show. I remember it sitting majestically under the lights on the Vauxhall stand, all latent and menacing. After I stopped staring at it, I started poking around and saw its brakes. These were massive. The ventilated discs at the front had holes between the each friction surface that were so fat I could fit my fat fingers in them. That was pretty cool. Even cooler, though, was when a half Lotus breezed past me in the outside lane of the M1 as I travelled home. It was big and otherworldly and the feeling it produced was, I'd imagine, exactly the same as when a fighter pilot spots a UFO cruising past their Typhoon.
I also remember very clearly my neighbour telling me something that cemented the half Lotus's legend for ever in my brain. He was a police driving instructor working at Hendon where the Met did all its driver training. This was about the time that joy riding was all the rage, and scallywags with lines in their hair and Adidas tracksuits were nicking quick stuff like Cosworths and Scoobies every hour, on the hour. So the police were fighting back by arming themselves with similarly quick stuff. The half Lotus had been in for evaluation and my neighbour leaned across the hedge and told me that it was very, very fast. But he went on and, no joke, said, "John, it's too fast for me to recommend; our lads will just crash it." Think about that: too fast for the police. I very nearly wet myself there and then.
I nearly did the same a few years ago when I got to drive a Half Lotus. I was expecting it to be terrible in every way, but it wasn't. It was utterly brilliant. Still hugely quick, even by today's standards, but, of course, those words were still imprinted on my mind, "John...our lads will just crash it." What if I crashed it? After all, this thing is vicious, and it just happened to be February and cold and wet. Yet it turned out to be like the most docile rottweiler you've ever met - the kind that lets small children stick pens up its bottom and just carries on napping. I drove the half Lotus pretty much that whole weekend, and spent most of that time going sideways round roundabouts. It was one of the best times I've ever had in a car. It's also probably why it's a good thing I can't afford this one, which is £115,000. At some point a policemen would almost certainly see me and arrest me for joyriding. Assuming he could catch me, that is.
Specification | Lotus Carlton
Engine: 3,615cc, straight-six, twin turbocharged
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 377 @5,200rpm
Torque (lb ft): 419 @ 4,200rpm
CO2: N/A
MPG: N/A
Recorded mileage: 34,000
Year registered: 1993
Price new: £48,000
Yours for: £115,000
There was a car dealer local to me years ago and he was selling one, and I remember him telling me that he took his son to the cinema at Meadowhall in it, and he did 160 on the M1 on the way there and it was still pulling!
I'd love to own one for sure. Such a cool and iconic car I reckon.
And I got to sit in a prototype, heady days indeed!!
I like the variety of articles on new and old sporty fun to drive stuff but not so bothered on the electric appliances
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Think we covered all bases of a good 90's 4 car garage, your everyday saloon, your grand tourer for continent hopping, your fun weekend toy, and your summer fun car, just a shame they aren't all mine
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