LOTUS CARLTON........

[samm_cvr6 0]

Just seen one outside my flat and I can't remember the last time I saw one. Other than the air vents that point to the fact that there is a mother of an engine it is really subtle.

Could this be the ultimate Q car? I've hear they can be had for under 5k!

[CHRISVR6 0]

Nice car but old now and massive, try getting parts for it as well or insurance :wink:

[Supercharged 2]

try getting parts for it as well or insurance

 

Yeah, I heard you can't get head gaskets for them or something silly like that...

[CHRISVR6 0]

Cant get any body panels or anything. And engine parts are very rare, plus only about 500 being made means spares are going to be very costly and very very hard to find.

[chubbybrown 0]

They were 'very' rare when they came out and back then if you saw one you stared at it usually until it went out of sight as they had the awe factor.

 

as for headgaskets Im sure someone could do a custom one somewhere...

 

Insurance is another story :!:

[Jim 2]

You won't pick up anything decent for £5000 - these still go for a lot more money because they are rare as hens teeth, and fapping quick.. as everyone else has said, you will struggle to insure or find parts for these.

 

Stunning motors though.. :)

[dr_mat 0]

Could we have found a car more expensive to run than the Corrado? Is this *possible*? ;)

I always liked the Lotus Carlton. For exactly the point made above: subtlety.. 177mph and it looks like nothing too special. It's only that badge and the large alloys that kinda give it away outside...

Last I heard you were looking at 10 grand for a good runner, so I have no idea how many headaches you can buy yourself for £5k, but it strikes me as not worth it unless you're in the trade and can get stuff cheap!

[samm_cvr6 0]

certainly looks like a high maintenance car, luckily I am, as I expect the rest of you are very used to high maintenance cars :)

And what about fuel economy? In that big old thing with a huge engine 20mpg seems about the max. While I'm on the subject, can anyone explain why a golf VR6 which is 100cc smaller than a Corrado VR and is lighter, I think? returns less mpg than the Corrado VR? I'm just going by the figures I read in EVO, something like 24 vs 29.5mpg is what they quoted.

[RadoAds 0]

Someone my boss used to know had one and it was an awesome machine, dont think ive ever been in a car that made blokes heads turn as much as that one did, didnt do much for the fairer sex as i care to remember though, probably cos it looked like a big vauxhall, albeit one with large wheels, vents and that extremely sexy green paint that was almost black in some lights 8)

[JBOB 0]

I saw one of these flash past my office the other day, i could even hear it comin through double glazing :D

[Scruffythefirst 0]

Could we have found a car more expensive to run than the Corrado? Is this *possible*? Wink

 

Yes, no headgaskets (there were soem made but the definately arent any head bolts anywhere), chipped ones melt pistons and overheat doing the headgasket (all the companies that offered chips didn't uprate the injectors which are on the limit anyway. Chipping the ecu is a bad idea too as the socket for the chip is easily damaged and you'd have to goto aftermarket management if you did that as theres no spares available.

 

The brakes are huge, and expensive. 4 discs and 8 pads will cost you £2k plus vat plus fitting.

 

Body panels are plentiful - standard carlton but the body kit is impossible to find, as is finding soemone to spray the bits the right colour.

 

Turbo's can be overhauld easily enough though, and the block is a bored 3lt from the gsi so can be replaced, still no headgaskets tho :shock:

[dr_mat 0]

can anyone explain why a golf VR6 which is 100cc smaller than a Corrado VR and is lighter, I think? returns less mpg than the Corrado VR? I'm just going by the figures I read in EVO, something like 24 vs 29.5mpg is what they quoted.

 

Gear ratios?

[dr_mat 0]

The brakes are huge, and expensive. 4 discs and 8 pads will cost you £2k plus vat plus fitting.

 

Well you don't really wanna skimp when you're trying to stop 1.6 tonnes of metal from 177+ mph, do ya?! :shock:

[Ice White Socks 0]

samm_cvr6 wrote:

can anyone explain why a golf VR6 which is 100cc smaller than a Corrado VR and is lighter, I think? returns less mpg than the Corrado VR? I'm just going by the figures I read in EVO, something like 24 vs 29.5mpg is what they quoted.

 

 

Gear ratios?

 

Aerodynamics?

[CHRISVR6 0]

Yeah its a box :lol: , When i had my VR6 golf i thought it was running rich, but sadly not just eating fuel, the rado was much better, about ten miles per £10 of fuel more.

 

As for the carlton, the bodykit is the worst in getting as if you have a front end smash, you might not get a new bumper as the lotus carlton is wider if i remember correctly, so nothing else will fit :?

[del68 0]

A guy I used to work with has one of these,92' Union Jack custom paint job, so as well as hearing it from miles away you can see the bloody thing too! He's had it garaged for about 5 years, only takes it out on very special occasions and even then only within a 20 mile radius of his home, think he does about 200 miles a year. Say's it is ridiculously expensive to keep and run but worth keeping as it only has around 5k on the clock, he's the second owner from new, don't think he told me how much he paid for it but I do remember him saying it was worth around £22,500.00 and that was a couple of years ago. Stupid money really for something he's too frightened and can't afford to drive anywhere.

[samm_cvr6 0]

£22.5k is a lot, E46 M3's are starting to come in at that sort of price :)

[vr6storm 0]

Just seen one outside my flat and I can't remember the last time I saw one. Other than the air vents that point to the fact that there is a mother of an engine it is really subtle.

Could this be the ultimate Q car? I've hear they can be had for under 5k!

 

 

of course there's every chance its a replica too.............you just need 1 Carlton 3000 GSi 12v or 24v variety............or go for the monster sheep in wolf's clothing extreme......a 1.8L Carlton :shock: add some glassfibre and some vents and finish off with big rims and Bob's yer mam's brother........et viola........one replica Lotus Carlton

 

 

seriously tho...........apart from their collectability they are extremely rare and at the time the fastest production road-going saloon........even if it was sold by Vauxhall/opel.........you are still looking £10k entry level

[Jimjam 0]

of course there's every chance its a replica too.............you just need 1 Carlton 3000 GSi 12v or 24v variety............or go for the monster sheep in wolf's clothing extreme......a 1.8L Carlton add some glassfibre and some vents and finish off with big rims and Bob's yer mam's brother........et viola........one replica Lotus Carlton

 

Not as simple as just a bodykit - Lotus has different rear arches to standard Carltons.

 

Round, as opposed to straight.

[Scruffythefirst 0]

Not to mention everyone who knows anything about them knows they only came in green, a colour you couldnt have on a standard calton, plus you cant get the rims.

[BeavisJem 0]

My friends dad has a lotus carlton and its a scary car.

 

In third the rev needle goes up as quick as my G60 in 1st. :shock:

 

3.5L straight 6V with Twin superchargers. Pusshing about 468 Bhp for a 1.6 tonne car.

 

The lucky thing is my friend works for Lotus so is able to source parts.

 

Majical car, bit out dadted inside.

 

Good ones are still around the 10k mark and most have been thrashed to death.

[dr_mat 0]

Twin TURBO chargers. 377bhp. 419lbft. (Unless it's been chipped!)

 

They had more power/torque from it when Lotus were tweaking the engine, but found that it kept snapping drive shafts, so they had to calm it down a little...!! :shock:

[BeavisJem 0]

Silly me i meant turbo, G60 on the brain.

 

Yep he has had it played with.

 

Still quick

[dr_mat 0]

I hope he uprated the drive shafts and gearbox then! ;)

[vr6storm 0]

of course there's every chance its a replica too.............you just need 1 Carlton 3000 GSi 12v or 24v variety............or go for the monster sheep in wolf's clothing extreme......a 1.8L Carlton add some glassfibre and some vents and finish off with big rims and Bob's yer mam's brother........et viola........one replica Lotus Carlton

 

Not as simple as just a bodykit - Lotus has different rear arches to standard Carltons.

 

Round, as opposed to straight.

 

 

pretty sure there was a GRP kit to help achieve the "lotus" look and if you're going to do a replica creating round arches wouldn't exactly be hard to get a decent bodyshop to do....................i do remember that someone did create a replica using a GSI as a base..........except he went the full hog and actually used a written-off Lotus carlton's running gear..................as for the colour scruffythefirst........most ppl would if they were making a replica, paint it the same colour as the real thing :wink: