Estimated Price: £100,000 - £115,000

The legendary Lotus Carlton is the kind of car that comes along once in a generation. At a time when really fast four-door saloons were the preserve of BMW and Mercedes, this Vauxhall (Opel) derived super saloon arrived on the scene demolishing the opposition. Oddly, it wasn't its huge performance or masculine good looks that created the most fuss, but the fact that the Daily Mail was so outraged by its stated top speed of 176mph, that it declared it too fast for British roads. Of course, the Lotus Carlton - or Type 104 to Lotus aficionados - was nothing of the sort, and although it shared its major components with a mainstream executive car, its level of development across every aspect of automotive dynamics had resulted in a truly special performance car.

It was powered by a twin-turbo version of the venerable straight-six used in the range topping Senator, which developed a remarkable 377bhp. To achieve that figure, Lotus had put a lot of work into the 3.6-litre power unit, uprating and strengthening the bottom end, porting the 24-valve cylinder head (from the Carlton GSI), and fitting forged 'slipper pistons' made by Mahle atop new Lotus-designed connecting rods tied to a counterweighted, forged steel crankshaft. The gearbox was the same 6-speed used in the Corvette ZR-1, the only transmission in GM's parts bin, capable of handling the car's monster torque. AP Group-C derived brakes - four-pot calipers with 330mm ventilated discs at the front and two-pot at the rear.

Car number 0882, first registered as one of just 284 right-hand drive Lotus Carltons on the 1st August 1993, has been gently used in recent years, living a semi-retired life in near-perfect storage conditions. As a result, it has only recorded 21,114 miles, at the time of cataloguing, which is evidenced in the incredible condition, including the original painted torque mark guides on the engine components. In 2023 the car was inspected by Parker Classic Works of Leicestershire and what followed was an extensive programme of works, starting at the bottom with Lanoguard protection to the undersides, the leather treated to remain supple, and topped off with a ceramic coating to the paint. The exhaustive list shows attention to the brakes, fuel system, running gear, electrics, the fitment of a set of four new Michelin Pilot Sport tyres and a full service. The highly descriptive list of works runs to three pages, and totals £17,981.

Presented to auction with a highly detailed history file, bookpack, service book, hand books, radio code cards, a number of previously issued V5C registration documents, myriad receipts and maintenance records, previous MOTs, the most recent of which was issued with no advisories on 10th April 2026 at 20,098 miles.

Very few examples of the legendary Lotus Carlton can be found in this condition, with such a detailed history file and a fabulously low-mileage.