1993 Vauxhall Lotus Carlton

• UK-supplied, one of just 284 right-hand drive cars built, excellent and unmodified
• Showing only 47,817 miles (atoc) supported by a well-documented history file
• Superb Imperial Green Pearlescent paintwork with an unmarked Anthracite leather interior
• Well-balanced rear-drive chassis with 377bhp and a top speed of 176mph
• Offered at a realistic guide price, examples this good rarely come to market

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 six-speeder 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 - sat behind specially developed Goodyear tyres.

First registered in March 1993, number 816 is a UK-supplied right-hand drive Lotus Carlton and today, 27 years later, still presents incredibly well. Indicating only 47,817 miles at the time of cataloguing, the Imperial Green Pearlescent paintwork is excellent as is the virtually unmarked Anthracite leather interior. Offered from long-term ownership, our vendor, a classic and performance car enthusiast, has over the years maintained his pride-and-joy to the very highest standards. Offered with the original and highly sought after Ian Adcock book, documented history file, current V5c, old MOTs and a fresh MOT ready for the sale.

These low production number Carltons are highly collectable, good examples rarely come to market and with (even by today's standards) blistering performance they represent a usable modern classic with legendary status. Offered at a realistic guide, this is a rare opportunity to join the rather exclusive club of Lotus Carlton owners.