The Lotus Carlton had a number of different names depending on where it was sold. The car was known as the Lotus Omega in Europe and also known as the Vauxhall Lotus Carlton in the UK. Ultimately the car was a standard Vauxhall omega which had been modified by Lotus, as Alpina have done throughout the years with BMW and AMG with Mercedes.

The end result from Lotus was the production of a 177 mph saloon car which was not only capable of housing 4 passengers and a boot full of shopping, but delivered exceptional speed and performance.

The majority of alterations seen on the Lotus Carlton were under the bonnet. The exterior of the car had some minor modifications in the addition of air vents on the bonnet, a spoiler and a body kit. The revised aesthetics of the car gave it a more menacing look and differentiated it from the standard Carlton. The suspension of the car was also altered to improve the overall handling and ride of the car.

The car was produced in one solitary colour called imperial green, which was a darkened version of British racing green. The colour was so dark that many thought the car was in fact black.

The engine used was a 3.6 litre 24 valves straight six, which was a modified Opel engine. By adding two turbo chargers Lotus managed to get 377 bhp, which was an astonishing amount of power for such a car. Due to the power the engine delivered the standard transmission had to be switched in favour of a 6 speed ZF, as seen in the Corvette.

The 0-62 for the car stood at just 5.2 seconds which rivals the modern day M Series cars from BMW. Another impressive feat was the 0-100 mph and back to a standing stop again which only took 17 seconds. The outstanding braking of the car was as a result of larger tyres and brakes being fitted.

The Lotus Carlton retailed for Ј48,000, though due to the recession only 950 were ever produced and production was haltered after just four years. The car itself is now becoming very sought after with prices ranging up to Ј20,000 for a low mileage version in good condition. With only 950 produced such examples are becoming more and more rare.