A closer look at the creation of the Vauxhall Lotus Carlton as well as the legendary '40 RA'. Don't forget to check out the CT Shop👇 shop.carthrottle.com/
@@jonavanderpal guns don't kill people, the one who weilds it decides if it does or not. That's like saying if you kill someone with a fucking watermelon, should we ban watermelon? No.
British people: but we're not stabbing people, we're a very well behaved people British government: yes but we have to mass import people who are super violent so the forks must be banned
M M the reason they put out little amounts of cars is because they are all luxury or exotic brands. They are all still built in Britain and most are still designed here. (I imagine the rr is designed somewhere at some BMW place)
@@fruitella196 - McLaren has foreign investors keeping them alive not the Britisch government - Rolls Royce went private after the government sold its shares back in '87 and got sold to BMW to keep it going - Austin Martin sold to Ford and then sold to Daimler ( a.k.a Mercedes Benz) (German) - Bentley owner by VW (German) even the lovely Lamborgini is under German wing VW They can be built anywhere, it still doesnt change the history of Britisch automotive going down the drain forced into mergers or sell to shutdown. Ever heard of Britisch Leyland ? perhaps some history will help you realize how BELLY UP everything went. th-cam.com/video/tNNwICC4Ut0/w-d-xo.html remember the words FOREIGN INVESTMENTS
Yeah unfortunately 40 RA was recovered but it was partially parted out at the time, by now everything should be gone off it. There's some pictures of it on Google, breaks your heart to see it like that but atleast it helped put other Carltons back on the roads.
@@mariusremz1500 I found 0 evidence supporting your claims anywhere else than here on the internet. Could you perhaps supply us with an imgur page and/or a news article?
@@michaellavery4899 I know that, i have been doing it for 20 years. the two engines that were tested was actually test engines sent to us from Vauxhall Ellesmere Port, both engines were tested one after another over several hours all in the same conditions as we had to report information back and it had to be accurate. two different dynos were used that day on both engines and we had varying results each time, all thought very similar we took the average result from 6 dyno runs each engine. and that's what we got. we never saw less than 385bhp.
@@drugansltd4344 in the uk private registration numbers are purchsed from the DVLA and retained by the owner for transfer from the car to car. it seems when the car was recovered in a river use of the plate would of reverted back to the owner of the plate number
@1% Evan Ł So? It's like retiring a jersey that belonged to a legendary player, and then bringing it back so that a mediocre player can wear the number.
*Really the court banned the car instead of admiring the efforts that engineers did?* They could at least ask Lotus to empower their Police cars at least!!
@@guigui70051 We did eventually get Evos and Imprezzas. But honestly I think they could have created a rocketship out of the Senators and Granadas that the police were so fond of at the time.
Here in Australia the first gc8 styled wrx's were a problem for police. They were too quick and nimble to keep up with and were also a ram raid choice. So what happened? Did they ban them? Nope. The police force got outfitted with their own wrx's. That's how it's done.
@@alexharkler But if you were at fault, the cop will get angry and give you the ticket.. Be nice with cops and they will let you go away... usually xd. I was nice with cops, I got pulled over 2 times speeding in a car and cut a red light, but none gave me a ticket :D
I help anytime unless they have a good sense of humor then you just got a laugh and that is worth way more than being nice I’ve been let go for shit I should have been taken to jail for because I made the cop laugh
Im in the uk and this made me laugh a lot. Unfortunately despite most of us having fun where we're allowed, our powers that be, our mp's etc are about as fun as a lightbulb, but nowhere near as bright.
Alas, America Bans Importation of Most British Performance Vehicles due to a Lack of Safety Equipment, but they Can Still be Disassembled and Imported as Kits
I'm sure someone will have commented this before, but in case anyone hasn't seen comments regarding it and is interested, 40 RA still exists! It has been fully restored and is currently running new plates, which the owner has placed on the car to prevent it becoming a target for thieves. All that matters, is that the legend of 40 RA continues and the car can be seen on Lotus Carlton websites and blogs around the internet :)
the plate 40RA is still owned by the original owner .. has it on a normal family car now... the lotus was pulled out of a canal near Birmingham .. last info I saw was it had been stripped for what parts could be used and the rest scrapped...
*UK police cars too slow Option A - get halfway decent cars Option B- ban fast cars , by taking a protracted legal route that does nothing to stop the cars already out there. And fail at banning them
@@jakeclapham1626 you don't need cars that can go the same speed. You just need cars quick enough to coordinate and track the fool. You can outrun the cruiser, but you can't outrun the radio. Most new cars can hit 150 easy
Or stop people simply replacing the engine in or tuning legal cars to make them super quick. But oh well, you can't outrun the cops like this now anyway.
@Jake Clapham So, according to you, people would complain that the police are spending money on fast cars to catch fast criminals... instead of spending their money on doing their job to catch criminals. I know there are some people that complain about everything but that's really stretching it.
Police had 2 or 3 escort cosworths in my city in the 90's then a bunch of t5 Volvos and now i think they have 330i bmws and some crappy little proton thing..
Just putting this out here because a lot of people probably have this on their mind - This would've been a perfect Barn Find car for FH4, especially with the 40 RA Story
That'd be a shit barfind because you wouldn't be able to put it on TH-cam or any part of the internet because the original owner would most likely claim in back😂 that'd be so shit if someone found it and that happend my God I would be sick such a cool car with an ever cooler story
This reminds me of the time I was talking to a Holden salesman. The scariest job for him was taking people out on test drives in HSV (Holden special vehicles) cars. They got a never ending supply of people who would have no money but would want to go out and see how fast the car would really go! I bet the vauxhall salesmen had the same problem.
Imagine to get repeatedly smoked by an understated hypersteroid meteor version of one of the most boring looking cars ever built. Lotus guys know their stuff.
smart cookies eh? A deal with GM to cheaply supply some to the police force would have been nice, as there were still many other cars capable of outrunning their fleet
Agreed, l love a sleeper, I have a 2000 E55 AMG estate car which has the same feel, looks pretty anonymous. Has less power and torque than the Carlton did though ten years earlier but adjusted for inflation would have been cheaper to buy than the Gm product!
@@martinallenuk Car people could, non car people had no clue and don't forget this was the era of cars that looked like they had driven into a Halfords shop front so a bodykit didn't mean much, if its not low and pointy then its not fast as far as most of the population are concerned. Its even better now after all these years, even youngsters who are into cars and may guess its something special because of the body kit still wont believe how fast it is in a straight line. I've had the odd laddo driving a supercharged mini (or similar) express surprise at how fast my E55 estate car is because its "old".
My crown Victoria police interceptor probably wont win many races but it was built to keep up with and outlast what it is chasing so it will take a kickin and keep rippin
40 RA was recovered from a canal in Knowle, Solihull. The offenders who were using it hailed from the Northfield area of Birmingham. The River Rea runs near there.
Back in the day , I'm 51 now! I worked with a mate who traded performance cars! He purchased a few of these Lotus Carltons, one was actually modified. Clutch eating taxi on steroids! Oval pistons, 3.6 litre twin turbo! Smooth but oh so fast! I remember giving a Honda Fireplade a hard time on the way to a car auction. Then on return journey, hitting 160+ with plenty to spare 😂 ( ALLEGEDLY 😉) ! TOTAL RESPECT! I'm still a petrol head through & through, appreciate the difference with modern technology regarding modern performance cars. But out of the old school stock, this car is well up there in performance stakes.
Yes, and it also is sad when an inline 6 gets replaced by a V6. However, many car companies do it in order to make cars more compact or to increase the size of the crumple zone. Other times they use a V6 so that it will fit in a transverse FWD application.
@@skylinefever Yup , alot of generators here in the states used to use the old Ford 300-6. Great industrial engine , but they replaced it with a 4.2 v6 some years back and I believe it was a mistake.
@@MrTheHillfolk I agree. However, there may have been a second reason for the Ford 300 to get cancelled. I think the engine produced large amounts of smog, and passing newer smog tests would be too hard.
@@Alex462047 Getting like a 100 of those for 10 million maybe a bit more because of the police fitting, let's say 11 million you can easily get a couple to every major city and one to every smaller one. I can't imagine that's a big hit for a country.
@@willemkanon4020 It is when you've got money-grubbing bean-counters running the budget and easily able to justify using a cheaper option. At least, that's near enough the excuse they use.
@@Alex462047 They should ask their cashcow mom Vatican to chip in, after all they built them in the first place. Like parents like son. Neither of these clowns ever ran any sense so can't really ask anything normal of the same.
They're driving to the right... I think it might be taken from a Swedish video where they're chasing an Opel/Lotus Omega. Found it.. I'd argue the "very high quality" claim though... On the other hand, it was 19 years ago, so there's that. th-cam.com/video/6yptiCYBSZo/w-d-xo.html
In the 90s a customer brought one in for a performance upgrade in dark metallic green , which underwent the treatment at our premises . I took it up to Superchips in Buckinghamshire for remapping from Barking and in double quick time . In those days one of the lads from that company would remap real time while I caned the car around the main roads and country lanes . After a dyno run back at Barking , this thing made massive amounts of power and torque , but I don't recall the Reg No ! At that time we had also just finished a 300 ZX twin turbo using parts I designed that made well over 500 bhp and lots of other cars from around the world . The police would have a hard time catching that Carlton it even now , and of course the first '95 on Supra that had been imported and reworked to over 700 bhp running TRDs full body it and wheels , a monster of a car with a huge single Turbo from HKS and a few tricks of our own thrown in including an AP Racing brake kit which we did in house . By that time I was driving with one brave soul that trusted me my mates eldest son who was in the 6th form , with our own ECU interface , laptop and S4 and was burning chips for everything we could crack into , from TVRs to Bently Mulsanne Turbos . Whatever anyone wanted we could build it like the first supercharged Mazda MX5 I designed the kit for . Even a BMW as in the intro got the treatment which was re built with twin turbos from a Mitsubishi GTO mounted on a stainless steel manifold I designed to just clear the steering , the rear one just a little higher than the front one . The lads from Dublin probably ran it on Pochin ! Both the Nissan and Supra appeared on our stand at Olympia and even Toyota was excited to see the new Supra which was a year away from being imported to the UK . Johnny Herbert (then F1 driver) asked me if he could buy it ! I had the great pleasure of being the main test driver for everything built by Mark's company as driving anything on its doorhandles was my thing . Retired due to a spinal injury but good days at Torque Developments . They are in Thurrock Essex now , if you want something interesting give them a call .
I just don’t understand why the government was angry at a fast sedan, but was totally fine with super cars of the era with the same performance. Sure, they can be hard to drive, but driving the Carlton isn’t exactly a walk in the park, and people could steal a supercar anyway (probably has more security, but the idea isn’t completely impossible).
Shona That’s right. The criminals needed enough room for a few men and for all the loot. And a supercar would draw a lot more attention on the getaway route. A bystander would likely remember seeing a porsche or ferrari drive on by, but nobody would take note of an average looking dark Vauxhall sedan
@@soulforsale2834 Mk2 jag and the Mk1 transit van were two other highly successful getaway vehicles, both would outrun the police cars of the day but could carry men and equipment. But it's not just the carry capacity, it's a bit difficult to turn up to a job in a Ferrari and go unnoticed until you are ready to run.......
Gordanovich02 I took a 2ltr 16v up to Berlin in 1998, While on the Hanover section of autobahn I floored it, the clock pass by top speed and just continued to slowly climb. But the fast it got the more planted it got, the steering felt heavier the faster the car went. I live in Berlin from 94 to 97 and had a 1.9GTI pug which was horrible at top speed, it felt the opposite to the Calibra.
@@chuckyboy6977 At the time, the Calibra had the lowest drag coefficient of any production road-car. I had one too, but it barely hit 120mph as was the 2.0 8v, but was very stable at speed.
There is or was one Vauxhall mk3 cavalier lotus prototype when they was considering whether to go with a Cavalier keeping the four-door saloon thing or to go with the Calibra with higher top speed
Coz you cant stuff a Testarrosa with 3 criminal buddies and a very large boot filled with stolen goodies. Also, would you want to ram into a shop front to rob in a Testarossa? Didnt think so.
I also noticed exotic, touring & super car owners are less likely to run from police. They’re afraid to damage the car, which would cost so much more than a ticket their lawyer can just get reduced or dismissed. Those cars also wouldn’t make it ten feet without being spotted after being stolen.
All other stuff like greenification, building more renewable sources, electric buses, reduction of flights all went to hell. The man in a ev fanboy and using his power to enforce it. Since 50% of uk is fossil powered, batteries r dirty and people r leasing more n more, evs are only slightly less polluting.
well yeah, consumers cars don't need to go faster than the national speed limit anyway. If you made manufacturers put a speed limit in their cars then stock (none speed limited) police cars could catch up to them no problem without having to risking the public's lives by chasing criminals at stupid speeds. I'd much rather a police car doing 100mph to catch up with a criminal stuck at 70, than having a police car doing 200mph to catch up with a car doing 177. Yes you'd have the problem of people bypassing the limiter but that's some what easy to deal with. If it's bypassed and you catch them (either by camera's or whatever) you give them a lifetime driving ban, because they knowingly drove a car with invalid insurance and MOT (because such mods would invalidate the insurance). It's not like they don't already do similar. They already have power limits and power/mass ratio limits on motorcycles, unless you do take a test giving you an unrestricted motorcycle licence.
@@Logarithm906 that wouldn't stop me. Besides I find it more fun when we have chases. Not to mention I drag race and it would be quite boring if my twin turbo Jeep renegade and 78 firebird trans am were limited to 70 mph. I would just opt for a Prius at that point
@@Logarithm906 I don't think limiting speed on a car will deter anyone who intends to break the law anyways to build a getaway car or find a car that can travel above a certain speed. Yeah, in a perfect world having the criminals drive a car that goes as fast as every other citizen's is probably lifesaving and much less reckless, but criminals will always find a way to get around it to do their deeds, knowing full well the risks of getting caught.
Ironically this is implemented in GTA5 base game and online. The speed is just slightly above the top speed limit. I remember almost falling asleep everytime I had to drive on a highway XD You drive a supercar that goes almost same as a hatcback XD
I outran several police cars in a 1978 Oldsmobile Delta 88 that I dropped a 1972 350 rocket out of a 442. Outrunning cops:no problem, outrunning police radio:not so good.
As a Norfolk boy, I am slight biased, but this is one of the greatest saloon cars ever. I got so close to buying one of these a few years back. But it needed an engine rebuild, which was and still is seriously expensive due to a lack of parts availability. A couple of months later, a mate bought it after seeking out all the bits. 6 months after that, we did a run through Germany on the way to Italy. Topped out at 171mph on the GPS with 4 people and luggage on board. Absolutely epic thing. I did buy a 190E 2.5-16 later that year, significantly better built, but not as much fun and nowhere near as fast, even with the AMG Power Pack. My Merc was a lot cheaper though. ;-)
I wonder how good the car would have been if you had a blow out! Did you bother to think of the other people on the road as you blew by them? The turbulence from your car could easily have pushed a small car of the road. You could have killed someone. Why cant you to a race track of you want to do that sort of speed? And before you say shut up old man, I live in Australia and drive a Holden Ute SS 5.7 Ltr V8 with 19" wheels, sports exhaust and a shift kit in the auto. I love fast cars, and I love going fast, but I do it on the track. Just think what would have happened if you clipped someone, or run up the arse. You and your mates and the people in the other car would have been DEAD. Did you ever consider the other road users? Or was it all about you and your mates having fun and screw everyone else. The roads are to get places, not do stupid speeds that could kill innocent people. You people are really stupid.
@@shanejackson4978 @toohottie001 The wonders of driving in Germany. Lane discipline is amazing, never been anywhere else like it. Pull out to overtake, overtake and pull in again. Only certain areas of the Autobahns are unrestricted and even then, it's amazing how good they are at staying out of the fast lane, even at 150mph plus. Road conditions tend to be excellent also, but it's the behaviour of the drivers that is the key. We were being overtaken fairly regularly as well, there were people doing around 200mph. Wasn't a problem. I went back with my mate in another of his cars the next year and topped 200. Faster than we achieved on track at Monza later that week. Felt safer on the road than on the track.
@@shanejackson4978 before you give it some bull. In Germany its expected of you to drive that fast. Thats the values of the autobahn. You're ignorant you asshole
What a great video! Thank you for posting. I was 18 years old in 1992, now I am a lucky bastard and I own all three of the big three super saloons from the era. The M5, the 500 he and the OPEL Lotus Omega. While I do love all three, as they are all three slightly different, the Lotus is definitely most special, the engine response is very much a kin to the 2JZ twin turbo supra engine. I have had mine up to 180 MPH indicated on the autobahn in Germany. What an experience it was!!
I wonder how good the car would have been if you had a blow out! Did you bother to think of the other people on the road as you blew by them? The turbulence from your car could easily have pushed a small car of the road. You could have killed someone. Why cant you to a race track of you want to do that sort of speed? And before you say shut up old man, I live in Australia and drive a Holden Ute SS 5.7 Ltr V8 with 19" wheels, sports exhaust and a shift kit in the auto. I love fast cars, and I love going fast, but I do it on the track. Just think what would have happened if you clipped someone, or run up the arse. Did you ever consider the other road users? Or was it all about you and your mates having fun and screw everyone else. The roads are to get places, not do stupid speeds that could kill innocent people. You people are really stupid.
@@shanejackson4978 Howdy, to answer your question, the autobahns in germany don't have a speed limit. Other traffic would of been traveling at high speed too, due to how the road rules of the autobahn work.
Shane Jackson yes sir, it was a portion of a de-restricted autobahn somewhere between Frankfurt and Munich. It was fully legal. The car was a perfect running condition and on a fresh set of W rated tires. It was a sunny day, the road was not congested, and the ambient temp was 65-70F. And, yes, I do go to the track here in the US as well as The Ring and Ricardo Tomo in Europe. PS. Something tells me that I am the “old” man here as I just turned 45. Lol
For anyone that is actually here during the lock down of 2020 and was recommended this video by youtube, the plate 40RA is now on a Hyundai. How the mighty have fallen.
@@reinbeers5322 the original owner has very recently bought another Lotus Carlton recently and transferred the plate to if after it was on the Hyundai EV for a while.
40 RA was recovered from a canal with the roof all smashed in (probably hit by a barge) the car was an insurance write off, the number plate was kept by it's owner and is now back on a Lotus Carlton.
In Australia 🇦🇺 we had the VN Commodore, which used the same platform as the Omega/Carlton. The Lotus Carlton made 281kw and 568nm (which for the 90s is insane). For comparison, our fastest and most powerful model at the time was the Holden VN Group A SS, which made 215kw and 411nm from a 5 litre V8.
Still one of my all time favourite cars along with the Lancia Delta Integrale and Fors Escort RS Cosworth. I would take either of them over a supercar any day of the week.
From a period when Vauxhall were bringing their A game, it also helped that GM owned Lotus at the time too (They designed the engine in the Corvette C4 ZR-1) infact i believe that's where the gearbox for the Lotus Carlton also came from it was the only box GM produced at the time that was capable of taking that amount of torque. It's a real hero car & one i'd love to own.
'Dreadful' saloons and hatchbacks? Sod off, there were some absolutely stonkingly good cars around then for an absolute pittance. Its far far worse today.
A friend of mine owns one in Malaysia, he also races a classic race car and has a garage at Sepang race circuit. Well in with the Lotus guys that work with Proton, he's not short of help with his Carlton. Plus petrol is cheaper than the UK so he's really having fun.
The Chrysler Shadow GTS Turbo was also famous in Mexico for being the perfect car for chases since it was too fast for police cars. They even had to ask Chrysler a power reduction to those Shadows to at least keep the pace :v
Back in 1990 in Hungary (!!!!) a fella in our block of flats owned one. This car was a miracle back in those days. Along with his wife's car. A race green John Cooper Mini...
Awesome car 👌 had the pleasure of driving one of these, it costs pocket money to take these up to 500bhp and it’s only getting into its stride. A very dear friend of mine owns the Lotus Carlton that used to be on the front pages of the car mags with 500 in its reg plate 🤘👌🤘.
Such a great car. What a shame that was their solution for the problem, banning them. Nowadays we have $45,000 cars that can easily get near that ludicrous speed, but you don’t see those cars banned.
Yes, and one way to do that is to have a very skilled driver driving a car with very good performance, because if you look at most chases, the getaway driver is rubbish and crashes quite easily, so the police are wary if they go much above 60mph on anything but a motorway. Equally, if your going 100+ on the motorway, they wouldn't really try and block or use stingers because you might lose control and crash in to the public.
@@probuildconstruction Irish police force used Opel Commodores or more accurately their U.K. equivalent, the Vauxhall Ventora for their muscle cars. Rural patrol cars included the Renault 4...
@@probuildconstruction generally we only see the little ones. Monza, Manta, Rekord. Beautiful classic machines around the 70s and 80s. Ireland (South,) preferred the German badge of G.M. Something to do with being friends with the enemy's enemy...
That 500E. OMG, it still looks ridiculously good. It just fits in. It looks so nice and sporty. The engine is a dream ! You should have made a video about that car.
+Michael Wilson I wouldn't call them ugly, especially not compared to next-generation Mercedeses after it, but having a shitty one as a daily for 5 years as a first car makes you hate them with all your soul. (Note that I actually had a 1978 w123 200 model, not the 500e w124)
This is one of the most delicious videos I've seen on TH-cam without proving my age lol. That 40RA story is far better than either Gone in 60 Seconds film. It needs to be made into a movie. Sod Eleanor. Parliament getting involved?! Epic! Vauxhall has a bit of a dull, humdrum image but, when you do a little historical research, there are some hot periods in its history. For example: London to Brighton runs, the Prince Henry was the world's first sportscar, the marque used to rival Bentley, first post-war monocoque and metallic paint in the UK, 1950s Cresta etc gave us the closest to US styling, Viva Brabham GT, Big Bertha, Baby Bertha, HP Firenza, VX4/90, forgotten 70s prototypes, Chevette HSR, Cavalier's dominance, Astra GTEs and SRis, Lotus Carlton, Calibra drag coefficient, VXR range, VX220 Turbo, sod it let's rebadge some Holden V8s because we can.
Constable: "we just can't keep up with this Lotus guv. I reckon we need something quicker" Sargent: "Nonsense, there's a perfectly good Metro in the yard lad" Constable: 👀
When I was a Apprentice in the early nineties the director of a Vauxhall dealership i worked at offered to take myself and a couple of others out in his Lotus Carlton ( he had racing experience and it showed!); it's still the fastest I've ever been in a car , 165mph, .
This in Imperial Green is one of the dream dailys for me! Imagine the shock and horror on the face of a Lambo driver when a 20 year old Vauxhall just beats him off the lights.
as impressive as that vauxhall is i seriously doubt any modern lambo couldn't outrun it. just by looking at dry numbers, they do less to 60 and have higher top speeds. that doesn't mean they wouldn't be horrified seeing 20 year old vauxhall so close in the rear view
@@jarekpszuk6944 I agree, modern Lambos (and all supercars in general) have gotten much faster but most people who drive them can't drive them properly. And you can't actually drive these cars at their limits in traffic and on the horrible roads that we now have.
If you want something like this get an opel/Vauxhall Vectra 2.8 simple timing remap and it hits 300 HP without any more modifications and their pretty cheap never fails after a guy with a 200 PS bmw or bent gets left behind at a stoplight by an opel
While the Edge Definitely has an Advantage in Roadholding, the AWD Effect is SIMULATED Using Rear Wheel Braking, a Technique Developed by Porsche for its 911s
@@user-vs7sb9wg2r Some people want to be unique, and have many colonies. That's why we have Kilograms and Pounds, Kilometers and Miles, drive on the left side and right side. Sweden woke up in 1967, and they switched. We need a standard, but oh well.
SAAB used to get about twice the performance out of the same GM engines as OPEL during the years that both used the same engines. The current Opel Insignia is a great example of this. It goes up to 200 hp, while the Saab 9-5 that used the same engine didn't go below 220 hp.
@@MrRohanThomas the Alpina B10 Biturbo, launched in 89, still had a higher top speed of over 290 kmh (180.2 mph). The Lotus was quicker to 60 but couldn't steal the fastest saloon title.
The Government didn't try to ban it!. There were a lot of cars around that would beat it. You see it all the time, start a silly story about the Police / Government want to ban it & loads of people will want it.
We have a few Omegas here in Brazil, not the Lotus tuned-up version, but the Opel saloon ones. And some mechanics and garages here had worked those engines to put up with even more abuse than Lotus did, back then. What Lotus still have an edge about them, is the handling. The suspension setup, the updated brakes, the new wheels and the new chassis rigidity improved the handling so much, and it never was reproduced anywhere in the world.
Should make crime illegal, that'll fix it.
Crime is illegal
@@jasonjr2500 Oh, well...problem solved then.
@@jasonjr2500 whoooosh
@@thepinkerton657 😂
@@jasonjr2500 r/whooosh
Police : we need fast cars
Govt : No, ban all fast cars
Yeah just like the 2nd amendment's crisis in America rn
@@abhijitg4626 kind of, but cars aren't meant to kill things.
@@jonavanderpal IRA would disagree with you, pal
@@jonavanderpal guns don't kill people, the one who weilds it decides if it does or not. That's like saying if you kill someone with a fucking watermelon, should we ban watermelon? No.
B I G T H O N K
Britt: I have a fork
Britt government: forks can be used for stabing, forks are now banned.
they will arrest you for possession of a tooth pick.
Leonardo: Says "Britt" instead of "Brit".
TH-cam: You're banned from our site, fool.
@@TheIceMurder2 this is my way tô rebel against the system.
British people: but we're not stabbing people, we're a very well behaved people
British government: yes but we have to mass import people who are super violent so the forks must be banned
@@scottcantdance804 speaking truth here mate 😂👍🏻
No wonder british car manufacturers went belly up, they've got a government full of biscuitheads
Bahahahahahahahaaaaa
McLaren? Rolls Royce? Aston Martin?
@@fruitella196 all spit out less than half a million vehicles a year. Those types of manufacturers seek foreign investors help keep them afloat.
M M the reason they put out little amounts of cars is because they are all luxury or exotic brands. They are all still built in Britain and most are still designed here. (I imagine the rr is designed somewhere at some BMW place)
@@fruitella196 - McLaren has foreign investors keeping them alive not the Britisch government
- Rolls Royce went private after the government sold its shares back in '87 and got sold to BMW to keep it going
- Austin Martin sold to Ford and then sold to Daimler ( a.k.a Mercedes Benz) (German)
- Bentley owner by VW (German) even the lovely Lamborgini is under German wing VW
They can be built anywhere, it still doesnt change the history of Britisch automotive going down the drain forced into mergers or sell to shutdown. Ever heard of Britisch Leyland ?
perhaps some history will help you realize how BELLY UP everything went. th-cam.com/video/tNNwICC4Ut0/w-d-xo.html
remember the words FOREIGN INVESTMENTS
Imgaine barn finding 40 RA
Its been used as spares for everyone elses motors
Then the police knock on your door the next day to take you away
Yeah unfortunately 40 RA was recovered but it was partially parted out at the time, by now everything should be gone off it.
There's some pictures of it on Google, breaks your heart to see it like that but atleast it helped put other Carltons back on the roads.
I would keep it a secret.
@@mariusremz1500 I found 0 evidence supporting your claims anywhere else than here on the internet. Could you perhaps supply us with an imgur page and/or a news article?
Those HP and TQ numbers are still impressive in 2019!
those numbers were very random too for some reason, we dyno tested two stock motors, one was about 385 bhp and one was 398.
@@Soulvex Some dynos run high, some low. Very few give accurate figures and get worse with age.
@@michaellavery4899 I know that, i have been doing it for 20 years. the two engines that were tested was actually test engines sent to us from Vauxhall Ellesmere Port, both engines were tested one after another over several hours all in the same conditions as we had to report information back and it had to be accurate. two different dynos were used that day on both engines and we had varying results each time, all thought very similar we took the average result from 6 dyno runs each engine. and that's what we got. we never saw less than 385bhp.
I've also heard some stock motors making over 400bhp. but as you say every dyno is different etc etc. still impressive even if not 100% accurate.
@@awesomeone2979 no one said it was.
The plate 40RA is now on an electric Hyundai now. Sad times
WAit wha?
It is indeed, I wonder if its the same owner still using that plate?
@@drugansltd4344 yep same owner.
@@drugansltd4344 in the uk private registration numbers are purchsed from the DVLA and retained by the owner for transfer from the car to car. it seems when the car was recovered in a river use of the plate would of reverted back to the owner of the plate number
@1% Evan Ł So? It's like retiring a jersey that belonged to a legendary player, and then bringing it back so that a mediocre player can wear the number.
40 RA is now attached to a yellow Hyundai Kona electric, registered 16 October 2018.
Should be hard to miss, yellow Konas don't seem to be very common...
Aww. The leader of the gang bought his daughter a graduation present! Adorable.
The Hyundai is owned by that same owner of the Carlton that got stolen . They let them keep the plate
@@benpassman5630 The car may have been stolen but the plate can be transferred by the owner."They" could not take it away.
Simon Abbott Simon Abbott “They” can take away registration numbers if they really go to the effort to do so.
*Really the court banned the car instead of admiring the efforts that engineers did?* They could at least ask Lotus to empower their Police cars at least!!
Or idk, getting a couple of those Lotuses to actually keep up with that runaway one :v
@@WildWildWeasel just like the US police got Dodge Charger and the french Gendarmerie got Subaru Impreza and Megane RS
That would cost money.
@@guigui70051 We did eventually get Evos and Imprezzas. But honestly I think they could have created a rocketship out of the Senators and Granadas that the police were so fond of at the time.
Just have a lotus police car
Here in Australia the first gc8 styled wrx's were a problem for police. They were too quick and nimble to keep up with and were also a ram raid choice. So what happened? Did they ban them? Nope. The police force got outfitted with their own wrx's. That's how it's done.
@@fatisdead7150 hahaha triggered mate?
fatis dead wow that came out if nowhere, take a chill pill dude
Don't worry guys, they're 100% ignorant while drinking the greens/labour indoctrination bullshit. That dipshit isn't worth the attention.
@@fatisdead7150 lul prick. IT was the british. They never wamted to go to Australia. But welll. As Darwin said. Survival of the fittest
@@fatisdead7150 They paid for their crimes by being sent to Australia in the first place.
Blame the fucking Crown & colonialism in general.
I bet those criminals were like 17 at the time and are now watching this absolutely pissing themselves laughing 🤣
One of them has passed(R.I.P. TT) and the other two are living unassuming lives as random grandads in their 50's.
Probably -_-
@@kevfromnorwichUKGGKev Do you know them?
Nah, 17 year olds don't go on such a massive and well organised crime spree. They were definitely older.
@@mxbx307 Well organised ?! They were literally ramming the car into liquor stores ffs,
Yeah right,a 17 year old can handle a car at that speed, Without putting it in a ditch?Had to be a professional driver of some description.
The last clip is from Sweden where a Lotus Omega just left the Swedish police behind with no chance whatsoever catching it.
Police: do you know why I pullled you over?
Fast car/motorcycle owners: becauae I let you
You can't outrun the radio
@@isaakwelch3451 sure you can...just have a trunk mounted multiband jammer.
I have always wanted to say this
@@alexharkler
But if you were at fault, the cop will get angry and give you the ticket..
Be nice with cops and they will let you go away... usually xd.
I was nice with cops, I got pulled over 2 times speeding in a car and cut a red light, but none gave me a ticket :D
I help anytime unless they have a good sense of humor then you just got a laugh and that is worth way more than being nice I’ve been let go for shit I should have been taken to jail for because I made the cop laugh
"oi mate, ye hev a loicesence for that hospowa?"
^Genuine transcript from a police search of a Lotus Carlton
HAHAJAHA
hehee love the accent
All is realistic apart from horse power
Olde worlde English.........
America experienced the same thing during the prohibition era...hence, we have NASCAR!
C'mon UK, Live a little!!
Im in the uk and this made me laugh a lot. Unfortunately despite most of us having fun where we're allowed, our powers that be, our mp's etc are about as fun as a lightbulb, but nowhere near as bright.
Alas, America Bans Importation of Most British Performance Vehicles due to a Lack of Safety Equipment, but they Can Still be Disassembled and Imported as Kits
@@luislongoria6621 You spelled 'Yanks are too fat for UK supercars'' wrong -_-
I'm sure someone will have commented this before, but in case anyone hasn't seen comments regarding it and is interested, 40 RA still exists! It has been fully restored and is currently running new plates, which the owner has placed on the car to prevent it becoming a target for thieves. All that matters, is that the legend of 40 RA continues and the car can be seen on Lotus Carlton websites and blogs around the internet :)
the plate 40RA is still owned by the original owner .. has it on a normal family car now... the lotus was pulled out of a canal near Birmingham .. last info I saw was it had been stripped for what parts could be used and the rest scrapped...
@@andycollins2315the plate 40RA is currently registered to a Lotus Carlton
*UK police cars too slow
Option A - get halfway decent cars
Option B- ban fast cars , by taking a protracted legal route that does nothing to stop the cars already out there. And fail at banning them
Taekwondo Bro people would just complain that the police were spending useful money on fast cars instead of doing their job can’t win either way
@@jakeclapham1626 you don't need cars that can go the same speed. You just need cars quick enough to coordinate and track the fool. You can outrun the cruiser, but you can't outrun the radio. Most new cars can hit 150 easy
Or stop people simply replacing the engine in or tuning legal cars to make them super quick. But oh well, you can't outrun the cops like this now anyway.
@Jake Clapham
So, according to you, people would complain that the police are spending money on fast cars to catch fast criminals... instead of spending their money on doing their job to catch criminals.
I know there are some people that complain about everything but that's really stretching it.
Police had 2 or 3 escort cosworths in my city in the 90's then a bunch of t5 Volvos and now i think they have 330i bmws and some crappy little proton thing..
Just putting this out here because a lot of people probably have this on their mind - This would've been a perfect Barn Find car for FH4, especially with the 40 RA Story
Damn didnt even thought of that!! Nice one
Would be a perfect Barnfind
That'd be a shit barfind because you wouldn't be able to put it on TH-cam or any part of the internet because the original owner would most likely claim in back😂 that'd be so shit if someone found it and that happend my God I would be sick such a cool car with an ever cooler story
Yes it definetly would
Yuwan Thayakaran x
This reminds me of the time I was talking to a Holden salesman. The scariest job for him was taking people out on test drives in HSV (Holden special vehicles) cars. They got a never ending supply of people who would have no money but would want to go out and see how fast the car would really go!
I bet the vauxhall salesmen had the same problem.
Fuckin tyre kickers haha
Imagine to get repeatedly smoked by an understated hypersteroid meteor version of one of the most boring looking cars ever built. Lotus guys know their stuff.
UK builder of factory sleepers. 🤣
They are good at making fast cars but not reliable ones
So instead of giving those cars to the police, they completely banned it. Fascinating.
smart cookies eh?
A deal with GM to cheaply supply some to the police force would have been nice, as there were still many other cars capable of outrunning their fleet
magitician Truly. The police car looked and performed like a crap wagon
No, that's what they tried to do.
magitician They has only just sold the police the Carlton and senator 3 litre 24v on which it was based 😂
It's kinda why the USA had a war with them. LOL
One of the best sleepers ever built.
Thank you for the likes!
Agreed, l love a sleeper, I have a 2000 E55 AMG estate car which has the same feel, looks pretty anonymous. Has less power and torque than the Carlton did though ten years earlier but adjusted for inflation would have been cheaper to buy than the Gm product!
True
Hardly a sleeper mate. Everyone could stop the LC from miles away.
@@martinallenuk Car people could, non car people had no clue and don't forget this was the era of cars that looked like they had driven into a Halfords shop front so a bodykit didn't mean much, if its not low and pointy then its not fast as far as most of the population are concerned.
Its even better now after all these years, even youngsters who are into cars and may guess its something special because of the body kit still wont believe how fast it is in a straight line. I've had the odd laddo driving a supercharged mini (or similar) express surprise at how fast my E55 estate car is because its "old".
It issa production sleeper😜
When English Parliament sit together and wanted to condemn the ''CAR !''
That's the kind of car I want to own !
I'm actually blown away that something with these performance numbers was available for so (relatively) cheap in the early 90s, that's insane! 🔥
40 RA needs a film about itself called... 40 RA
Amen to that
No doubt!
I'm sure it got sold on, it was worth good money, worth a Identify change, perhaps it robbed a few banks in Romania too
That would be sick
What about wd 40 ra
America’s Police Force: Buys V8 cars to compete with the V8s that the criminals own.
U.K.: Tries to ban everything
I mean, we have much faster cars now
I'm sad UK can't compete with us making fast cars
Haven't we have always had V12 Fords?
My crown Victoria police interceptor probably wont win many races but it was built to keep up with and outlast what it is chasing so it will take a kickin and keep rippin
The people that rule over the Brits force them to be pussies so they are not a threat to the ruling class.
40 RA was recovered from a canal in Knowle, Solihull. The offenders who were using it hailed from the Northfield area of Birmingham. The River Rea runs near there.
Back in the day , I'm 51 now! I worked with a mate who traded performance cars! He purchased a few of these Lotus Carltons, one was actually modified. Clutch eating taxi on steroids! Oval pistons, 3.6 litre twin turbo! Smooth but oh so fast! I remember giving a Honda Fireplade a hard time on the way to a car auction. Then on return journey, hitting 160+ with plenty to spare 😂 ( ALLEGEDLY 😉) ! TOTAL RESPECT! I'm still a petrol head through & through, appreciate the difference with modern technology regarding modern performance cars. But out of the old school stock, this car is well up there in performance stakes.
I love how it's always the twin turbo inline sixes that end up being the most killer cars
That is because the inline 6 is the Bees Knees... Always been my fav engine format.
Yes, and it also is sad when an inline 6 gets replaced by a V6. However, many car companies do it in order to make cars more compact or to increase the size of the crumple zone. Other times they use a V6 so that it will fit in a transverse FWD application.
@@skylinefever
Yup , alot of generators here in the states used to use the old Ford 300-6.
Great industrial engine , but they replaced it with a 4.2 v6 some years back and I believe it was a mistake.
@@MrTheHillfolk I agree. However, there may have been a second reason for the Ford 300 to get cancelled. I think the engine produced large amounts of smog, and passing newer smog tests would be too hard.
Yep straight sixes have very good low end torque due to length of crank and weight/inertia of the internals on the bottom end.
instead of banning it, the government could've easily just doled out a contract to GM for Police versions.
It was too expensive.
@@Alex462047 Getting like a 100 of those for 10 million maybe a bit more because of the police fitting, let's say 11 million you can easily get a couple to every major city and one to every smaller one. I can't imagine that's a big hit for a country.
@@willemkanon4020 It is when you've got money-grubbing bean-counters running the budget and easily able to justify using a cheaper option. At least, that's near enough the excuse they use.
@@Alex462047 They should ask their cashcow mom Vatican to chip in, after all they built them in the first place. Like parents like son. Neither of these clowns ever ran any sense so can't really ask anything normal of the same.
@@energyflow7564 Yeah, righto.
Never even know that car before. What a classic sleeper
Imagine the guy who stole the 40 ra is watching this video and he goes yeah I remember this moment it was a ton of fun
That ending clip.
It's just gone. Beautiful.
They're driving to the right... I think it might be taken from a Swedish video where they're chasing an Opel/Lotus Omega.
Found it.. I'd argue the "very high quality" claim though... On the other hand, it was 19 years ago, so there's that.
th-cam.com/video/6yptiCYBSZo/w-d-xo.html
Its not i see it daily
Oi mate you got a license for that getaway?
Yeah I have.
right you're free to go
Sorry I can't show you that, it's agaisnt my religion
What's that from?
@@cozza819 ASDF movie 6.
Hahahahaha
In the 90s a customer brought one in for a performance upgrade in dark metallic green , which underwent the treatment at our premises . I took it up to Superchips in Buckinghamshire for remapping from Barking and in double quick time . In those days one of the lads from that company would remap real time while I caned the car around the main roads and country lanes . After a dyno run back at Barking , this thing made massive amounts of power and torque , but I don't recall the Reg No ! At that time we had also just finished a 300 ZX twin turbo using parts I designed that made well over 500 bhp and lots of other cars from around the world . The police would have a hard time catching that Carlton it even now , and of course the first '95 on Supra that had been imported and reworked to over 700 bhp running TRDs full body it and wheels , a monster of a car with a huge single Turbo from HKS and a few tricks of our own thrown in including an AP Racing brake kit which we did in house . By that time I was driving with one brave soul that trusted me my mates eldest son who was in the 6th form , with our own ECU interface , laptop and S4 and was burning chips for everything we could crack into , from TVRs to Bently Mulsanne Turbos . Whatever anyone wanted we could build it like the first supercharged Mazda MX5 I designed the kit for . Even a BMW as in the intro got the treatment which was re built with twin turbos from a Mitsubishi GTO mounted on a stainless steel manifold I designed to just clear the steering , the rear one just a little higher than the front one . The lads from Dublin probably ran it on Pochin ! Both the Nissan and Supra appeared on our stand at Olympia and even Toyota was excited to see the new Supra which was a year away from being imported to the UK . Johnny Herbert (then F1 driver) asked me if he could buy it !
I had the great pleasure of being the main test driver for everything built by Mark's company as driving anything on its doorhandles was my thing . Retired due to a spinal injury but good days at Torque Developments . They are in Thurrock Essex now , if you want something interesting give them a call .
I remember that car. Drove it in Germany. That thing was a monster at the time. Fun times!
I just don’t understand why the government was angry at a fast sedan, but was totally fine with super cars of the era with the same performance. Sure, they can be hard to drive, but driving the Carlton isn’t exactly a walk in the park, and people could steal a supercar anyway (probably has more security, but the idea isn’t completely impossible).
have you ever driven in england? speed bumps, pot holes, rough surfaces, narrow roads. no way a super car is running away from police.
Think it was more of the fact that it was a passenger car. So it could fit a crew of 4. It was the perfect getaway vehicle.
Shona That’s right. The criminals needed enough room for a few men and for all the loot. And a supercar would draw a lot more attention on the getaway route. A bystander would likely remember seeing a porsche or ferrari drive on by, but nobody would take note of an average looking dark Vauxhall sedan
Inaam Altaf No. Because I’m Japanese. And sorry, I did forget to consider that.
@@soulforsale2834 Mk2 jag and the Mk1 transit van were two other highly successful getaway vehicles, both would outrun the police cars of the day but could carry men and equipment. But it's not just the carry capacity, it's a bit difficult to turn up to a job in a Ferrari and go unnoticed until you are ready to run.......
I wish there had been a Lotus version of the Calibra.
Gordanovich02 I took a 2ltr 16v up to Berlin in 1998, While on the Hanover section of autobahn I floored it, the clock pass by top speed and just continued to slowly climb. But the fast it got the more planted it got, the steering felt heavier the faster the car went. I live in Berlin from 94 to 97 and had a 1.9GTI pug which was horrible at top speed, it felt the opposite to the Calibra.
@@chuckyboy6977 I've owned both a calibra v6 and currently a 1.9 pug GTI I know exactly what you mean the aerodynamics are fantastic on the Calibra
Calibra is awesome unfortunately not many left
@@chuckyboy6977 At the time, the Calibra had the lowest drag coefficient of any production road-car. I had one too, but it barely hit 120mph as was the 2.0 8v, but was very stable at speed.
There is or was one Vauxhall mk3 cavalier lotus prototype when they was considering whether to go with a Cavalier keeping the four-door saloon thing or to go with the Calibra with higher top speed
Who else feels bad for 40 RA’s owner?
Also, if they hate the Carlton, why isn’t anyone batting an eye at the Testarossa?
Price, the Carlton was way more accessible than a TR. It mentions that in a section of the ban document
The Carlton has a lot more Space and more doors
Coz you cant stuff a Testarrosa with 3 criminal buddies and a very large boot filled with stolen goodies. Also, would you want to ram into a shop front to rob in a Testarossa? Didnt think so.
I also noticed exotic, touring & super car owners are less likely to run from police. They’re afraid to damage the car, which would cost so much more than a ticket their lawyer can just get reduced or dismissed. Those cars also wouldn’t make it ten feet without being spotted after being stolen.
Pricetag
England is still the same in 2019 😂🤣
And even worse in 2020!
@@mrmurder75 2030 petrol ban like wtf 😂
Even worse in 2021
@@tahsin28 I'm sure the govt is reaching into their wallets as we speak to give everyone an electric car!
All other stuff like greenification, building more renewable sources, electric buses, reduction of flights all went to hell.
The man in a ev fanboy and using his power to enforce it. Since 50% of uk is fossil powered, batteries r dirty and people r leasing more n more, evs are only slightly less polluting.
@@mrmurder75& getting even worse
Ah yes, don't make faster police cars, just ban fast consumer cars. Seems legit.
well yeah, consumers cars don't need to go faster than the national speed limit anyway.
If you made manufacturers put a speed limit in their cars then stock (none speed limited) police cars could catch up to them no problem without having to risking the public's lives by chasing criminals at stupid speeds.
I'd much rather a police car doing 100mph to catch up with a criminal stuck at 70, than having a police car doing 200mph to catch up with a car doing 177.
Yes you'd have the problem of people bypassing the limiter but that's some what easy to deal with. If it's bypassed and you catch them (either by camera's or whatever) you give them a lifetime driving ban, because they knowingly drove a car with invalid insurance and MOT (because such mods would invalidate the insurance).
It's not like they don't already do similar. They already have power limits and power/mass ratio limits on motorcycles, unless you do take a test giving you an unrestricted motorcycle licence.
@@Logarithm906 that wouldn't stop me. Besides I find it more fun when we have chases. Not to mention I drag race and it would be quite boring if my twin turbo Jeep renegade and 78 firebird trans am were limited to 70 mph. I would just opt for a Prius at that point
@@Logarithm906 I don't think limiting speed on a car will deter anyone who intends to break the law anyways to build a getaway car or find a car that can travel above a certain speed. Yeah, in a perfect world having the criminals drive a car that goes as fast as every other citizen's is probably lifesaving and much less reckless, but criminals will always find a way to get around it to do their deeds, knowing full well the risks of getting caught.
Ironically this is implemented in GTA5 base game and online. The speed is just slightly above the top speed limit. I remember almost falling asleep everytime I had to drive on a highway XD You drive a supercar that goes almost same as a hatcback XD
That's a Dumb Thing to Say about GTA Online on TH-cam. Do Some Research
I outran several police cars in a 1978 Oldsmobile Delta 88 that I dropped a 1972 350 rocket out of a 442. Outrunning cops:no problem, outrunning police radio:not so good.
fatis dead you sound very lonely
fatis dead This comment was a joke.
@@fatisdead7150 snitch
69 Chevy c-30 with a built small block made them crown vics disappear
fatis dead You’re real gay huh
Thinking about how angry the police must have been trying to chase it makes me smile.
It's like when a four year old can't win a game and tries to say you're cheating and change the rules lol
@@altaccount4697 or a little kid in call of duty who tries to insult your mum lol
I think so 40RA is now sitting down in Thornton Reservoir waiting for someone to rescue it.
I've seen pics of it i think it in a junkyard
was found in a canal after a canal boat ran over it caving in the roof.
As a Norfolk boy, I am slight biased, but this is one of the greatest saloon cars ever. I got so close to buying one of these a few years back. But it needed an engine rebuild, which was and still is seriously expensive due to a lack of parts availability. A couple of months later, a mate bought it after seeking out all the bits. 6 months after that, we did a run through Germany on the way to Italy. Topped out at 171mph on the GPS with 4 people and luggage on board. Absolutely epic thing.
I did buy a 190E 2.5-16 later that year, significantly better built, but not as much fun and nowhere near as fast, even with the AMG Power Pack. My Merc was a lot cheaper though. ;-)
I wonder how good the car would have been if you had a blow out! Did you bother to think of the other people on the road as you blew by them? The turbulence from your car could easily have pushed a small car of the road. You could have killed someone. Why cant you to a race track of you want to do that sort of speed? And before you say shut up old man, I live in Australia and drive a Holden Ute SS 5.7 Ltr V8 with 19" wheels, sports exhaust and a shift kit in the auto. I love fast cars, and I love going fast, but I do it on the track. Just think what would have happened if you clipped someone, or run up the arse. You and your mates and the people in the other car would have been DEAD. Did you ever consider the other road users? Or was it all about you and your mates having fun and screw everyone else. The roads are to get places, not do stupid speeds that could kill innocent people. You people are really stupid.
@@shanejackson4978 He was driving in Germany on the Autobahn where everybody goes as fast as they can,deal with it.
@@shanejackson4978 @toohottie001 The wonders of driving in Germany.
Lane discipline is amazing, never been anywhere else like it. Pull out to overtake, overtake and pull in again. Only certain areas of the Autobahns are unrestricted and even then, it's amazing how good they are at staying out of the fast lane, even at 150mph plus.
Road conditions tend to be excellent also, but it's the behaviour of the drivers that is the key.
We were being overtaken fairly regularly as well, there were people doing around 200mph. Wasn't a problem. I went back with my mate in another of his cars the next year and topped 200. Faster than we achieved on track at Monza later that week. Felt safer on the road than on the track.
@@adamhamilton5294 get yourself a life
@@shanejackson4978 before you give it some bull. In Germany its expected of you to drive that fast. Thats the values of the autobahn. You're ignorant you asshole
"cigarettes and liquor" LIQUOR??? I know you have US viewers, but noone in Englandshire has even called Booze Liquor.
@@fperkins581 only 95% of England
@@killerhertzmercedes We call them spirits, old bean. Not "Liquor".
Liquor is a very specific type of alcohol
KillerHERTZ Mercedes Modifications none calls it fucking booze either
There‘s literally a shop called Bargain Booze. Everyone in England should have heard the phase ‘booze’
I’ve watched this video about 5 times and still enjoy it each time.
Man always have loved sleeper cars like this. I would love to own one.
Branded it unsafe and unreasonable? Yeah right, y’all just jealous because it’s just too fast for you
What a great video! Thank you for posting. I was 18 years old in 1992, now I am a lucky bastard and I own all three of the big three super saloons from the era. The M5, the 500 he and the OPEL Lotus Omega. While I do love all three, as they are all three slightly different, the Lotus is definitely most special, the engine response is very much a kin to the 2JZ twin turbo supra engine. I have had mine up to 180 MPH indicated on the autobahn in Germany. What an experience it was!!
Tim Tursonoff geees i thought 120 was the hightlight of my teens🍻
Frankie Basile check in with me around October 2019. It should be here by then. I am in Florida.
I wonder how good the car would have been if you had a blow out! Did you bother to think of the other people on the road as you blew by them? The turbulence from your car could easily have pushed a small car of the road. You could have killed someone. Why cant you to a race track of you want to do that sort of speed? And before you say shut up old man, I live in Australia and drive a Holden Ute SS 5.7 Ltr V8 with 19" wheels, sports exhaust and a shift kit in the auto. I love fast cars, and I love going fast, but I do it on the track. Just think what would have happened if you clipped someone, or run up the arse. Did you ever consider the other road users? Or was it all about you and your mates having fun and screw everyone else. The roads are to get places, not do stupid speeds that could kill innocent people. You people are really stupid.
@@shanejackson4978 Howdy, to answer your question, the autobahns in germany don't have a speed limit. Other traffic would of been traveling at high speed too, due to how the road rules of the autobahn work.
Shane Jackson yes sir, it was a portion of a de-restricted autobahn somewhere between Frankfurt and Munich. It was fully legal. The car was a perfect running condition and on a fresh set of W rated tires. It was a sunny day, the road was not congested, and the ambient temp was 65-70F. And, yes, I do go to the track here in the US as well as The Ring and Ricardo Tomo in Europe.
PS. Something tells me that I am the “old” man here as I just turned 45. Lol
Brought back memories of that bright yellow customised Maxpower Lotus Carlton
For anyone that is actually here during the lock down of 2020 and was recommended this video by youtube, the plate 40RA is now on a Hyundai. How the mighty have fallen.
a Kona electric, nonetheless.
@@reinbeers5322 the original owner has very recently bought another Lotus Carlton recently and transferred the plate to if after it was on the Hyundai EV for a while.
Police buy a Bugatti then get beaten by a stock honda. BAN HONDAS
@@fatisdead7150 r/Woooossshhhhhh
@@The-Cat Stop it
Did nobody notice the adorable headlight wipers?!
lol
40 RA was recovered from a canal with the roof all smashed in (probably hit by a barge) the car was an insurance write off, the number plate was kept by it's owner and is now back on a Lotus Carlton.
In Australia 🇦🇺 we had the VN Commodore, which used the same platform as the Omega/Carlton.
The Lotus Carlton made 281kw and 568nm (which for the 90s is insane).
For comparison, our fastest and most powerful model at the time was the Holden VN Group A SS, which made 215kw and 411nm from a 5 litre V8.
Still one of my all time favourite cars along with the Lancia Delta Integrale and Fors Escort RS Cosworth. I would take either of them over a supercar any day of the week.
From a period when Vauxhall were bringing their A game, it also helped that GM owned Lotus at the time too (They designed the engine in the Corvette C4 ZR-1) infact i believe that's where the gearbox for the Lotus Carlton also came from it was the only box GM produced at the time that was capable of taking that amount of torque. It's a real hero car & one i'd love to own.
This was one of my favorites in GT5. The BBS rims made the car just perfect.
Mad max interceptor: finally a worthy opponent
'Dreadful' saloons and hatchbacks?
Sod off, there were some absolutely stonkingly good cars around then for an absolute pittance. Its far far worse today.
I agree partially. The 90s was full of incredibly good saloons and hatches based of dreadful saloons and hatches.
@@Dylzhaar Exactly! Like my Peugeot 205 GTI 1.9. There were lots of great cars at the time. My next car was a VW Corrado which was also excellent.
Alfa 164 QV!
Opel Kadett E GSi16v, Escort RS turbo, Opel Calibra turbo, VW Corrado VR6. Even the Vectra 2000 16v was a decent autobahn cruiser back then.
Yeah no crossover SUVs those were the days.
now that was interesting.
Was the proud owner of one in 93 had it just under a year between me and the wife 18 points with our first child on the way it was binned
I love how you guys say "shassie".
This car needs a Guy Ritchie movie made about it
I like to believe the car's still out there somewhere in storage and someone will find it some day. Unlikely, but I like to believe it nonetheless.
It's 100% a possibility. People like to write things off like this, but there have been many times where the car is still alive and well.
#believe
+1
I know that. It was evidence, they probably disposed of it.
@The Stigs Romanian Cousin Makes sense.
A friend of mine owns one in Malaysia, he also races a classic race car and has a garage at Sepang race circuit. Well in with the Lotus guys that work with Proton, he's not short of help with his Carlton. Plus petrol is cheaper than the UK so he's really having fun.
Oscars Garage did a video on 40 RA recently. Was dumped in a canal and written off.
The Chrysler Shadow GTS Turbo was also famous in Mexico for being the perfect car for chases since it was too fast for police cars. They even had to ask Chrysler a power reduction to those Shadows to at least keep the pace :v
Wonder how long ago this was
@@cpufreak101 90's.....that engine eventually became the SRT-4 in the neon.
Justin Noker In the mid 80's until they were discontinued in 1994.
@@Matrix93R ah, wouldn't be surprised if the Mexican cops were using beetles at the time lol
There were some in service, but most of their cars were Chrysler and Dodge sedans. Pretty much your daily cars, nothing special.
My dad's friend has one that went round the 'ring (The one that set the time)
How long did it take?
@@amosmichaeleligius8688 not sure
Some guy did it in 7:01 but that isn't official
Back in 1990 in Hungary (!!!!) a fella in our block of flats owned one. This car was a miracle back in those days. Along with his wife's car. A race green John Cooper Mini...
Awesome car 👌 had the pleasure of driving one of these, it costs pocket money to take these up to 500bhp and it’s only getting into its stride. A very dear friend of mine owns the Lotus Carlton that used to be on the front pages of the car mags with 500 in its reg plate 🤘👌🤘.
Such a great car. What a shame that was their solution for the problem, banning them. Nowadays we have $45,000 cars that can easily get near that ludicrous speed, but you don’t see those cars banned.
iLupi Now it's the police's falut for being too slow.
Yeah, but nowadays Helicopters are common and CCTV is everywhere, not to mention the police have 155MPH Cars at their disposal now
@@karlosbricks2413 the truth is not speed wins a chase ?
What wins a chase is risking more then the police
Yes, and one way to do that is to have a very skilled driver driving a car with very good performance, because if you look at most chases, the getaway driver is rubbish and crashes quite easily, so the police are wary if they go much above 60mph on anything but a motorway. Equally, if your going 100+ on the motorway, they wouldn't really try and block or use stingers because you might lose control and crash in to the public.
it costs 45k today
I see " *BLOCKBUSTER HOLLYWOOD MOVIE SCRIPT* " written ALL OVER this ! ! ! !
Someone do something about this , *ASAP ! ! ! !*
There is a 90s film called shopping. Well worth a a watch mate
Did an epoxy coating for a Vauxhall garage near where I live and there was one of these in the showroom. Beautiful car
It ended up in a canal out towards Napton Warwickshire as it was in the Coventry evening telegraph as I remember reading it
The Vauxhall Carlton aka Opel Omega aka Holden Commodore in Australia
The Commodore was different, was Australian manufactured and only sold in Aus (and a little in US). They are the same now.
And no commodore was ever factory twin turbs
@@probuildconstruction Irish police force used Opel Commodores or more accurately their U.K. equivalent, the Vauxhall Ventora for their muscle cars. Rural patrol cars included the Renault 4...
Paul Jennings interesting....didn’t know Opel did a commodore, cheers
@@probuildconstruction generally we only see the little ones. Monza, Manta, Rekord. Beautiful classic machines around the 70s and 80s. Ireland (South,) preferred the German badge of G.M. Something to do with being friends with the enemy's enemy...
That 500E. OMG, it still looks ridiculously good. It just fits in. It looks so nice and sporty. The engine is a dream ! You should have made a video about that car.
My favourite car from that era, with that m119 v8💗
ICEMANZIDANE - This video isn’t about no damn 500E, there aren’t enough videos on this Lotus.
Fuck those Mercedes are ugly are you stupid or something ?
+Michael Wilson
I wouldn't call them ugly, especially not compared to next-generation Mercedeses after it, but having a shitty one as a daily for 5 years as a first car makes you hate them with all your soul.
(Note that I actually had a 1978 w123 200 model, not the 500e w124)
I love my 190d 312k miles on Irish roads and still plodding on. Better looking car beside a w124 aswell
Im in the UK but in the early 90's I was running around in a 68 Buick Wildcat
This is one of the most delicious videos I've seen on TH-cam without proving my age lol. That 40RA story is far better than either Gone in 60 Seconds film. It needs to be made into a movie. Sod Eleanor. Parliament getting involved?! Epic!
Vauxhall has a bit of a dull, humdrum image but, when you do a little historical research, there are some hot periods in its history. For example: London to Brighton runs, the Prince Henry was the world's first sportscar, the marque used to rival Bentley, first post-war monocoque and metallic paint in the UK, 1950s Cresta etc gave us the closest to US styling, Viva Brabham GT, Big Bertha, Baby Bertha, HP Firenza, VX4/90, forgotten 70s prototypes, Chevette HSR, Cavalier's dominance, Astra GTEs and SRis, Lotus Carlton, Calibra drag coefficient, VXR range, VX220 Turbo, sod it let's rebadge some Holden V8s because we can.
Constable: "we just can't keep up with this Lotus guv. I reckon we need something quicker"
Sargent: "Nonsense, there's a perfectly good Metro in the yard lad"
Constable: 👀
lol
What a pathetic move to have the car banned. Sounds like the FIA.
When I was a Apprentice in the early nineties the director of a Vauxhall dealership i worked at offered to take myself and a couple of others out in his Lotus Carlton ( he had racing experience and it showed!); it's still the fastest I've ever been in a car , 165mph, .
A beautiful car, nice one. K reg era circa 1992, I had just graduated Uni, age 21.
This in Imperial Green is one of the dream dailys for me! Imagine the shock and horror on the face of a Lambo driver when a 20 year old Vauxhall just beats him off the lights.
as impressive as that vauxhall is i seriously doubt any modern lambo couldn't outrun it. just by looking at dry numbers, they do less to 60 and have higher top speeds. that doesn't mean they wouldn't be horrified seeing 20 year old vauxhall so close in the rear view
@@jarekpszuk6944 I agree, modern Lambos (and all supercars in general) have gotten much faster but most people who drive them can't drive them properly. And you can't actually drive these cars at their limits in traffic and on the horrible roads that we now have.
A 335d is faster than the carlton. Things have moved on.
If you want something like this get an opel/Vauxhall Vectra 2.8 simple timing remap and it hits 300 HP without any more modifications and their pretty cheap never fails after a guy with a 200 PS bmw or bent gets left behind at a stoplight by an opel
As funny as that would be to see. I doubt it would happen, especially with how well Audi are managing to get the power to the road nowadays.
Had to be a lotus carlton! Haa coppers as they were referred too back then had nothing on the twin turbo 355 killer
"Man this guy can drive! What, what? Its probably mostly the car!😂"
Terrible film, but that was one good car chase.👌🏼
That thing looks like a Foxbody sedan
Swap out the front end and you got a Chevy cavalier
Best lotus everrrrrr
Maybe one of the best opels ever, but come on, this in comparison to a 111R or exige 380? Or the esprit turbo?
70s ones are cooler. The elans are classic. And the Lotus 7 is the best in terms of design philosophy and historical significance.
Legend. The poster car that you actually wanted to own. And drive.
I live in NW Georgia and the sheriff's deputies drive AWD Ford Edges with twin turbo Ecoboost & the state troopers drive Hemi Chargers.
While the Edge Definitely has an Advantage in Roadholding, the AWD Effect is SIMULATED Using Rear Wheel Braking, a Technique Developed by Porsche for its 911s
I recently discovered this car in a touge racing game, honestly one of my favourites, doesn't look like much from the outside, but a supercar inside.
Thats actually in Sweden lol 3:43
MikeDaSpike They haven't stated otherwise.
and the helicopter footage was of an Audi A7, there really isn't a whole of police footage from the 90s, let along of a specific car.
Ofc it is, you drive on the right side of the road, not on the wrong one ^_^.
Quetzalcoalt There is no wrong one. It's just that one is more common for some reason.
@@user-vs7sb9wg2r Some people want to be unique, and have many colonies. That's why we have Kilograms and Pounds, Kilometers and Miles, drive on the left side and right side.
Sweden woke up in 1967, and they switched. We need a standard, but oh well.
My dad’s tuned mustang 5.0 boss 302 edition outran the police in the 90s
SAAB used to get about twice the performance out of the same GM engines as OPEL during the years that both used the same engines.
The current Opel Insignia is a great example of this. It goes up to 200 hp, while the Saab 9-5 that used the same engine didn't go below 220 hp.
the owner of 40RA has now bought another carlton, and put the 40RA plate back on it. the legend lives on!
Seems like there's plenty of cars faster than a police car, why pick on this one?
Because this car was a beast, it was the world's fastest sedan
@@MrRohanThomas the Alpina B10 Biturbo, launched in 89, still had a higher top speed of over 290 kmh (180.2 mph). The Lotus was quicker to 60 but couldn't steal the fastest saloon title.
@@gerjanbaan6418 Lotus had a limiter at 6th gear for 170mph but when you redlined at 5th gear it went for to 190mph
Learn something new every day. Anyone else want one of these now? 🤔
If you have over £100k then go for it mate, that's what they're going for now.
They where rare back then and way more rare now
Amazing video! Always loved the lotus Carlton, but didn't know some of those stories behind it, including the government trying to ban it! Thanks!
The Government didn't try to ban it!. There were a lot of cars around that would beat it. You see it all the time, start a silly story about the Police / Government want to ban it & loads of people will want it.
@@kevinparker461 fair point
We have a few Omegas here in Brazil, not the Lotus tuned-up version, but the Opel saloon ones.
And some mechanics and garages here had worked those engines to put up with even more abuse than Lotus did, back then.
What Lotus still have an edge about them, is the handling. The suspension setup, the updated brakes, the new wheels and the new chassis rigidity improved the handling so much, and it never was reproduced anywhere in the world.
One guy in the UK made a Lotus Carlton Wagon, it's very cool.