Exclusive Interview With The Owner Of The Original Lotus Carlton 40RA!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 มิ.ย. 2024
- We sit down with the owner of the original 40RA, Richard Austin, and talk about the events of that night in 1993 when his first Lotus Carlton was stolen, what happened afterwards and his thoughts on the myths that grew up around the original car. We are incredibly grateful to Richard for agreeing to do this interview with us.
Click here to watch our original video on the story of 40RA, acknowledged by Richard himself as being accurate: • The Real Story of 40RA...
A bit of background...
Cars, rather than their number plates, are normally the basis for automotive legends. But in the case of the Vauxhall Lotus Carlton (Opel Lotus Omega in Europe) registration 40 RA, the number plate definitely takes the lead.
The car was stolen in November 1993, and immediately was taken on a 6 week rampage of the West Midlands as a getaway vehicle for robberies from newsagents and shops. In January 1994 the robberies stopped, and the legend of 40RA began.
00:00 Introduction
00:33 Interview
11:16 Myths & Legends
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The best so far Oscar, been waiting for this and certainly didn't disappoint, the true story behind a legendary car !!!
They literally turned up with every 90s performance saloon 😂
i was thinking the same
All stolen probably
Fantastic to get confirmation of the true story, great job! And the fact 40 RA is back on a Lotus Carlton is the cherry on the cake 😎
Agreed!
@@oscarsgarage447 Richard Austin owns a Vauxhall.
Somewhere there's a Richard Vauxhall who owns an Austin.
I remember 40RA passing me in 92 on the motorway heading towards Birmingham. A saying to the misses thats the car thats faster than your uncles Porsche.
I remember being a young kid around this time in the back of my dads rover 820 coming back from manchester airport towards Leeds on the m62, and a lotus Carlton absolutely blasting past us. Been my dream car since. Wonder if it was 40RA
Was it stolen when it passed you lol
He wouldn't know that and neither would the police at the time way before the days of anpr
was there a helicopter overhead?
@@matthewsemple before the police had them and the best police car at the time was the carlton gsi.
"Nobody would ever have rebuilt it". Tavarish, "I have a new challenge", as he films himself dragging it out of the bottom of a scrapheap.
I'm glad that someone who is clearly an enthusiast for this sort of thing managed to get an interview with the equally enthusiastic ex-owner.
Thanks for that acknowledgement - as what started out as a personal passion project on 40RA turned into this. I'm still amazed!
Waited so long to hear Richard tell this story. Made me chuckle. I saw this car parked up in Knowle last year and was dying to catch him and ask him all of these questions! Great Interview.
Pretty brave of the man to have another one soon after in case the thieves came back for the new one too. Also disappointing to see that the insurance company tried to rip him off on the payout. A great interview though, getting the story straight from the horse’s mouth. Richard seems like a top bloke 👍
Glad you enjoyed it!
Bought shotgun and best alarm he has had lol
Insurance companies are the biggest criminals
@@humphrey4976yep I got royally shafted by my insurance
This is a serious question here. Has anyone ever had a car stolen, and then *not* had the insurance company try to rip them off?
Bring it on!! I’ve got quite a thing for the history of 40RA
Nice of Richard to do the interview and tell the right story i never forget that car as was the first and only one i had seen (Wat a car) on hes drive in offenham (Evesham) as that was where i used to live and raised there as a child good to see he got another one back after all these years after the original got stolen and written off the police as still a waist of time
We were so grateful he agreed to it
Such a great story to hear from the owner , well done 👍
Glad you enjoyed it
Seen this on the LC page on Facebook came straight here. Fantastic interview Oscar! Brilliant to see Richard putting the rumours to bed
What a scoop getting to sit down with the legendary Mr Austin. Very interesting conversation.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Great interview- nailed it! Amazing story - finally immortalised. Legend.
Thanks!
Fascinating interview, well done!
Great interview, well done 👍
Thanks!
Been waiting ages for the original owner to say his part, brilliant story! Still very sad the original car couldn't be saved...
Yup, but at least we know what really happened!
@@oscarsgarage447 the truth is always better, I don't think the original owner could stand the fairytales on the internet anymore 🤣
Congratulations on organising this interview. Great video 👍
Thanks
What a brilliant, informative video. Well done.
Glad you liked it!
Thank goodness this interview has happened. Excellent to watch
Thanks!
Excellent!
Would love to see Misha do a lap in this!
just what I was thinking
Sure we can make that happen
zzz
Brilliant piece of history telling.....really enjoyed the video and listening to the original owners story 🙏
Glad you enjoyed it
So I had to wait a couple of days to sit down and watch this but boy was it worth the wait! Fantastic interview with the iconic 40RA in the background and Richard the absolute legend! Absolutely brilliant story to to tell live the history 31 years on! Fantastic 🙌🏻
Glad you enjoyed it!
Absolutely brilliant video, thanks Oscar
You are welcome!
Fabulous. This car and plate belong together!
Absolutely brilliant video Oscar, thankyou. I've been saving this video for my day off treat (i work shifts). This gentleman proves that just because your getting older doesn't mean you have to slow down and get a boring car. Good luck to you sir, may you have many more happy motoring years.
Glad you enjoyed it
What a fantastic video. All praise to you for getting the original owner to settle the story once and for all 👏👏👏
Glad you enjoyed it
Great interview, testament to the channel!
Thanks, this one we are really proud of.
Awesome, been waiting for this.
Hope you enjoyed it!
Fabulous interview your fast becoming leader in automotive news so glad to see your subs rising rapidly
Thank you - its all a bit amazing to us but we will keep trying to bring you great videos.
Loved this, well done fella for getting the RA himself in for a chat - great content!
Glad you enjoyed it
I'm looking forward to seeing this 😊
This was absolutely brilliant. What a great video. I've always been intrigued about this car, and what really happened to it. The petrol head in me wanted it to have been rebuilt, but at least we now know the truth for sure. Best of all, I love that Richard has another Lotus Carlton sporting that now infamous number plate. 40RA lives on, and is where it belongs. On each end of one of the best sporting saloons the world has ever seen. I salute you sir.
Glad you enjoyed it!
As said, been waiting for this for a long time. Thank you so much to Richard for the true story.
Glad you enjoyed it
Well that’s just what we have all been waiting for, a true account from the actual owner, a great video from the channel.
Glad you enjoyed!
Great video ,really enjoyable
Thanks!
That was excellent and describing what happened on the night of the theft was very funny.
A great scoop well done.
I wonder if any of the pondlife who stole the car will watch this.
Good question!
Many questions answered on this legendary story nice one 👍
Glad you enjoyed it
Fantastic video. Very frank and straight to the point. It finally puts the story to bed after all these years. Who better to tell it than the owner who experienced the whole saga first hand. Well done Oscar's garage, your videos are top of my you tube viewing.
Thanks, that is what we hoped to achieve.
Great story and well produced video👍
Much appreciated!
Brilliant video,such a mythical beast lol.been waiting years for that👍🏻
Glad you enjoyed it
How fantastic to have that interview with Mr Austin - I feel privileged to have watched. Glad the plate is back where it belongs and that the car's being enjoyed. Seems like a lovely chap and I hope to park next to the car at a car event in future.
Glad you enjoyed it
Really interesting video mate 👍🏻
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.
Epic, amazing work to all!
And thank you Richard for putting the truth out!
Our pleasure!
Great vid.
Great to hear the account from the actual owner, so many stories going around about 40RA even when Richard posted on social media pages people chose not to believe him and made up their own stories about it being in a friends uncles barn or under a tarp in a field
Thanks so much for doing this! I doubt it is going to stop the stories about people claiming they actually have the original one :) :)
Nor do I, but at least the rest of us have a reference point to direct them to...
That was a great interview!! What a car!! 👌🏻😎
Glad you enjoyed it!
Nice to see the man and his car, both legends! 👍
Definitely!
Great video and info on 40RA
Thanks 👍
Good interview, great to hear from RA. It was a legend around Evesham in the 90s.
Thanks!
It is always great to hear stories from the original owner, I've traced a few of my cars back to the original owner and had quite a few stories that were hilarious to listen to, a big clap for Richard wanting to share his story to put all fairytales about this car to bed for once and for all, well done
Well said!
Finally, it's quite amusing how so many of these bigger youtubers can't seem to get him on for an interview (I think cer throttle being the biggest one) and yet here you are doing, congratulations!
I'm still pinching myself! I believe it was down to the work I put in on my original 40RA video, going for accuracy rather than click bait
Really enjoyed that.
Glad to hear it!
There was one of these in Huddersfield about 30 years ago in a showroom i think it was factory fresh at the time. Crazy looking thing back in the day, it still looks amazing today.
Saw one at a meet next to a Sierra Cosworth, and it looked a brute in comparison!
Yes there was it was in the GTi centre on st Andrews road across from the ford dealer 😁
@@user-wd3oh3my7u yes that's the one, it looked even better in that place lol. I would have been about 16, long gone now. 😑
Fantastic video, it’s great that He’s back in a Lotus Carlton…top work !
Glad you enjoyed it
Great video. Very interesting 👍😎
Glad you enjoyed it
What a great story and a perfect bookend on all the misinformation over the years. The theft happened not too far away from where I live, and it's fantastic to know that the same owner now has another one with the original plate back on it! I'm also pleased that he can look back on it all with a smile, as it's a story that could have ended up with a far worse outcome for him.
Glad you enjoyed it
Excellent video and interview 🚗🚙🚘👍👍👍👍👍👏👏👏👏👏
Glad you enjoyed it!
awesome car! i remember the 40RA story all over the news and in Max Power magazine.
Superb video and the truth is told.....cheers Dave 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it
Really great to get the full story from the horses mouth so to speak, fantastic story about chasing the thieves as well and good to see the famous numberplate reunited with a lotus Carlton, what’s not to like?
Thanks so much!
Remember this brilliant story, absolute classic of a motor
This video is a great follow-up to the first one. Having the original owner telling you the story behind and about the car made it excellent viewing and listening.
There was a Lotus Carlton that was owned by the owner of the local Vauxhall dealer / franchise holder ( I won't say where the town is ) and he has it road registered MoTd and parked up in safe storage somewhere for 30 years now with hardly any mileage on it !!
Now, that is a story for you if he still owns the rare car today.
Glad you enjoyed it! Great story by the sound of it.
It's only 25th ! Great Video
Great interview. Good to hear the correct story with the owner involved and incorrect information put to bed.
Glad you enjoyed it
I may or may not have been in one at 170 mph in 1995. Fabulous thing.
I saw 40RA at Bicester Services last July, lovely looking car
Finally the truth, great episode 😊
Thanks!!!
Really cool to hear the true story from the man himself. He’s good good taste in cars too! Richards made some serious money £££ garden looks beautiful too
Always loved them. Since being a kid
Great video
Thanks for the visit
Would I love to see an update on this and show us the actual locations all this happend to :) really enjoyed this
I did show the location of the canal in the original video th-cam.com/video/KhnZ7vKuJjE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=vr9ZPapJ5PP9zq3s
@oscarsgarage447 ow awsome would love to see the house it was taken from to :) really enjoy these cars storys would love to see you do some more 😀
Hope the ring trip happens, happy to help get a lap with Misha sorted 👍
Hoping you have a wonderful trip. Was lucky enough to drive one many years ago and it didn't disappoint. One day I'll get there in my M5 I hope.
Great video mate and it’s nice to hear from the original owner of 40 RA
Glad you enjoyed it.
I have said on other videos on here.
Skidmores Garage of Spon Lane South West Bromwich had the contract with British Waterways.
The vehicle was recovered and crushed under Police supervision at Broadhurts Scrap Metal in West Bromwich.
When I got married in 2011 one of the wedding cars was 40 RA then on a Jaguar XJ loaned by Richard Austin.
Well done.
Thanks!
Back in my biking days (GSXR750). The first car to match me was a Carlton. I wanted one straight away. 👍
BJI 944 is a Northern Ireland registration issued in County Tyrone in 1973, cavalier was probably on false plates at the time but you never know.
The story would make for a great retro cops & robbers film!
Brilliant 👍
I’m so happy this gentleman has bought another one 31 years later,what a great story,I remember Kent Police having one in the early 90s,superb 👍💪😉
Glad you enjoyed it
nice car, nice bloke, nice interview, congrats...
in the motor trade, we always say everything goes around in big circles, more proof...
Well said!
I've read between the lines over the years and guessed the story pretty correctly but not really sure i needed to know about the naked Renault Espace chase
awesome vid oscar
Thanks
This is epic 👍
Thanks
A big thank you to both of you! Finally from the horses mouth.
But one more thing - he said he later had an Alpina B10 - was it a biturbo? That was the only thing that was comparable at the time and another of my favourites as a kid!
To be honest not sure of its spec
Best thing iv ever seen love this car 🚗
Glad you enjoyed it
It's sad to know its scrapped and its finally settled but its still an insane story. Good to know the truth about it now.
It was a great story to listen to.
A pice of history 🎉
Ive been very lucky I have Driven a lotus Carlton when I was in the motor trade.
My dads friend had one, what a car.
fantastic
Thank you! Cheers!
What a scoop! Nice one. That’ll put some of the myths to bed. Now if you could get Misha Charoudin to raz that Carlton round the Nurburgring that’ll be the ultimate!
I think arranging that is outside my capabilities!
Surprised the bloke isn’t massively bored of this, he’s a good sport obviously.
I've waited for years to hear the story from the horses mouth thanks to Richard and Oscar for this informative video.
Glad you enjoyed it
Well there's a story to tell the grand kids eh, to end up with another I'd say hats off to the guy! Not many can say they have owned 3😂...also great work finding the original owner fairplay mate!!
Thanks!
I'm just waiting for the guys to come on here and tell us he's wrong and they know where the real one is. 🤣
More fascinating would be interview with those thief's or the punch guy 🤣🤣
Think that is a stretch even for me!
There is probably one of them in the comments section.