Lotus Omega/Carlton in NZ

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Re: Lotus Omega/Carlton in NZ

Postby 008 Julian W » 01 Aug 2012, 13:21

Adding another spanner to the works - The Sultan of Bruneii had another Pinninfarina Chronos made for him personality prehaps it used another so scrapped Lotus?

As for Opel cars been crashed in Australia - This has been a common thing that GM Australia does after it used and tested vehicles - many of which were used as basis to develop local models - Talking to John Marschal ex GM NZ this was the policy - Cars were not allowed to be sold as they may be issues on safety

Although some did escape here there was the Opel Rekord Wagon with GA plates seen around Wellington unfornately according to now defunct Classic magazine NZ Classic Wheels was crushed by Kearneys in Wellington it was in very good condition minus its 1.9 4 cylinder engine ; another crushed but a private import was a very rare 1961c Opel Rekord Coupe it too was RHD and was owned by an old gent in Brooklyn Wellington and serviced by Williams & Adams Wgtn - When he died the car could not be sold and sent to the wreckers!

Another note one of the co owners of Actrix Hal King his parents were South African and when they first came out they brought over a 1967-1969 Opel Rekord 4 door
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Re: Lotus Omega/Carlton in NZ

Postby 028 Sean » 02 Aug 2012, 02:25

008 Julian W wrote:Adding another spanner to the works - The Sultan of Bruneii had another Pinninfarina Chronos made for him personality prehaps it used another so scrapped Lotus?


Hmmm...But Pinnifarina themselves state that they built only one functioning car from Lotus V9 Julian and they are supposed to still have possession of it in their museum in Italy. Yes, this Chronos concept vehicle was painted in a variety of different colours (red, sliver, black and yellow to name a few) so it looks like there was more than one prototype doing the publicity rounds....but only this one full sized car existed.

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Without any solid proof of photographs, motoring magazine articles, official paperwork or GM brochures being offered as evidence of this happening....then the Sultan's car is a replica/fake built on an unknown platform or even worse this story is just an old wives tale and no such car actually exists. I would also suggest if you don't already have one that you get yourself a copy of the Ian Adcock Lotus Carlton book....

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because pages 148 to 155 are all about the Pinnifarina Chronos where it tells us all about how the concept was first seen in Detroit Auto Show in early 1991 when it had no functioning engine before it goes on stating "Serious production was thought unlikely" because "While it is innovative it would surely cause eyebrows to be raised should the Chronos ever need type approval" and also "The complexity of just the Chronos door would present any volume manufacturer with many problems which could not be solved without massive tooling investment"...All of these statements I've taken from the Adcock book make the Chronos sound like a pure concept car design study to me.

I'm sorry to come across as such a sceptic here Julian, its just that I've been told so many wonderful and colourful stories over the last twenty or so years...you'd be surprised just how many figments of imagination and gossip become quoted as facts over time. The Lotus Carlton Estate and Lotus Carlton Police cars as just two excellent examples here in the UK of fantasy stated as fact thanks to the marvels of the internet!!!! :roll:

008 Julian W wrote:As for Opel cars been crashed in Australia - This has been a common thing that GM Australia does after it used and tested vehicles - many of which were used as basis to develop local models - Talking to John Marschal ex GM NZ this was the policy - Cars were not allowed to be sold as they may be issues on safety


I'm not doubting that this actually happens but please could you explain to me why Lotus would send one of their pre-production prototypes around the World to Australia when a) It was never designed or intended to be sold in the Australian car market and b) The first Global recession had kicked in so the original 1800 build number was initially knocked back to 1150 units before being capped off at just 950 in 1992 becuase GM had such a hard time trying to sell these vehicles in the nine country's that it was intended to be sold in?? As a relatively unknown brand in Oz at that time, how many Australians do you personally know that would spend $77,188.60 AUD on a European car they'd never heard of back in the 1990's Julian?

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For those who don't know these country's they were :-

A = Austria
B= Belgium
C= Switzerland (these Lotus Omega's had 2 extra Cats fitted and a reduced power output from standard)
D= Germany
E = Spain
F= France
G = Great Britain
R = Italy
S = Singapore


Julian, If you can show me any kind of proof like this below....

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Please post it up here as I know lots of enthusiasts of this model that would love to know more about their chosen idols history!

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JM2PW! :P
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Re: Lotus Omega/Carlton in NZ

Postby 026 Nik » 02 Aug 2012, 14:02

My Brother and I have one of those LC numbered books each, they are worth a bit of money on eBay.
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Re: Lotus Omega/Carlton in NZ

Postby 028 Sean » 02 Aug 2012, 14:07

026 Nik wrote:My Brother and I have one of those LC numbered books each, they are worth a bit of money on eBay.


Indeed they are Nik, Mine cost me $322.805 NZD almost ten years ago now.....My Misses still thinks I'm mad for paying that price for it! :shock:
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Re: Lotus Omega/Carlton in NZ

Postby 026 Nik » 02 Aug 2012, 14:13

In regards to the GM OZ evaluation vehicles, a lot of them ended up in NZ. Dad (manager of a Holden/Opel/HSV dealership since 1979) got wind of this evaluation cars getting crushed. The rules were that GM OZ were only aloud to have the cars in OZ for either 12 or 18 months (cant remember which but Dad will). Dad started getting cars of GM OZ in 1991/2? They first car was a Astra GTE 16V Mk2 (which is now own by a forum member), other cars included a Astra GSI 16V Mk3, Carlton wagons and sedans and quite a few Vectra A's. Of the Vectra A's they had one was an 8V 4x4 but most were GLS or GL spec. A couple of the GL's had engines replaced in OZ when new, then clocked up 100,000kms when GM OZ replaced the engines with the original units.
This did happen.
Dad was told that an LC had been crushed before he got wind of this oppertunity to purchased these cars. It could have been BS. I guess we will never know.
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Re: Lotus Omega/Carlton in NZ

Postby 026 Nik » 22 May 2014, 14:47

Its been a couple of years since anyone had posted in this thread. Does anyone have any updates of a Lotus Carlton in NZ?
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Re: Lotus Omega/Carlton in NZ

Postby 001 Neville » 22 May 2014, 15:44

Last I heard, it was down in Queenstown under wraps somewhere. No way of finding out more :|
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Re: Lotus Omega/Carlton in NZ

Postby 005 Mark » 22 May 2014, 19:10

It is in Queenstown hiding away. It is not Vauxhall badged, it is registered and badged as a Lotus Carlton. 8)
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Re: Lotus Omega/Carlton in NZ

Postby 001 Neville » 22 May 2014, 21:16

005 Mark wrote:It is in Queenstown hiding away. It is not Vauxhall badged, it is registered and badged as a Lotus Carlton. 8)


Have you seen it, Mark? Is it actually a Lotus Carlton or a Lotus Omega with left hand drive?
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Re: Lotus Omega/Carlton in NZ

Postby 005 Mark » 22 May 2014, 22:14

I haven't seen it myself, but I do know someone who knows the owner and it isn't a Opel Lotus Omega, it is the right hand drive ex UK Lotus badged model. I have been trying to get to it for a number of years but the owner is very private. Maybe one day I will get the information we seek on it. :?:
I do know of two Vauxhall badged Lotus Carlton's in Melbourne. They wanted about $60,000 Aus for each one back about fifteen years ago. :shock:
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Re: Lotus Omega/Carlton in NZ

Postby 001 Neville » 22 May 2014, 23:14

I know of one of them, or it may be a different one. The owner's a member of the UK Autobahnstormers club that I still belong to.

There has been a few LC coming up on ebay in UK recently, but I don't think I would get one even if I could afford what they are asking.
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Re: Lotus Omega/Carlton in NZ

Postby 026 Nik » 23 May 2014, 10:27

On LC's and LO's, do they have different VIN's to GSI 3000's?
And if they do do the LC's and LO's have different VIN's again for one being an Opel and the other being a Vaxhall?
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Re: Lotus Omega/Carlton in NZ

Postby 001 Neville » 23 May 2014, 22:37

In a word "yes" to question 1 and "no" to question 2.

LC & LO VINs start with SCC (Lotus code).

All nicely explained on James Waddington's website:

http://www.lotus-carlton.co.uk/
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Re: Lotus Omega/Carlton in NZ

Postby 061 Leigh » 26 May 2014, 20:36

Both of the Lotus Carltons in Australia were brought in specifically for the use of Lotus Australia by their management, purely for publicity.

Both cars eventually sold to Lotus collectors and I believe both are now in Queensland.

I organised to have one at our Vauxhall Centenary display day in 2003, along with a Vauxhall Astra Coupe from GMH which was a development car and was due to be destroyed the following week????????????????? (this body style was not sold in Aus)

It was an unmarked black car and although we tried everything to save it it went to the crusher.

I had heard that several Vauxhall evaluation vehicles were sold to NZ Dealers as they weren't allowed to be sold here.

Leigh.
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Re: Lotus Omega/Carlton in NZ

Postby 168 Derek S » 27 May 2014, 09:43

yes, I have one of those evaluation cars, now in NZ
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