POC

I really wish you guys would stop talking about the LC/LO, I want one real bad!

[Edited by POC - 9/2/2003 12:09:01 PM]

Gren

Out for a sarnie at lunchtime and was passed by what something that looked off the cover of Max Power. Jet black, huge bonnet scoop, skirts etc.

Turned round as it passed me looked at the badges - Lotus on the left of the bootlid, Omega on the right!

Is this thing legit? Anyone heard of them? Looked brand new and professionally done.

Gren

Paulo P

iTrader: (42)

Was it one of these



Over here they were called the Lotus Carlton but abroad they were the Omega

Very very very fast

Paulo P

iTrader: (42)

Specifications

Base Price, GBP, '91 49,045
Engine Type dohc turbocharged I6
Displacement, cc 3615
Power(DIN)@rpm 377@5200
Torque lb-ft@rpm 419@4200
Curb Weight, lb 3650
0-60 mph, sec 4.9
1/4 mile, sec 13.5
60-0 mph, ft 112
0-100mph, sec 11.0
Top Speed, mph 175

Paulo P

iTrader: (42)

the Lotus Omega was first introduced at the 1989 Geneva Auto Show and was produced in limited numbers until 1994. About 1100 Omegas were built in the years between 1991 when it entered production and 1994. Unlike other Lotus models like the Esprit, the Omega was not a homegrown model but instead a modification of someone else's work, the Opel Omega 3000GSi 24v to be precise, the top of the line Omega. At that time both Lotus and Opel were owned by GM, which felt that a special high performance model of the Omega was required to change its plain, bland image. The original engine, a 3.0L DOHC 24v inline-6, was enlarged to 3.6L, and two Garrett T25 turbos were added, along with a water-cooled intercooler ("Chargecooler" in Lotus lingo). The original 5-speed manual gearbox was substituted by a ZF 6-speed item, straight from the now-extinct Corvette ZR-1, with the deletion of the "skip-shift" feature found in the ZR-1. Apparently the gearbox was the only one GM could find that is capable of handling the Omega's massive torque. None of the Omegas are believed to exist in North America, and only 440 of the 1100 were built British-spec RHD.

Gren

Nope. It was definitely an Omega and looked fairly new (or recent respray) - black with no stone chips!

More in your face then the old Lotus Carlton too.

Paulo P

iTrader: (42)

Just hope it hasn't been fitted with that engine then. It's probably just some sad t!t with a body kit and a 2.0 16valve engine

stu8v

all lotus omega/carlton where dark met. green.

stu

si325i

did you say al green? he was black.

but all omega's/carlton where dark green.

and in 6th gear @ 1650rpm you did 70mph
377bhp@5200rpm
and a drag factor of 0.307, that impressive.

Si

i'll get my anorak.

LC Geezer

Gren - Do you mean Omega as in the Vauxhall Omega (Carlton/Senator replacement)? As in what PC plod currently uses?

A friend of mine has an Omega Elite and a spare Lotus Carlton engine. A transplant is planned but hasn't been done yet. He'll be mortified if someone has done it before him.

Gren

Sure do. Complete with one f**k off body kit. For my money it was a bit much and needed toning down.

Didn't hear/see it go, was ambling along and could only hear the exhaust not the engine

Gren

hades

IIRC, there was someone who used to claim they did a "500/500/500" chip for the original Lotus Carlton. 500bhp & 500lbft for £500. 3.6 litres, two turbos = very unstressed, give it a bit more boost and it gets very serious even in modern supercar terms . . .

Rob16v

<<give it a bit more boost and it gets very serious even in modern supercar terms . . . >>

...give it a bit more boost and it starts chewing headgaskets. See the owners club website. Still have one, tho!


Rob

jhdee

Gren,
Saw the very same as you describe on the m6 at Frankley Services.
Definately choice - as you say Lotus Omega - stunned me too. It looked to be black - could have beed dark green ?? but latest facelift shape.

jhdee

SwinYE5

The LO/LC is black...well to my eyes anyway!! The official colour is Imperial Green but it just looks black to me and you...unless you look very close...in the right light...at the right angle!!

The LO is just a LHD LC. It must have been genuine, I can't imagine anyone with a 'fake' wanting to badge it as an Omega rather than Carlton... I even badged my old Omega a Carlton!

Bader23

that chip that boosts power doesnt help the reliability..things tend to break easier with the extra power..i can vouch for that..and they aint cheap to fix

thecirsch

Bader,

Strange for a Northerner to know so much about chips

DOUGEE

HAD LC FOR MORE THAN 6yrs
WAS TOLD BY A BLOKE WORKING ON THE PROJECT LC WAS DETUNED FROM 200mph ? NOW HAVE EVO V11 FQ300

Bader23

Hi m8..they left the Lotus with the optimal amount of power to best balance reliability and performance...it is after all a race tuned engine...

they felt that giving it too much more power (is 186 mph not enuff??) would make reliability a serious issue by overstressing engine and drivetrain components...