Back in 1993 a gang using a Vauxhall Lotus Carlton with the number plate 40 RA stole alcohol, cigarettes and the dignity of the West Midlands police force.
The Vauxhall Lotus Carlton was the product of the rise of the super saloon in the 1990s. BMW had the E34 M5, Mercedes had the 500 E and Vauxhall wanted a slice of the pie as well. Since Vauxhall didn't have a performance department at the time, they decided to join forces with British sports car builder, Lotus.
In short, the Carlton was the gang's weapon of choice because it was ridiculously fast from stock and could very, very easily outrun the police's Rover Metro. Lotus took out the 3.0 litre Opel straight 6 and upped the displacement to 3.6 litres. As well as this, Lotus stuck 2 turbos into the engine bay. Nobody was able to predict that two British manufacturers would join forces to create a saloon that made it to 60mph in 5.1 seconds and could give the Ferrari Testarossa a run for its money.
On the 26th of November 1993, a Vauxhall Lotus Carlton on the number plate 40 RA was stolen from a home in the West Midlands. The gang of thieves went around ram-raiding shops all over the West Midlands for cigarettes and alcohol. The police were powerless to stop them since they had no chance of keeping up with the Carlton. The police's Rover Metro just could not keep up with the 177mph Carlton - the Rover Metro could barely reach 90mph! West Midlands' PC David Oliver said "We simply haven't been able to get near the thing and it looks unlikely that we ever will" The police essentially admitted defeat.
Legend has it that the 40 RA Carlton also outran the West Midlands police helicopter.
Because of these ram raids involving the Carlton, the British government deemed the car "unsafe" and "unreasonable" for anyone to need to own a saloon that could go 177mph. The campaign to ban the car ultimately failed, plus the car had already gone out of production in 1992 with just under 1,000 units built.
To this day there have been no reports that show the 40 RA Carlton was ever recorded. This, unfortunately, means that the car is either at the bottom of a lake, crushed into a cube, or rotting in a garage somewhere.
Ready to find your next favourite car?
In Stock Lease Deals
By choosing to lease an in-stock car from New Cars Online, there is no need to wait for the factory to build your car; cars that are in stock can be delivered in as little as 4 weeks.
No Deposit Lease Deals
With no deposit to pay, there’s no need to raid any of your savings to pay an initial sum. No Deposit Car Leasing is an affordable way to lease your next car without having to find a large up front payment.
Car Leasing Special Offers
Our special offers page is constantly being updated to bring you the very best prices. Please be aware that these deals will only be around for a limited time and, once they're gone, they're gone.