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TIL In the 1990's, the British Police tried to ban the Lotus Carlton and
the government condemned advertising of the vehicle. It could reach
176mph and Police vehicles at the time could not keep up during a
pursuit.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_Carlton#Reception
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|u/GarysCrispLettuce - 19 hours
|
|A much bigger problem for police in the UK in the 90's was the Ford
|Cosworth. Way more popular among car thieves than the infrequently-
|spotted Lotus. "Twocking" a "Cozzy" and joyriding it recklessly/ram
|raiding businesses was the #1 chav recreation of the decade.


  |u/Mackem101 - 18 hours
  |
  |Northumbria police had a few Cozzies, at least one Escort variant was
  |stolen, now that was a brazen 'twoc'.


    |u/GarysCrispLettuce - 15 hours
    |
    |It was Northumbria police chasing a couple of twockers in a Cozzie
    |that started the Meadowell riots in the early 90's. They wrapped it
    |around a lamppost and got burned alive and the chav community went
    |nuts...


      |u/Donnermeat_and_chips - 14 hours
      |
      |North Shields, Meadowell, Percy Main...


        |u/ballisticks - 13 hours
        |
        |It's a trip seeing my local shitholes mentioned on Reddit.


          |u/GarysCrispLettuce - 11 hours
          |
          |Cowgate


        |u/Jarramag - 12 hours
        |
        |were the fuck you think am going


          |u/ProjectedEntity - 11 hours
          |
          |See me mum.


        |u/Djinjja-Ninja - 53 minutes
        |
        |The area of Sunderland I live in is a pain in the arse of
        |residential streets with concrete bollards at the end as a
        |legacy of the joy riding years and the council blocking off all
        |of the "rat runs".   To get to the main road from my house it's
        |a 2 mile drive, in the 80s it would have been about 500m but all
        |of those roads are blocked off


      |u/rockne - 14 hours
      |
      |Simple as.


      |u/Mackem101 - 2 hours
      |
      |Yep, it kicked off where I grew up over that too, despite the fact
      |I lived about 12 miles south (Pennywell).  Although parts of
      |Pennywell was also proper rough, and just waiting for a reason to
      |explode against the police.  There was also a copper nearly killed
      |when a brick was thrown through his window during a chase, luckily
      |the road he was on led straight to Sunderland hospital, or else he
      |probably would have died, just about every house with teenage lads
      |got a visit after that.


  |u/h9um8 - 18 hours
  |
  |Real. 40RA was prolific, but on the whole there just weren’t that many
  |Lotus Carltons for OCG’s to steal, never mind use in ramraids
  |Sapphire cossies on the other hand…


  |u/Dalemaunder - 15 hours
  |
  |Similar problem with the Subaru WRX STI. Very popular for ram raiding
  |and had an excellent track record for getting away.  There's a pretty
  |decent youtube video about the whole thing
  |[here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aqrm5GzyJq0).  Edit: Wrong
  |link.


  |u/HalfBlindAndCurious - 18 hours
  |
  |Aye or modding an Astra or Nova. I'm too blind to drive but all my
  |pals as a teenager were running around either in these things or
  |stealing these things.


    |u/meshan - 13 hours
    |
    |I had an Astra GTE


  |u/Adthay - 15 hours
  |
  |I would never be able to tell if someone was just making up British
  |slang, it all sounds equally fake 


    |u/diego_simeone - 15 hours
    |
    |Twocking - Taken WithOut Consent


      |u/Vehlin - 3 hours
      |
      |Yup. They needed a law to cover joyriders because theft didn’t
      |apply as there was no intent to permanently deprive the owner of
      |the vehicle.


        |u/APacketOfWildeBees - 48 minutes
        |
        |What a silly way to constitute the law of theft, would have been
        |better to reform it than introduce a new specialised law I've
        |always said.


      |u/antmakka - 13 minutes
      |
      |Taking Without Owners Consent.


    |u/guycg - 13 hours
    |
    |We like to assign cutesie names to things that are actually quite
    |serious.


      |u/MolemanusRex - 10 hours
      |
      |cozzie livs


    |u/joec_95123 - 9 hours
    |
    |It’s all a bit of a muddle, innit? You’re not the only one who’s had
    |their head done in; every time I hear british slang, I think it's
    |some barmy trollied yob being tosh. A real dog's dinner, and it
    |belongs in the bog.


    |u/JLammert79 - 4 hours
    |
    |Say that again and they'll yeet you. You have no rizz  /s  I do see
    |your point though.


  |u/jonitfcfan - 13 hours
  |
  |Chav. Now there's a word I haven't heard in a long time.


  |u/kurruchi - 11 hours
  |
  |My dad used to have 2 cars he said were his favorite. The Pagani
  |Zonda, and the Ford Cosworth. I can guess why the latter was up there
  |lol


  |u/Silverdarlin1 - 11 hours
  |
  |What didn't help the cause of the Cozzy was that it was rare,
  |desirable, and very easy to steal


    |u/BlowOnThatPie - 7 hours
    |
    |Wasn't every car before factory fitted immobilisers? I had a Mazda
    |323 you could start the ignition with a table knife.


  |u/PTSDaway - 33 minutes
  |
  |It is/was the most common right handed drive car in mainland europe
  |after delivery trucks (news/mail/milk). No one in UK eventually wanted
  |one as the insurance was scaled by product damage frequency -
  |naturally it was fucking astronomical for the Sierra. A ton was sold
  |to Scandinavia and Germany.


|u/JimPalamo - 19 hours
|
|This thing was a lunatic. A 4-door saloon that could match the
|performance of Ferraris of the time, for a fraction of the price  I love
|it when otherwise mundane manufacturers like Vauxhall occasionally go
|bonkers and create something stupid like this.


  |u/PoodleBeach - 19 hours
  |
  |When your car is so fast, the police just give up and start a new
  |hobby.


    |u/JimPalamo - 19 hours
    |
    |When your car is so fast the British government tries to ban it.


      |u/Da_Osta - 15 hours
      |
      |No, only rich people should be able to speed!   - UK government


        |u/Silent-Hornet-8606 - 11 hours
        |
        |This car was priced at 48,000 pounds - in 1990 that was a
        |serious amount of money.  The car didn't sell well because it
        |was so expensive..


          |u/Win_an_iPad - 9 hours
          |
          |Yep and at that time you could have bought a Ford RS200, or a
          |small fleet of Metro 6R4's, for the same money.   Either of
          |which are worth orders of magnitude more today.


            |u/muskag - 7 hours
            |
            |The "worth a magnitude more"  might be because only 148
            |RS200s were ever assembled.


              |u/Win_an_iPad - 6 hours
              |
              |Yes but you could still buy one brand new from your local
              |Ford dealer in 1990 for the same money as this. I believe
              |the last RS200 sold new was in 1994.


                |u/muskag - 6 hours
                |
                |There is currently 10,000 ford dealerships. Even if you
                |cut that in half to account for 1990, the chances of
                |your local dealership getting a 1990 RS200 are still
                |slim to none.


                  |u/Win_an_iPad - 6 hours
                  |
                  |I thought we were talking about the UK, where the
                  |Lotus Carlton was sold? And obviously you would have
                  |to special order it.


              |u/GolemancerVekk - 3 hours
              |
              |In case anybody's curious why, it's because the RS200 was
              |actually meant to be a rally car, and regulations required
              |200 kits to be manufactured and be ready to be sold to the
              |public, and one road-worthy car to be assembled.
              |Naturally, Ford took the opportunity you actually sell the
              |car as well, but it wasn't a great car in the great scheme
              |of things which is why they only sold so few. It was their
              |first AWD car, it was too heavy for the engine but the
              |engine also had crazy power so it was not a great
              |combination.   It never achieved great results in rally
              |but was involved in a couple of gruesome accidents in the
              |year it competed that actually led the entire Group B to
              |be abolished.


            |u/Box_Maze - 7 hours
            |
            |I'm not sure either is a fair comp, they only made about 200
            |of those things each, and both stopped production years
            |before the Carlton went on sale.  Plus many of both of those
            |cars were the 250hp versions which don't really compare as
            |well.


              |u/Win_an_iPad - 6 hours
              |
              |No those two Gr.B cars were still available to buy brand
              |new from the dealership in 1990. They couldn't move them.
              |So I'm just reinforcing that you would have to have been
              |mad to buy a Lotus Carlton over what was available brand
              |new at the same time for the same money.


                |u/Box_Maze - 4 hours
                |
                |I believe those had to be the 250hp version as only 20
                |of the 410hp version were made.  They also cost 40k
                |which makes it unsurprising they had trouble moving
                |them, given the Lotus had much more power at 50k.  I'd
                |take the 410hp version over the Carlton though for sure.
                |Per Wikipedia: The 6R4 appeared in two guises. There was
                |a so-called Clubman model which was the road going
                |version which developed in the region of 250 bhp (186
                |kW), of which around 200 were made and sold to the
                |public for £40,000 (the homologation version). A further
                |20 were taken and built to International specifications
                |which had a recorded output of over 410 bhp (306 kW; 416
                |PS)  edit: Any idea what the 410hp version cost?


                  |u/Win_an_iPad - 3 hours
                  |
                  |Yes for Gr.B Homologation they had to build 200 road
                  |legal cars. Of which the "EVO" models were converted
                  |for racing.  Basically just engine mods were allowed,
                  |the rest of the car had to remain basically "stock".
                  |So converting from stock to EVO was trivial as it was
                  |only engine mods.   Notably the Clubman 6R4's could be
                  |bought for only £14k in the late 80's. I'd rather have
                  |3 of those than a Carlton lol.  The rumour is thats
                  |when Walkinshaw bought the remaining stocks of 6R4's
                  |for their engines, to use in the XJ220 development.


          |u/intercontinentalbelt - 9 hours
          |
          |£115,330.61 in today's money or $145,616.41 US Dollars.   Not
          |cheap for most folks.


          |u/Analysis-Klutzy - 11 hours
          |
          |Useful tool for crims to a degree


    |u/Mimshot - 14 hours
    |
    |You can out run the police car but you can’t out run the radio.


      |u/x31b - 13 hours
      |
      |As the US police used to say “No one can outrun Motorola.”


        |u/ngyeunjally - 12 hours
        |
        |I guess it’s used to because those mopar guys are doing it all
        |the time now.


        |u/K4NNW - 10 hours
        |
        |We would say GE. The Lynchburg bias was strong back in the day.


        |u/sireatalot - 9 minutes
        |
        |“It takes a Mopar to catch a Mopar”


        |u/Fish_Fellatio - 10 hours
        |
        |I always could if I wanted to. Would mean breaking a few federal
        |laws in the process.


      |u/wow_itsjustin - 12 hours
      |
      |Maybe that's why they wanted to ban it. At that speed, the only
      |description the police will get is "black sedan"


        |u/sideone - 4 hours
        |
        |"Black saloon doing 170mph" is going to narrow it down somewhat


      |u/RO-HK - 13 hours
      |
      |You can if you go fast enough


    |u/HiveMindKing - 16 hours
    |
    |Harassing the elderly


  |u/djshadesuk - 19 hours
  |
  |Trying to think of any other absolute mundane shit-boxes that were
  |turned into lunatics. Not BMW or Mercedes, just common-or-garden
  |brands that churned out something where you thought "What the F were
  |they smoking?"


    |u/JimPalamo - 19 hours
    |
    |My favourite one is when Renault made a Clio that had a big V6 where
    |the rear seats should have been.  VW did a similar thing where they
    |put a W12 from a Bentley in the back of a Golf.


      |u/therealhairykrishna - 18 hours
      |
      |That was the spiritual successor to the mid engined Renault 5
      |Turbo which they basically only built to go rallying.


      |u/Pan_Doktor - 18 hours
      |
      |Speaking of Renault, they also put a F1 engine into an Espace


        |u/Smithy2997 - 13 hours
        |
        |Yeah but that was just a one off, the V6 Clio was a production
        |car that you can see on the road if you're lucky.


          |u/Rustrage - 13 hours
          |
          |Bizarrely the area I live in has probably just about every hot
          |hatch imaginable.. including 2 V6 clios, a phase 1 and phase 2


            |u/Smithy2997 - 13 hours
            |
            |Holy shit. I think I've seen a V6 on the road twice in my
            |life. Though I have seen a couple of Renaultsport spyders
            |(one several times since it lived just around the corner
            |from me until the owner was inconsiderate enough to move)


              |u/Rustrage - 12 hours
              |
              |Yeah I live in a smallish town but it seems to be a pretty
              |cool spot for cars.. There's an RB5 Impreza knocking
              |about, a couple i20N's (which I've never seen anywhere
              |else) some Delta Integrates and it seems about 2/3 of the
              |UKs supply of GR Yaris's.


          |u/sideone - 3 hours
          |
          |There's a few for sale  http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-
          |details/202410185334494


            |u/Smithy2997 - 3 hours
            |
            |Blimey, they were only £30k a few years ago


        |u/Peterd1900 - 14 hours
        |
        |Thankfully someone didn't misread the brief.  Otherwise we could
        |have ended up with an Espace engine in a F1 car


          |u/Pan_Doktor - 13 hours
          |
          |Judging by their lack of pace for most of this year, I think
          |it ended up like that  Tho they seem to be on the up,
          |especially after that 2-3 in Brazil


            |u/Megamoss - 11 hours
            |
            |Unfotunately it is their last gasp.  Renault are pulling out
            |of the sport at the end of 2025.   Alpine, their own premier
            |sporting brand, will also not be using Renault engines after
            |the end of the season and will be using Mercedes engines
            |instead.   Renault really shit the bed in the hybrid engine
            |era of F1, even though they were the most insistent on the
            |formula.   Hopefully Enstone can be bought up by an
            |organisation that actually gives a damn.


              |u/Pan_Doktor - 4 hours
              |
              |Knowing Renault, they'll be back for 2030


        |u/Gr1mmage - 16 hours
        |
        |The ultimate insanely fast shitbox


      |u/joecarter93 - 18 hours
      |
      |I think I remember the Golf on Top Gear/The Grand Tour. That thing
      |was ridiculous.


        |u/JimPalamo - 18 hours
        |
        |Yeah Clarkson tested it on Top Gear and found that it was pretty
        |much undriveable


          |u/quondam47 - 18 hours
          |
          |He described the brakes and suspension as [“not finished
          |yet.”](https://youtu.be/X9TjPGY-38M?si=Q8oLsLZ8eAH8W11f)


      |u/thecauseoftheproblem - 14 hours
      |
      |I had the slightly more sensible clio cup.  Based off the normal
      |clio 172 (which was a mad amount of hp for a tiny car), but then
      |with any heavy stuff ripped out.  No AC, no sound deadening. It
      |even had thinner glass!


        |u/speculatrix - 3 hours
        |
        |You can buy a Mazda MX-5/Miata with a V8, which seems crazy.
        |6.3L and 525hp.  https://youtu.be/8CdOlX1iq_0  I have the same
        |model, 4th gen (ND), upgraded from 180 to 220 by BBR, and I
        |almost never think it could do with more power, the idea of more
        |than doubling it seems insane.


      |u/dizzley - 13 hours
      |
      |I went to a rallycross event where someone had a brand new Clio
      |V6. He ran it into a pothole in the gravel and I watched it
      |athletically flip forward onto its roof.


      |u/Djinjja-Ninja - 1 hour
      |
      |Funny thing is, the V6 Clio (especially the phase 1) wasn't really
      |that much faster than the Clio 172. More powerful and RWD, but
      |much heavier (300kg). 6.2 sec Vs 6.7 to 60 and 146mph Vs 138mph
      |top speed  Beautiful cars though, especially the phase 2 in Liquid
      |Yellow. If I had lottery money to buy a bunch of cars this would
      |be high up on the list.


    |u/aerfen - 18 hours
    |
    |My dad had a Ford Sierra Cosworth when I was young that was quite
    |bonkers.


      |u/Ohiolongboard - 14 hours
      |
      |Yes! Those cars where nuts. Either banned or just not available in
      |the US


        |u/I_probably_dont - 13 hours
        |
        |Merkur XR4Ti not the cosworth model but it did have the big
        |turbo. They’re cheap when you find them. Idr the other merkur
        |model


          |u/pretendviperpilot - 13 hours
          |
          |Those were everywhere back in the days. I always thought they
          |were so cool.


            |u/ihateslowdrivers - 10 hours
            |
            |Nice try, Jim Rome


      |u/DixonLyrax - 14 hours
      |
      |Faster around the Grand Tour Test Track than a Countache. My Dad
      |had one too.


      |u/doctor6 - 1 hour
      |
      |Cozzeh


    |u/ScissorNightRam - 16 hours
    |
    |Ford Australia and Holden allowed you to spec performance V8 engines
    |in a base model.  These were not the fairly well known HSV and FPV
    |sports versions. Just humdrum fleet vehicles that could breathe
    |fire.  Here’s one: https://www.grays.com/lot/0001-10313860/motor-
    |vehiclesmotor-cycles/2003-holden-vy-commodore-executive-v8-sedan


      |u/pretendviperpilot - 13 hours
      |
      |That's awesome and a true sleeper with the 350.


        |u/ScissorNightRam - 12 hours
        |
        |Right?! Everything is base except the engine and exhaust. Tyres,
        |brakes and suspension are all base. And yet it has a 50%+ boost
        |to hp and torque, while still being the lightest of the breed
        |(because it has no extra equipment).  It goes to another level
        |too. Almost all commodores were automatic, but you could always
        |option a manual. But it was rare on the base ones.  Yet, there’s
        |a handful of base Commodores with the LS1 and the manual box.


          |u/AnonymousEngineer_ - 12 hours
          |
          |I'm pretty sure that base-spec V8 engined production options
          |existed purely to supply vehicles to the Highway Patrol, but
          |it was open to anyone else who wanted one (e.g. as a tow car).


            |u/ScissorNightRam - 12 hours
            |
            |Could be. Could very well be. The highway vehicles seemed to
            |get suspension and brake upgrades too.  So maybe the “cop
            |spec” was a bundle of options and regular joes could pick
            |and choose - if they had an indulgent dealer.   I’ve seen a
            |few base model Falcons around too with the 5.4 V8. But I
            |don’t know much about them.


    |u/hellcat_uk - 15 hours
    |
    |Lancia Thema 8.32.  A very 'of the time' boxy dull 80s saloon, with
    |a genuine Ferrari V8 in the front.


      |u/Visible-Disaster - 8 hours
      |
      |A Ferrari V8 in front wheel drive. 🤮  Of all the cars on that
      |platform, I think the 164 is the best choice.


    |u/SurealGod - 14 hours
    |
    |GMC's 1991 Syclone and Typhoon came to my mind. They could do 13
    |second quarter miles and they were beating nearly everything at the
    |time for a mere $25k.  They had a turbocharged 4.3L V6 that made
    |280HP and 350Ft/lb of torque, they were AWD, had low gearing for
    |quick launches and only weighed 3600Lbs and this was all STOCK from
    |the factory.


    |u/old_righty - 16 hours
    |
    |Buick Grand National.


      |u/Fishyback - 15 hours
      |
      |Have a neighbor with one. It always makes me smile to see it go
      |by. A few houses down a guy has the ctsV-wagon which is one of my
      |favorite "sleepers" car people know but your average person in
      |their mustangs and shit have no idea that lady driving her kids in
      |a station wagon can blow their doors off.


      |u/MentokGL - 15 hours
      |
      |Best American car of the 80s aside from the viper


        |u/fantasmoofrcc - 15 hours
        |
        |1991 feels like the 80s, close enough :)


          |u/MentokGL - 13 hours
          |
          |That's how damn cool the GN is


    |u/Mackem101 - 19 hours
    |
    |Renault 5 turbo, and the Metro 6R4 come straight to mind.


      |u/Rustrage - 13 hours
      |
      |The Metro 6R4 was just insanity


    |u/inaccurateTempedesc - 18 hours
    |
    |The Charger/Challenger Hellcat is a recent example imo. Even in
    |2015, the LX platform was aging pretty badly.  Instead of fixing its
    |glaring issues, they just threw power at the problem and it worked!
    |No one cares if a muscle car handles like a boat if it makes 700hp.


      |u/VitaminDprived - 13 hours
      |
      |"She's built like a steakhouse but handles like a bistro!"


      |u/Eokokok - 15 hours
      |
      |Most people care, but the US still thinks that acceleration to 60
      |is what make cars fun...


        |u/inaccurateTempedesc - 15 hours
        |
        |Probably why it only sold well in the U.S. and Canada. If all
        |you're surrounded by are 4 lane stroads and empty 75mph
        |highways, a handling focused car seems kinda silly. There's
        |nowhere to actually enjoy it.


          |u/Ohiolongboard - 14 hours
          |
          |Oh I can assure you there are more roads in the US that would
          |be perfect to test the handling of a good car than there are
          |in the entirety of the UK. The real reason is the history of
          |muscle cars and drag racing. That’s the basis of the street
          |scene here. Look up “tail of the dragon” it’s a road that
          |people travel 1000+ miles just to test their skills.
          |Maintenance aside there are tons of roads just like that in
          |that state alone, never mind out west in california.


            |u/inaccurateTempedesc - 14 hours
            |
            |I'm aware that there's lots of good roads in the U.S., it's
            |just that places like Houston exist lol


              |u/Ohiolongboard - 13 hours
              |
              |Two things can be true at once, the existence of one thing
              |doesn’t nullify the other? I’m confused by your reasoning…


                |u/inaccurateTempedesc - 13 hours
                |
                |That's not what I'm trying to insinuate.


    |u/Rover45Driver - 16 hours
    |
    |Not on the scale of the Carlton but the MG ZT V8 might be half way
    |there.


      |u/HoveringPorridge - 16 hours
      |
      |The supercharged ones would fit the bill, but they only made two
      |before Rover went under. Around 400bhp from memory, Roush tuned
      |Ford modular in the front! The standard ones are still a lot of
      |fun though, great for drifting.  I really miss MG and Rover, they
      |made some really cool cars.


        |u/illogict - 6 hours
        |
        |The land speed record for non-production tourers (estate/station
        |wagons) is still held by the MG ZT-T.


      |u/illogict - 6 hours
      |
      |The land speed record for non-production tourers (estate/station
      |wagons) is still held by the MG ZT-T.


    |u/Bumblemeister - 15 hours
    |
    |Late 90s / early 2000s Ford Taurus SHO. IIRC, it was a ridiculously
    |twin-turbo'd Japanese engine (Mitsubishi?) in a sleeper sedan. Edit:
    |Looked it up. Yamaha V6, naturally aspirated. I think I got some
    |wires crossed with the Dodge Stealth / Mitsubishi 3000GT.


      |u/iexiak - 15 hours
      |
      |Later model Taurus sho is a twin turbo V6 and it's pretty great


        |u/Bumblemeister - 14 hours
        |
        |There it is.


      |u/ahorrribledrummer - 10 hours
      |
      |Late 90s oval Taurus actually had a small V8, still FWD. Weird
      |car.


    |u/usm_teufelhund - 12 hours
    |
    |Good 'ol Taurus SHO. Where Ford took a 4-door sedan, and had Yamaha
    |build it a 3.0V6. Then a couple generations later put in a 3.4V8. Of
    |course the most modern version got a little more sensible with AWD
    |3.5TTV6.


    |u/cat_prophecy - 18 hours
    |
    | Chevy Cobalt SS, Saturn ION come to mind.


    |u/Turmfalke_ - 18 hours
    |
    |[From the German youtube
    |corner](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiuLvLobAs4)


    |u/renatoram - 13 hours
    |
    |I think the Skoda Octavia VRS qualifies... Take a very sensible
    |estate/wagon, make it aggressive and with a 261bhp turbo engine (a
    |sedan version exists, in some markets: here it's basically non
    |existent).  I routinely see them used to drive kids to school or to
    |shop for groceries, around here (Switzerland).


    |u/rayalix - 9 hours
    |
    |The Peugeot 205 GTI 1.9 was a flying machine. A friend in the motor
    |trade once told me that 60 percent of them were written off in
    |accidents.


    |u/IphoneMiniUser - 18 hours
    |
    |Even though it wasn’t built by Ford, the Shogun was pretty insane. 
    |https://www.autoweek.com/car-life/a1844816/jay-leno-shows-his-sho-
    |powered-ford-festiva/


    |u/pinerw - 17 hours
    |
    |The Kia Stinger comes to mind. Not that its performance ceiling is
    |all that high in the grand scheme, but it was a *Kia* you could
    |legitimately cross-shop with an Audi A5 Sportback.


    |u/ufotheater - 17 hours
    |
    |LOL "mundane shit-box" is so accurate


    |u/halfpipesaur - 15 hours
    |
    |The only current car that would fit this description would be the GR
    |Yaris, I guess  For the past cars I'd definitely say: VW Passat W8,
    |the twin engined first-gen A-class AMG (unfortunatelly didn't make
    |it into production), Lancia Thema 8.32


      |u/Megamoss - 11 hours
      |
      |There's also a new Skoda Superb estate that has 447hp.


      |u/RocketTaco - 9 hours
      |
      |I was going to say the GR Yaris. It's not as disproportionately
      |fast as the Lotus Carlton, but it's an even more comically
      |inappropriate starting point for a serious racing car. It's hard
      |to imagine a more "an car" than a Yaris - remember [these sidebar
      |ads](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSsbap3M
      |1FCnvzo03wh_jO53hvdUwzmob56kdsvv_6kYWiEwqDhXwWfL_gS-
      |xqXUK7xLRQ&usqp=CAU) from years ago? They went that tack because
      |there's literally no other way to market a Yaris than "buy it
      |because you need transportation".


    |u/Cicero912 - 15 hours
    |
    |The Mondeo?  Ford basically used high performance saloon cars to
    |market the normal line since the Cortina


    |u/suverz - 14 hours
    |
    |Nissan Pulsar GTI-R, Toyota Starlet Glanza Turbo 4x4. Both highly
    |tunable four wheel drive beasts in the 90s.  Also the Vauxhall
    |Calibra Turbo 4x4. Very fast car when it wasn’t broken.


      |u/IamUzziel - 14 hours
      |
      |They didn't make a 4x4 Glanza, only a normal starlet without a
      |turbo :(


    |u/TheKingMonkey - 15 hours
    |
    |Ford Sierra.  They decided to make it into [an absolute
    |monster](https://youtu.be/srZrC98E0W4?si=kij_qq6hJXOWvaVb).


    |u/pretendviperpilot - 13 hours
    |
    |Oh man there's a few. The 90s Taurus SHO, Renault 5 Turbo, Dodge
    |Neon SRT4 JCW Mini, etc. Dodge does a lot of this now with things
    |like the 392 Rubicon. If you like Mopar or not, you have to admit
    |they aren't afraid to be wacky.


    |u/TheCarm - 13 hours
    |
    |Ford cosworth?


      |u/RikF - 7 hours
      |
      |There was a murder case I remember from way back where (memory not
      |perfect, so don’t quote me) a woman killed her (husband?
      |boyfriend?) but claimed they had been chased down by another
      |driver who killed him. Problem was they were in a Sierra Cosworth,
      |so right away the police were… mildly suspicious of her story!


    |u/FiddlerOnThePotato - 11 hours
    |
    |GMC Syclone/Typhoon comes to mind. A regular old Chevy S10 or Blazer
    |with a turbo 3800, AWD, and a nice and slippy automatic so the revs
    |can stay up and keep the turbo in boost.


      |u/AlwaysBagHolding - 8 hours
      |
      |Turbo 4.3, not 3800.


        |u/FiddlerOnThePotato - 8 hours
        |
        |Oh shit that's right. Honestly that's even more interesting.


    |u/Hirsuitism - 9 hours
    |
    |Juke R


    |u/turtlerunner99 - 9 hours
    |
    |MGC?


    |u/CapitalElk1169 - 1 hour
    |
    |Dodge Omni GLHS definitely fits that bill haha


    |u/CanadianDragonGuy - 18 hours
    |
    |337Speed has a few vids on cars like that, fucking bonkers the shit
    |car manufacturers can do when you give the engineers too much coffee


    |u/tmiwi - 14 hours
    |
    |Rover had a few, the 620 ti, the 420 turbo, and the 220 coupe and
    |GTi all had top speeds in the 140s I think


    |u/brnr918273 - 14 hours
    |
    |Dodge Omni GLHS has to be included in the list


    |u/prancing_moose - 14 hours
    |
    |The Audi RS2 Avant was a bit like that.  In the early 1990s, the
    |Audi brand didn't have the same luxury and sportive automotive image
    |as it does today.  Of course there was the legendary Group B Audi
    |Quattro, but Group B was banned in 1986, and by the 1990s, Audi
    |generally wasn't associated with performance cars.  Until the RS2
    |Avant arrived on the scene.  Maybe 315 HP AWD doesn't seem like
    |something special nowadays, but back in 1994, even a 100 HP was
    |considered pretty nippy.  Remember that in those days the Golf III
    |GTI only produced 116 HP, with the 16V GTI being considered very
    |fast at 150 HP and the 2.9 VR6 was the ultimate unicorn at a
    |whopping 189 HP.


  |u/Piltonbadger - 19 hours
  |
  |It was technically a Lotus car, as they took stock Carltons and
  |upgraded them into a sports sedan.    These things could shift and
  |were a blast to drive.  Not that I ever owned but, but got to drive
  |one!


    |u/JimPalamo - 19 hours
    |
    |Only 950 ever built. Bet they're worth a fortune now.


      |u/stupre1972 - 18 hours
      |
      |£60-80k  They come up at auction occasionally


        |u/Stonefly_C - 14 hours
        |
        |The last f couple I've seen were up for (doesn't mean sold for)
        |£100k+


        |u/Beefstah - 11 hours
        |
        |I had a chance to buy one at auction about 15 years ago, with an
        |expected sell price of £15k. I'd always wanted one, and heck,
        |even the missus was kinda onboard with the idea  I always
        |slightly regret not going for it. It'd have to have competed for
        |driveway space and budget with the Supras, and I was concerned
        |about parts availability...but damn, I'm sure we could have made
        |it work


      |u/PyroTech11 - 15 hours
      |
      |I saw one parked in a Tesco near me. I thought it was really cool
      |to see one. Didn't realise how rare it was


    |u/SkrakOne - 3 hours
    |
    |This is ooel omega uk version, right? Looks like the b model omega I
    |think


  |u/SommWineGuy - 15 hours
  |
  |But Vauxhall didn't go bonkers though, right?  They made a boring
  |sedan and Lotus did "hold my tea" and modified it.


  |u/GhandiHadAGrapeHead - 14 hours
  |
  |This is a lotus though who make sports cars


    |u/Peterd1900 - 14 hours
    |
    |Lotus who took  a Vauxhall Carlton and modified it  Vauxhall and
    |Lotus collaborated to turn the standard Vauxhall Carlton into the
    |Lotus Carlton  The car wouldnt have existed without Lotus but it
    |also wouldnt have existed without Vauxhall  The official name of the
    |car is the Vauxhall Lotus Carlton


  |u/IFLCivicEngagement - 18 hours
  |
  |I know people in Mississippi might disagree, but drinking and driving
  |is unwise, and a 4-door saloon is just outright. 


  |u/schmyle85 - 18 hours
  |
  |90s Chevy Impala SS. Basically a Caprice with a LT1 Vette engine


    |u/TJtheBoomkin - 18 hours
    |
    |These two cars are not even on the same playing field to be
    |compared.


  |u/T-Bills - 9 hours
  |
  |It's like that time when Chevy put a V8 in the Cavalier and called it
  |a GTO  /s clearly


  |u/cocoagiant - 8 hours
  |
  |Lotus is a pretty niche automaker though, so I would think that the
  |number of these that were out there was fairly low.


  |u/A_Queer_Owl - 7 hours
  |
  |see also the Buick GNX. a two door luxury coupe with a twin turbo V6
  |tuned by McLaren (not that McLaren, a different McLaren that just also
  |happened to do performance tuning) that was the fastest production
  |vehicle in the world in 1987.


  |u/salizarn - 4 hours
  |
  |There were a few around that time.  Combination of lightweight General
  |Motors frames and smaller engines.  No Ferrari but I had a Vauxhall
  |Nova in the early 90s that was pretty nimble.


  |u/VikingBorealis - 3 hours
  |
  |Mundane car manufacturers... Lotus... Ummm...


  |u/jesonnier1 - 2 hours
  |
  |Vauxhall didn't make it. Lotus took the vehicle and modded it.


  |u/Astrium6 - 14 hours
  |
  |>4-door saloon  New term for drunk driving?


    |u/Peterd1900 - 13 hours
    |
    |https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedan\_(automobile)


      |u/Astrium6 - 13 hours
      |
      |Huh, I figured it was just a silly typo. Didn’t realize the Brits
      |actually call sedans saloons for some reason.


        |u/Happy-Engineer - 12 hours
        |
        |TIL Americans call saloons sedans for some reason :)  Just wait
        |till you hear about estates and hatchbacks.


          |u/Actual-Money7868 - 5 hours
          |
          |I only know about the word sedan because of Simpsons hit and
          |run.


|u/HalJordan2424 - 18 hours
|
|Lotus strategically put up a billboard showing their newest sports car
|in the mid 70s right outside the window of the James Bond producer
|Albert Broccoli.  Sure enough, that’s the car that was used in The Spy
|Who Loved Me.


  |u/Boggie135 - 17 hours
  |
  |The Esprit?


    |u/HalJordan2424 - 14 hours
    |
    |Yes.


      |u/raspberryharbour - 13 hours
      |
      |Just don't try and copy the one in the film, or you may get wet


  |u/Pootle001 - 13 hours
  |
  |IIRC they parked the actual car outside.


    |u/Rd6-vt - 13 hours
    |
    |that’s how I heard this story too, Lotus went to the director to ask
    |if they wanted to have their new road car in the movie and the
    |director said no. So Lotus parked a brand new Esprit eithout badges
    |or Logos outside the directors house for 2 weeks and after that the
    |director was asking everybody if they knew what car that was


      |u/RhetoricalOrator - 8 hours
      |
      |I would be asking around, too, if there was a completely blacked
      |out car parked near my home. That's how you get on Unsolved
      |Mysteries.


        |u/Rd6-vt - 5 hours
        |
        |if I recall, it was white


  |u/sami2503 - 8 hours
  |
  |That's like some Derren Brown shit, fair play.


|u/Boggie135 - 17 hours
|
|Lotus should let the engineers loose again


  |u/SirNurtle - 13 hours
  |
  |I am absolutely convinced that the HR at Lotus has banned its
  |engineers from doing LSD because the shit they cooked in the 60s was
  |batshit insane, like:   You need an F1 car? Cool, here's this super
  |fragile frame that will shatter at the slightest breeze of wind, 2
  |engines stakced atop each other that are so overcomplicated not even
  |the people who built it know how it works yet it somehow pumps out
  |over 450HP, it breaks down 90% of the time for no reason, the gearbox
  |has a tendency to somehow fall out and there's a chance that the fuel
  |injection system will fail meaning if you corner to hard the G forces
  |will cause a catastrophic explosion.  **Fun**


    |u/dalenacio - 13 hours
    |
    |When you let a coder design a car.


    |u/lzcrc - 13 hours
    |
    |Just make sure to put Jim Clark or Jochen Rindt in it.


|u/therealhairykrishna - 18 hours
|
|Relevant video; https://youtu.be/6yptiCYBSZo?si=eoURWJkCJxcEtHMk
|Attempted police stop...


|u/Barbarian_818 - 14 hours
|
|I remember the fuss at the time about "super saloons". US cops in some
|states are dealing with the same problem today with Dodge Hellcats.
|And the problem isn't that they can outrun police cruisers. You can't
|outrun a radio after all. The problem is that the basic body is so
|common that if you lose sight of the speeder and then intercept him with
|another cruiser, it can be tough to prove in court that they are the
|same car. There are probably hundreds of late model Dodge Challengers in
|LA.   On the other hand, some idiot driving super fast in an exotic
|supercar is almost certainly the only instance of that model the cops
|will see that week. And they are produced in such low numbers that just
|sending cops to the registered address is feasible. There might be only
|100 examples in the entire world.   A green Ferrari Modena? There might
|only be one ever made or only one ever registered in your state.


|u/IvyImpulse54 - 19 hours
|
|just let the engineers go bonkers again.


  |u/Megamoss - 11 hours
  |
  |I mean, have you seen the power figures that are bouncing around in
  |the super/hyper car bracket at the moment?  It's absolutely insane.
  |Along with that you have active suspensions, active aerodynamics, full
  |carbon fibre tubs and enough technology to make NASA blush.   Even at
  |the lower/medium end of the market you have crazy power and
  |performance figures compared to a decade or so ago.   Not to mention
  |the insane performance and efficiency of electric drivetrains.


    |u/RikF - 7 hours
    |
    |You can buy a golf that will do 0-60 in under 4.5 seconds stock, and
    |sub 4 with just a stage 1 tune. Absolutely bonkers.


      |u/Djinjja-Ninja - 1 hour
      |
      |The R is listed at 4.7, but bone stock they're closer to 4.0. [Car
      |Wow did a 4.03 0-60 and a 12.4
      |1/4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9LEro19Ues&t=597s). 320hp
      |and 420Nm of torque.  I have one, it's mildly terrifying at times
      |because I have absolutely no idea where the limit is with it.
      |Even with traction/stability control off the AWD and torque
      |vectoring keep it pointed where you tell it.


  |u/Techrocket9 - 10 hours
  |
  |Lucid Sapphire has entered the chat.


  |u/Kenny_log_n_s - 16 hours
  |
  |Why though?   Max road speeds are 130kph. Why do cars need to be about
  |to go 250kph?


    |u/ElSapio - 15 hours
    |
    |It’s very cool


    |u/BrandoSandoFanTho - 14 hours
    |
    |Shhhhh let people enjoy things that don't affect you


      |u/Kenny_log_n_s - 10 hours
      |
      |Oops, except reckless people in fast cars directly endanger my
      |life and the lives of those I love


        |u/BrandoSandoFanTho - 9 hours
        |
        |Womp womp skill issue


          |u/moonLanding123 - 8 hours
          |
          |guy can't even double jump.


            |u/BrandoSandoFanTho - 8 hours
            |
            |Literally just has to get the Morph Ball then go to the
            |Alcove to get the Space Jump Boots on Tallon Overworld. Ffs.


    |u/BRMacho - 15 hours
    |
    |Because redlining for 5 hours on a roadtrip is awful to an engine's
    |durability. Vehicles need to be faster than the speed limit.


      |u/Skog13 - 11 hours
      |
      |There are other ways to limit speed than using a weak engine. FYI.


    |u/AgrajagTheProlonged - 15 hours
    |
    |Because it can


    |u/what_if_you_like - 12 hours
    |
    |vroom vroom


    |u/Chicago1871 - 10 hours
    |
    |Tracks exist


  |u/affordableproctology - 18 hours
  |
  |We have cars like the model S plaid.  Even the model 3 is pretty nutty


    |u/Rustrage - 12 hours
    |
    |The entire Tesla range is just so dull to look at though. It's like
    |they designed the model S and then loaded it into paint and just
    |used the little sliders to squish it and stretch it to design each
    |model.


      |u/affordableproctology - 12 hours
      |
      |Elon bad is strong on reddit.  The model S is a good looking car,
      |extremely heavy because it's electric but still fast and it is a 4
      |door 5 seat comfortable sedan mind you.


        |u/Rustrage - 12 hours
        |
        |Elon is a massive cockwomble, but not why I dislike Tesla's.. I
        |just think they're dull, although it's not my cup of tea I will
        |say the S is by far the best looking. But naturally they don't
        |sell them here anymore anyway, so we're plagued with a million
        |model 3s which are all the exact same colour and spec.


          |u/Beefstah - 11 hours
          |
          |Clarkson summed it up: they're appliances.   Very fast,
          |capable appliances.   But still appliances.


    |u/Eokokok - 15 hours
    |
    |No, they are not. Both handle like a garbage truck. You can somehow
    |overcome weight issue with clever (expensive) suspension. Tesla
    |though has garbage suspension even in terms of normal daily car.


    |u/StevenMcStevensen - 12 hours
    |
    |Electric cars may be able to get impressive numbers, but for the
    |most part they’re just boring cars for people who want an appliance
    |to take them to work. And almost all of them look like ugly
    |jellybean blobs.


      |u/Megamoss - 11 hours
      |
      |Disagree.  Take a deeper dive in to the physics and engineering of
      |the batteries and motors.  Just as much depth and intrigue as
      |combustion.


|u/lad_astro - 17 hours
|
|40 RA


  |u/Shabingly - 14 hours
  |
  |Came to say this 😂


  |u/bucket_of_frogs - 8 hours
  |
  |[40 RA is currently assigned to another green Lotus
  |Carlton](https://www.check-
  |mot.service.gov.uk/results?registration=40ra&checkRecalls=true)


|u/crucible - 15 hours
|
|The British comedian Jasper Carrott had a joke about the car:  “Vauxhall
|have launched a four-door family car that can do 170 mph. Who’s the
|family? Fittipaldi?!”


  |u/PapaGuhl - 14 hours
  |
  |Unless you’re British, have a passing interest in F1 and are at least
  |40, 99% of the world won’t understand that joke.  (I do).


    |u/DickRiculous - 13 hours
    |
    |Thanks for granting the necessary context


  |u/RikF - 7 hours
  |
  |I remember another of his about driving with his mother-in-law at 70
  |and being passed by a 911 doing 140.  “He won’t get there any faster!”
  |Yes he will you daft bat. He’s going twice as fast as us!  Somewhere
  |back at my Dad’s place in England I have a couple of his books. Must
  |dig them out next time I visit.


|u/Angry__Marmot - 10 hours
|
|There is a famous video in sweden featuring a Lotus Omega and a Police
|car.  I believe the Police car is a SAAB 9000 Turbo with 200+ hp. A fast
|car of it's day but it doesn't stand a chance.
|https://youtu.be/6yptiCYBSZo?si=Bn2jLePhYwTA-cIN


|u/SmallRocks - 16 hours
|
|Even if police vehicles could have matched or exceeded that speed, what
|the hell were they going to do about it? Perform a pit maneuver, killing
|everyone involved and likely some bystanders?


  |u/d4nfe - 16 hours
  |
  |Pit manoeuvre isn’t routinely used in the UK, where this car was sold.
  |Even pursuit policy was completely different in the 1990s.  Today,
  |there are plenty of tactics available to the Police that don’t involve
  |pit manoeuvres. The blame when someone comes to harm, usually lies
  |with the person failing to stop.


    |u/SmallRocks - 16 hours
    |
    |That still doesn’t answer the question.


      |u/L1A1 - 15 hours
      |
      |Eventually most escaping criminals will bottle it or make a
      |mistake, the idea is to be able to follow them and catch them when
      |they bail if they’re unable to use a stinger or do a rolling
      |roadblock.


      |u/Nooms88 - 14 hours
      |
      |If the driving is so reckless that it endagers lives, the police
      |will pull back any kind of pursuit and station vehicles at likely
      |exit points of the road to monitor it's position, along side high
      |priority lvid cctv feeds, they will call in a helicopter where
      |available  The idea being that the driver will likely slow down
      |when not being overtly followed whcih is safer for the general
      |public.  You're right, the police won't engage in high speed
      |pursuits thst are too dangerous. They'll wait for the suspect to
      |get to where he's going and then pounce.  In emergency situations
      |they will close off forward roads where possible to perform slow
      |down box maneuvers, get vehicles in front and force them to a stop


      |u/d4nfe - 16 hours
      |
      |Rolling road block, bring the speed down, then stinger or a box.
      |At 175mph, there aren’t many options. There are plenty when you
      |bring the speed down.


  |u/cpufreak101 - 15 hours
  |
  |Arkansas State Police: "yes"


|u/BlowOnThatPie - 7 hours
|
|LOL. The Lotus Carlton looks like a Chav Holden Commodore SS.


  |u/Thanks_Obama - 1 hour
  |
  |They’re the same platform.


  |u/Djinjja-Ninja - 1 hour
  |
  |That's because they're vaguely related. Built on the [same platform as
  |the latter Commodore
  |SS](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_V_platform_\(RWD\))
  |All owned by GM.


|u/Clear_Runway - 18 hours
|
|smells like bitch in here


|u/Helmett-13 - 14 hours
|
|NASCAR comes to England:  *A West Midlands Police officer said, “We
|simply haven’t been able to get near the thing and it looks unlikely
|that we ever will”, as their police cars were incapable of safely
|pursuing the stolen Lotus Carlton.*  The fact they stole booze along
|their plunder makes it even more appropriate.


|u/alexjav21 - 15 hours
|
|Just buy ferraris for the police like dubai


  |u/Captain_English - 15 hours
  |
  |Someone with their finger on the pulse of the UK economy


|u/cool_slowbro - 10 hours
|
|> Nobody buying this car could possibly argue he either needs or will be
|able to use a top whack which is claimed to be around 180 mph  Can say
|that about every street car, lol.


|u/madsci - 13 hours
|
|Where the hell in England can you go 176 MPH for more than a few miles
|at a time?


  |u/Beefstah - 11 hours
  |
  |From my experience:  The M20, especially down Wrotham Hill.   The M1,
  |although it needs to be empty. I 'made progress' during the England-
  |Germany game England won 5-1. Had the radio on listening, and did
  |Dartford to Billing Aquadrome during the first half, with the ref
  |blowing the whistle as I rolled up to the gate. Core memory that.  The
  |M26 now and then. Hard to count this one as it's only 3 inches long,
  |but you could extend to/from the M20/M25 on occasion.  The M55. For
  |best results do it late at night in the middle of a week in a TVR, but
  |they didn't give too much of a shit regardless provided you played
  |fair and gave due respect by slowing below triple digits if you saw
  |them on a bridge and for junctions.  M40. Nuff said.  The A1(M). A
  |mate regularly did Southend to Newcastle, and typically in 3-4 hours.
  |Oh, and most importantly - do all of this in the late 90's/early
  |2000's. Wouldn't recommend trying it today.


|u/CartersXRd - 19 hours
|
|I appreciate the charm and wolf-in-sheep's-clothing aspect, but, lord,
|is it the ugliest Lotus ever?


  |u/Team_Ed - 18 hours
  |
  |Your taste is your taste.  I love the look of that thing.


    |u/CartersXRd - 17 hours
    |
    |AGREED! Go for it, Bro!!


  |u/JimPalamo - 19 hours
  |
  |[Nah](https://www.uksportscars.com/wp-
  |content/uploads/2021/12/IMG_6867-1536x1022.jpg)


    |u/CartersXRd - 18 hours
    |
    |looks like a Mustang


      |u/Miss_Speller - 18 hours
      |
      |Looks like a [Lotus Europa
      |Twincam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_Europa) - they were
      |definitely odd-looking, but they were great little mid-engine
      |sports cars.


        |u/CartersXRd - 17 hours
        |
        |That was my love/hate car - '71 Europa.


      |u/Thekingoflowders - 18 hours
      |
      |Looks like a mustang mixed with one of those casket carrying cars
      |used for funerals


        |u/pichael289 - 14 hours
        |
        |Those are called a hearse. The shitty dishonest rich part of my
        |family owns a bunch of funeral homes and were bitching about the
        |cost of hearses going up because the goths/wiccans or whatever
        |you call them were buying them up. Funeral home owners are
        |typically really scummy and in my personal experience tend to
        |die from covid more frequently because they took medical advice
        |from Tucker Carlson.


  |u/roguespectre67 - 15 hours
  |
  |It’s an early-90s hot sedan dude, I dunno what you want. Doesn’t look
  |that far off a 190E, and those are sick.


  |u/Solid_Bake4577 - 4 hours
  |
  |It’s not a Lotus - it’s a Vauxhall.  Lotus messed with the oily bits
  |to make it go fast.  I had the big brother to this about 25 years ago,
  |which was the Vauxhall Senator. It has the same stock Vauxhall 3.0
  |straight six, 24-valve pushing out about 220 hp.   It was quick in
  |standard form - a lot of fun. Huge inside - like a 150mph gentlemen’s
  |club!


  |u/WasterDave - 16 hours
  |
  |Lotus made some fugly cars. Everything made in the 70’s was worse than
  |this.


|u/Tobias---Funke - 15 hours
|
|My local drug dealer had one.


|u/AlDente - 12 hours
|
|Ah I’d forgotten about this craziness


|u/CausticThoughts - 9 hours
|
|Wonder how many Carlton’s have survived to this day.


  |u/Djinjja-Ninja - 1 hour
  |
  |[60 left on the road](https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/vehicle/vauxhall_l
  |otus_carlton_turbo)  123 in garages in various states of disrepair.
  |Out of 223 originally registered.


|u/bigbangbilly - 8 hours
|
|Reminds me of the reputation the Ford Bronco have in the states


|u/MidnightNo1766 - 6 hours
|
|Ok, so they couldn't catch it. But let's be real, they wouldn't be that
|hard to find.


  |u/heisdeadjim_au - 4 hours
  |
  |Exactly 💯


|u/TheCatWasAsking - 5 hours
|
|>a Lotus Carlton registered "40 RA" was reported stolen  Trying to
|google images of this car, I came across this: [Exclusive Interview With
|The Owner Of The Original Lotus Carlton
|40RA!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMolhAxm06w) r/mildlyinteresting


|u/Qontherecord - 3 hours
|
|so the british police didnt understand how their police radios worked?


|u/sjw_7 - 34 minutes
|
|My local Vauxhall dealership had one of these.  It wasn't for sale but
|was kept in the show room.  It was a hell of a bit of kit.  It had the
|widest rear wheels I had ever seen.    I used to look round it fairly
|regularly when my piece of crap 1.6l mk2 Astra was in there for yet
|another thing being repaired.


|u/squigs - 15 hours
|
|They don't really need to though. The police can radio to another force
|if and head them off further up the road if they must.


  |u/ThugLy101 - 15 hours
  |
  |32 ish years ago not so much


    |u/squigs - 15 hours
    |
    |They had radios by then. I think they've had radios in cars since
    |the 1960s.


      |u/Peterd1900 - 15 hours
      |
      |Before that  Police had radios in cars from about 1934. it was the
      |1960s when they started using personal hand held two-way radios.


  |u/inaccurateTempedesc - 14 hours
  |
  |If you aren't a panicked idiot like a lot of criminals are, it's not
  |that impossible to outrun the radios.


    |u/BlowOnThatPie - 7 hours
    |
    |Yeah, I've watched Drive and am ready to slip the cops.


|u/Asleep_Management900 - 19 hours
|
|So if they can't win, they just cheat? Seems about right.


  |u/Thewalrus515 - 18 hours
  |
  |Yeah, they’re cops. What did you expect?


|u/ProperPerspective571 - 18 hours
|
|Looks like they mixed an old BMW and a Mustang from the 80’s


|u/x3nopon - 17 hours
|
|It's a tiny island.  Where would they drive away to.


  |u/lad_astro - 17 hours
  |
  |It's the largest European island and the ninth-largest in the world,
  |it's not exactly like people are just doing laps of it when they've
  |got a bit of time to kill 🤣


  |u/Boggie135 - 17 hours
  |
  |Its not 2 miles wide


  |u/WasterDave - 16 hours
  |
  |It’s still longer than a tank of petrol. Not wider though :)


  |u/Nooms88 - 14 hours
  |
  |Na you're actually correct, when someone is driving too erratically to
  |safely chase a heli is called in and you wait for them to get where
  |they're going. The UK is very densely populated, they can't hide out
  |in a desert 200 miles from civilisation


  |u/dhuntergeo - 16 hours
  |
  |Aww, ease up with the downvotes. This is funny   Yes, I'm an American.
  |Was there on my honeymoon   My wife and I still laugh about the couple
  |in the pub just outside of London where we stopped for lunch who
  |expressed surprise that we had a B&B booked for the night in
  |Wales..."that's almost 3 hours driving"  We stopped at Stonehenge for
  |two hours and still made it to the B&B around 6 pm  We had a shit box
  |Vauxhall that I ran the hell out of all over that tiny island


|u/cpufreak101 - 15 hours
|
|If the Hellcat sold in the UK, I guarantee exactly this would happen
|again.  Edit: why the hell the downvoted, is my point not true?


  |u/Stonefly_C - 14 hours
  |
  |The roads aren't wide enough


    |u/PapaGuhl - 14 hours
    |
    |We also have these pesky things called ‘corners’ in the UK.


      |u/Stonefly_C - 14 hours
      |
      |Is that fun but in an incorrectly typed way? 'Corners' indeed...


    |u/DeviousMelons - 14 hours
    |
    |Petrol too pricey.


      |u/Stonefly_C - 14 hours
      |
      |It's what the UK is used to


  |u/The_SaintXVI - 12 hours
  |
  |They are sold over here we just don't drive them


|u/madrussianx - 9 hours
|
|According to the wiki it was basically the Hellcat of it's day


|u/HolySmokesItsHim - 8 hours
|
|GNX enters the chat.


|u/cata2k - 14 hours
|
|Imagine doing 176 mph in a British car


  |u/Redsetter - 14 hours
  |
  |Like a McLaren?


  |u/Best-Dragonfly - 13 hours
  |
  |Is the idea of a Aston Martin/Bentley/Rolls
  |Royce/McLaren/Noble/Jaguar/Radical/TVR/Ultima/Lotus really that
  |abstract to you? 


    |u/Houseofsun5 - 12 hours
    |
    |Wait till they find out where most F1 teams are located and cars are
    |built.


|u/Nimmy_the_Jim - 15 hours
|
|Looks like a pos


|u/redpat2061 - 18 hours
|
|In America we had helicopters


  |u/mybeatsarebollocks - 18 hours
  |
  |Well, thats nice, but totally irrelevant.


  |u/Boggie135 - 17 hours
  |
  |Okay. And?


  |u/d4nfe - 13 hours
  |
  |We had Police airships in the 1920s, and autogyros in the 30s.


    |u/redpat2061 - 13 hours
    |
    |But then you stopped being cool