The cheaper Carlton actually sliced through the air better than its posher Senator sibling — 0.28 Cd against the Senator's 0.30 — thanks to a different roofline and rear doors.
Median 121 hp across 462 similar cars
Lead trim: Carlton 1.8 Family II · up to 201 hp
Vauxhall Carlton Mark II1986–1994
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Vauxhall Carlton Mark II yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThe cheaper Carlton actually sliced through the air better than its posher Senator sibling — 0.28 Cd against the Senator's 0.30 — thanks to a different roofline and rear doors.
Opel named its 1986 replacement Omega rather than Rekord and Vauxhall stayed with the Carlton name; on its November 1986 launch the Carlton / Omega saloon and estate earned the European Car of the Year accolade (the second Vauxhall/Opel product to do so, two years after the Astra / Kadett). The Carlton (Omega A) shared its platform again with the Senator, whose body-shell differed between the B and C/D pillars for better rear headroom, giving the Carlton a drag coefficient of 0.28 against the Senator's 0.30. All the four-cylinder engines were GM Family II units in 1.8 and 2.0-litre capacities (including the 2.0 C20NE, 115 PS and 125 lb·ft), and new to the Carlton were two straight-six engines of 2.6 and 3.0 litres, both 12-valve Opel CIH units, with later 3.0-litre models offered with 24 valves for much more power and torque and the "Dual-Ram" intake manifold that lets the engine breathe as two three-cylinder engines below 4,000 rpm; there was also a 2.3 turbo diesel with 100 PS and 160 lb·ft. The Opel Omega A also had a 2.4 CIH in certain European markets but the Carlton never did. Vauxhall scrapped the name in early 1994 and the replacement was sold as the Vauxhall Omega (the Lotus Carlton is catalogued separately under Opel). The page gives no per-engine years, so all trims carry the generation span.
Collectors Spotted in the Vauxhall Carlton Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Vauxhall Carlton yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
6 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlton 1.8 Family II | 1986–1994 | 1.8 L | 87 hp | 105 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| Carlton 2.0 Family II C20NE (115 PS) | 1986–1994 | 2.0 L | 113 hp | 125 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| Carlton 2.3 turbo diesel (100 PS) | 1986–1994 | 2.3 L | 99 hp | 160 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| Carlton 2.6 CIH straight-six | 1986–1994 | Inline-6 | 148 hp | 162 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| Carlton 3.0 CIH straight-six 12V | 1986–1994 | 3.0 L Inline-6 | 175 hp | 177 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| Carlton 3.0 straight-six 24V | 1986–1994 | 3.0 L Inline-6 | 201 hp | 199 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
The cheaper Carlton actually sliced through the air better than its posher Senator sibling — 0.28 Cd against the Senator's 0.30 — thanks to a different roofline and rear doors.
Vauxhall's big new executive saloon for 1978 was British in badge only — the Carlton Mark I was built in Luton from parts shipped in from Opel's own plant in Rüsselsheim, Germany.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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