THE car that started the tradition of Griffin-badged, high performance saloons that still carries on today, the Lotus Carlton, has turned 25.

Dubbed the fastest four-door saloon in the world when launched in 1989, this Carlton was like no other, packing a 377bhp punch from its Lotus-tweaked, straight-six, twin-turbocharged engine. Top speed was 176mph, with the 0-62mph sprint covered in a still impressive 4.9 seconds.

The performance, along with the dynamics, which were also tuned by Lotus, resulted in a big saloon that could keep up with the finest supercars of the day.

Just 440 were produced between 1989 to 1994 as a joint project with Vauxhall and Lotus, with each car costing an eye-watering £48,000.

“Everyone at the time said it was completely inappropriate for a manufacturer like Vauxhall to launch a 176mph car,” said Stuart Harris, current Head of Carline Brand at Vauxhall, but a key member of the Lotus Carlton’s launch team back in the eighties. “It was better than the competition in every conceivable way and will go down as one of the most iconic Vauxhalls of all time. It was landmark product for Vauxhall, which to this day is still much loved. It introduced the brand to people who would not have considered driving a Vauxhall before. The car put a question mark in people’s heads and got them talking – just like the cars in today’s VXR range do.”