Lost Lotus Carlton from the Sultan of Brunei’s collection found after 35 years and sold at auction
Published on Apr 05, 2026 at 7:34 PM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Apr 02, 2026 at 3:17 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Mason Jones
When it comes to automotive icons, few hold a candle to the Vauxhall Lotus Carlton, a car so good that the Sultan of Brunei’s collection used to have one.
A design from Vauxhall with Lotus tuning, the Carlton proved so fast and potent that it was debated in Britain’s Parliament due to it being a family car with rapid performance.
It even became famous as the car of choice for criminals, with an example being the license plate ’40 RA’ becoming public enemy number one.
The Sultan of Brunei used to have one before it vanished, but the car recently resurfaced, and while it needs a restoration, it was put up for auction at Iconic Auctioneers.
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One of three Vauxhall Lotus Carlton sports cars in the Sultan of Brunei’s collection
Richard Greenhalgh from Iconic Auctioneers spoke to us about why this is such a special car.
“First registered in the UK on 07/08/1991 with the registration J238 KLR, the car was exported to Brunei just a week later to join the Sultan’s extensive private collection,” he said.
Remarkably, the Sultan of Brunei’s collection actually had three of these incredible cars.
However, this is reportedly the only one that was released from the collection of the Royal Family.
According to the odometer, the car has done just 20,703 miles since 1991.
But it’s clearly in need of a full restoration due to its condition.
“Lotus Archives confirmed that the chassis VIN, engine number, and build number correspond correctly with their records,” Greenhalgh added, so this car is the real deal.
After going up for sale at Iconic Auctioneers, the team hoped it would at least meet their estimates.
“We estimated it at around £40,000, and it sold for £42,750,” said Greenhalgh.
That is roughly $56,551, so not an insignificant amount of money.
This is not a sales record, as the most expensive Carlton sold for £107,536 in 2024.
That is around $142,301 for the 1992 model.
So why is the Carlton so expensive?
This is why the Carlton is so expensive and famous
Vauxhall tasked Lotus wth upgrading the Carlton saloon to be a high-performance saloon.
Lotus enhanced the engine to create a 3.6-liter Opel twin-turbocharged inline-six.
This chucked out 377hp, which for what was in essence a family saloon, was an astronomical amount of power.
With a top speed of 176mph, it was even faster than supercars and sports cars from Porsche and Ferrari.
“The fact that it was produced in limited numbers only heightened its appeal,” Greenhalgh told us.
Parliament in the UK heavily debated the Carlton, with the advertising being condemned.
Efforts were even made to ban the car from British roads.
The car also became a target for thieves and joyriders due to its performance.
One example, registered ’40 RA’, became infamous as it was used in various ram raids.
The police had nothing in their arsenal that was fast enough to catch it, so it got away with it every time.
Eventually, the raids stopped, and the car was found dumped in a canal beyond repair.
To this day, the Lotus Carlton remains a core part of automotive folklore.
Nothing has come close to matching its infamy, aura, and the culture it created.
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Henry joined the Supercar Blondie team in February 2025, and since then has covered a wide array of topics ranging from EVs, American barn finds, and the odd Cold War jet. He’s combined his passion for cars with his keen interest in motorsport and his side hustle as a volunteer steam locomotive fireman at a heritage steam railway.
