Who remembers the Opel Omega? The "oldest" (I don't want to call anyone old…) certainly remember. Younger people may not be aware that the Omega was for many years the "flagship" of Opel.
It was a model that offered, at a significantly lower price, a credible alternative to models from German premium brands. Anyone looking for a well-equipped, spacious car with satisfactory performances had the Omega as a very valid option. But it's not the versions with satisfactory performances that we're going to talk to you about today… it's the hardcore version! Fire the rockets and let the band play!
(…) some units tested by the press reached 300 km/h!
The Lotus Omega was the "hypermuscled" version of the "boring" Omega. A "super saloon" cooked by Lotus engineers, and which took high-end models like the BMW M5 (E34) by surprise.
The 315 hp of the German model could do absolutely nothing against the 382 hp of power of the German-British monster. It was like a 7th grade kid getting into trouble with a big 9th grader. The M5 didn't stand a chance — and yes, I too was a “BMW M5” for many years. I well remember the “beat” I took…
Returning to Omega. When it was launched in 1990, the Lotus Omega immediately snatched the title of «fastest saloon in the world», and by a large margin! But let's start at the beginning...
Once Upon a time…
…a world without economic crisis—another thing the younger ones have never heard of. Aside from Lotus, which throughout its history was almost always on the brink of bankruptcy, the rest of the world was living in the late 1980s a time of strong economic expansion. There was money for everything. Credit was easy and so was life… that is, like today. But not…
As I said earlier, the small English company was in serious economic trouble and the solution at that time was a sale to General Motors (GM). Mike Kimberly, general director of Lotus, saw the American giant as the ideal partner. GM had previously turned to Lotus engineering services, so it was just a matter of deepening the ties that already existed.
The "bad tongues" say that with just a slight increase in turbo pressure the power could rise to 500 hp
According to legend, it was this same man, Mike Kimberly, who “sold” GM's management the idea of creating a “super saloon” from the Opel Omega. Basically, an Opel with the performance and behavior of a Lotus. The answer must have been something like “how much do you need?”.
I need little…
“I need little,” Mike Kimberly must have replied. By “little” is meant the healthy base of the Opel Omega 3000, a model that used a 3.0 l inline six-cylinder engine with 204 horsepower. Compared to the Lotus, the Omega 3000 looked like a bedpan… but let's start with the engine.
Lotus increased the diameter of the cylinders and stroke of the pistons (which were forged and supplied by Mahle) to increase the displacement to 3.6 l (another 600 cm3). But the work is not over here. Two Garrett T25 turbos and an XXL intercooler were added. The end result was 382 hp of power at 5200 rpm and 568 Nm of maximum torque at 4200 rpm — with 82% of this value already available at 2000 rpm! To withstand the «thrust» of this avalanche of power, the crankshaft was also reinforced.
Journalists from the most prestigious English newspapers even asked for the car to be banned from the market.
The reduction of the power of the engine was in charge of a six-speed Tremec T-56 gearbox — the same one that was used in the Corvette ZR-1 — and that delivered the power only to the rear wheels. The "bad tongues" say that with just a slight increase in turbo pressure the power could rise to 500 hp — the same power as the current Porsche 911 GT3 RS!
Let's get to the numbers that matter?
With nearly 400 horsepower — say it out loud: nearly four hundred-horsepower! — the Lotus Omega was one of the fastest cars money could buy in 1990. Today, even an Audi RS3 has that power, but… it's different.
With all this power, the Lotus Omega took just 4.9s from 0-100 km/h and reached a top speed of 283 km/h — some press units in the hands of journalists reached 300 km/h! But let's stick to the “official” value and put things back in perspective. A supercar like the Lamborghini Countach 5000QV took just 0.2s(!) less than the 0-100 km/h. In other words, with a skilled driver behind the wheel, the Lotus risked dispatching a Lamborghini at startup!
too fast
These numbers were so overwhelming that they gave Lotus and Opel a chorus of protest.Journalists from some of the most prestigious British newspapers even asked for the car to be banned from the market — perhaps the same journalists who reached 300 km/h. In the English parliament, it was even discussed whether it would not be dangerous to let such a car circulate on public roads. Petitions were even made for Lotus to limit the maximum speed of the Omega. The brand made marker ears… clap, clap, clap!
It was the best publicity the Lotus Omega could have! What a bunch of boys…
top dynamics
For all intents and purposes, despite being born under Opel's design, this Omega was a full-fledged Lotus. And like any "full-right" Lotus, it had a referential dynamic — even today dynamics is one of the pillars of Lotus (that and the lack of money… but it looks like Geely will help).
That said, the British house has equipped the Lotus Omega with the best components that were available on the market. And if the base was already good… it got even better!
From the German brand's 'organ bank', Lotus took the Opel Senator's multi-link self-levelling suspension scheme for the rear axle — Opel's flagship at the time. The Lotus Omega also received adjustable shock absorbers (load and preload) and firmer springs. All so that the chassis could better handle the power and lateral accelerations. The brake calipers (with four pistons) supplied by AP Racing, hugged 330 mm discs. Measures that filled the eyes (and rims) in the 90s.
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beautiful inside and out
The Lotus Omega's exterior look dramatically matched its demonic mechanics. In my evaluations of new models, I don't like to commit myself to big considerations about design, as here — everyone has their own taste… — but this one has already passed the most difficult of tests: time!
The black color of the bodywork, the air intake in the bonnet, the side skirts, the larger wheels… all the elements of the Omega seemed to encourage the driver to lose his driving license: “yes… test me and you'll see what I am able!".
Inside, the cabin also impressed but in a more discreet way. Seats supplied by Recaro, sports steering wheel and a graduated speedometer up to 300 km/h. No more was needed.
In short, a model that was only possible to launch at that time. A time when political correctness was not yet a school and the "noisy minorities" had a relevance proportional to its significance. Today it's not like that anymore...
In today's light, the Lotus Omega would cost something like 120 000 euros. Only 950 units were produced (90 units remained unproduced) and half a dozen years ago it was not difficult to find one of these copies for sale for less than 17 000 euros. Today it is practically impossible to find a Lotus Omega for this price, due to the escalation of prices that the classics have been suffering in recent years.
Have the youngest already understood why the title? Indeed, the Lotus Omega would eat any BMW M5 for breakfast. As they used to say in my school days… and “no pimples”!
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