Wow, one of my favorite cars! Sweet memories of my beloved 1.8 GL from 1989, a car with an exceptional design, great build quality, comfortable and reliable. Speaking of the brochure you presented, I was amazed to see how many versions were available. In Europe there wasn't all this choice. The Diamond versions were a cross between basic and CD. I forgot to say that for us (except the UK market), the car was called Omega and was branded Opel.
I liked the Vauxhall Carlton even when the 2.0i CD was the flagship model. It proved that you could produce a viable luxury car using a four cylinder engine.
A very nice range of cars and the diamond estate in manual form would have been one of the best estates 30 years ago. I would certainly like to have driven one
Great to see the Carlton featured. My dad was in the market for a secondhand executive car. He bought a previous generation Carlton 2.2i CD (Opel Rekord based) but he really wanted a newer Omega A based one, 1.8 or 2.0 in either GL or CD spec. Finding a tidy one within budget was very difficult. Most had been ex-company cars with intergalactic mileages. The facelifted Carltons featured here look much smarter. Even the base spec models looked well appointed.
This was fairly late in the Carlton’s life, as the Omega was launched in 94/95. We nearly got a 2 yr old 1990 G Reg 1.8 L carb Carlton, but thankfully Dad bought a slightly older but higher spec 1988 F Reg Mk3 Cavalier 2.0 GLi saloon instead.
My boss had a 1993 Carlton 2.0 CD. It was a nice car but the alloy wheels soon got dirty with brake dust and looked quite difficult to keep clean. The 24 v GSi would have been my choice.
Brilliant really enjoyed looking at the Carlton. It was a very handsome looking car in estate or saloon form. Very well equipped compared to the equivalent Ford. I loved the look of the Diamond estate with those alloy wheels and the luxurious Diplomat.
