The Lotus Carlton, also known as the Lotus Omega in mainland Europe and sometimes Vauxhall Lotus Carlton in the United Kingdom, was actually a Vauxhall Carlton saloon which was improved by Lotus Cars to become a sports sedan featuring a speed of 177 mph (285 km/h). Like all Lotus vehicles, Carlton was given a brand designation “Type 104” and acceleration capability was enhanced to equal that of contemporary supercars. Production of Lotus Carlton started in 1990. But owing to the economic downturn of the early 1990s, the production process at Lotus was stopped in December 1992, with only 950 cars being completed.