01/06/2026
THE BIG REVEAL! 🦁🔥
Here is exactly what went down at the shop:
We know we’ve been stringing you along with snippets and teasers of what’s been going on in the garage, but the secret is finally out!
Hands up: who remembers the Lotus Carlton "jigsaw puzzle" that was advertised all over Facebook and eBay? The one that looked like a total barn find with the entire rear end stripped off?
Well, we have fabulous news. She was rescued by a true gentleman who has completely fallen in love with the Lotus Carlton lifestyle (can you blame him?!). Her new owner has done an absolutely outstanding job getting her roadworthy, including some incredible restoration work on the underside.
Before hitting the tarmac for some serious summer road trips, he made the sensible decision to bring her to us to go through the engine bay, tidy things up, and make sure she was 100% ready after 16 years in storage.
The Engine Bay & Rebuild 🔧
▪️Head & Gasket: Old head gasket removed and upgraded to a Multi-Layer Steel (MLS) replacement, clamped down with brand-new ARP head studs.
▪️Cooling & Seals: Installed a new water pump, fresh gaskets for the engine, exhaust, and intake manifolds.
▪️The Aesthetics: Everything got a serious scrub. Components and manifolds were cleaned, sandblasted back to bare metal, and then painted, ceramic coated, or zinc plated accordingly. All hoses were reconditioned and finished with fresh zinc hardware and jubilee clips.
The Twin Turbo Overhaul 🐌💨
Upon inspection, both turbos were found to be leaking on the compressor side. We fully stripped them down, cleaned every component, and ceramic-coated the housings. During the rebuild, the degraded originals were upgraded to brand-new billet aluminium compressor wheels.
Chassis, Braking & Underside 📐
▪️Replaced some very "interestingly" plumbed brake lines (a standard feature from the car's previous life!).
▪️Fitted a fully refurbished and powder-coated front subframe (supplied by the customer), paired with two brand-new control arms engineered in-house to OEM spec.
▪️Installed new drop links, a freshly powder-coated anti-roll bar, and all-new zinc hardware.
▪️Installed and set up the self-levelling suspension, fabricated custom heat shields (turbo, exhaust, and engine mount), and gave the exhaust tips a fresh paint job to restore that factory OEM look.
▪️Topped it all off with a fresh coolant expansion tank, V-belt, spark plugs, filters, a thorough radiator flush, and a fresh oil change.
The Result: Back on the Road 🏁
The grand finale? We took her for an MOT—her very first since 2009—and she passed with absolutely zero advisories. A massive testament to the love and dedication her new owner has poured into her.
As luck would have it, we had a mobile diagnostic call-out in the owner's hometown, so we used the trip for some intensive road testing. 350 miles smashed. She drove flawlessly, pulled like a train, and didn't miss a single beat!
This beast has landed in the perfect hands. Her owner is entirely dedicated to saving an iconic machine from being lost to time.
💬 Community Callout: If anyone in the LC community knows a top-tier bodywork and paint specialist who understands these cars, drop a recommendation in the comments to help a new member out!
It has been an absolute honor to work on this project, we truly hope both the owner and the car have the most superb summer! We hope you enjoy the gallery of the build! If you have any questions or have a specialist project of your own, drop a comment below or send us a message. 📥
