Iconic Lotus Carlton prepared for a show
Detailing cars to make them look their very best is always enjoyable, regardless of what’s being worked upon. But when a truly rare and iconic car like this comes along, it really is a treat to be savoured.
Just over 12 months ago the car had received extensive metal work. The bodykit had been removed to reveal the dreaded tin worm had been at work for some time, destroying large parts of the rear wings and arches. This as actually down to Lotus themselves taking standard galvanised Carlton shells and cutting the squared arches to suit the round profile of the new bodykit.
So, many thousands of pounds, hours of new metal fabrication and a complete respray later, the owner has been doing his best to keep it looking good. We were contacted to give a full correction detail in readiness for a Lotus show being held at Donington Park the following weekend, where this car was to feature on the club stand
Now on with the detail – I knew it was a big car, but actually stood in front of it made me realise just how big it was. Upon rolling it out of the garage, it was generally a little grubby, and covered in watermarks.
The car was carefully washed to remove the loose dirt. Lower panels and sills treated with a liquid tar remover first, then once wiped off any stubborn spots were removed along with all other contaminants on the paint using a clay bar. Rinsed again, then dried with a microfibre towel.
Looking over the now clean car it was clear that the paint was pretty good, a fairly even spread of light-medium swirls all over. What did strike me is the subtle flip to the paint colour. Mostly it looks a beautiful dark green but at certain angles and light conditions, it can appear blue, black or purple!
While it’s always good to use as little tape as possible, in this case it was necessary to extensively mask up the car to protect the many areas of grained plastic trim and rubber seals that fit between the panels and bodykit. This was a rather delicate and time consuming job.
Thanks to the extensive bodywork carried out, paint depth readings were predictably all over the place, ranging from 170-190 microns on the bonnet, then shooting up and down to peaks of around 650-700 microns in some places (saw 999 in one), mostly 290-450. As the swirls to be polished out did not appear to be too bad, this wasn’t a problem.
Starting with the bonnet, I worked my way through various polishes to find a suitable product to carry out the correction using the rotary polishing machine. Its important to always use the least abrasive product, but in this case the paint turned out to be very hard indeed and needed a more aggressive approach than I first expected.
There are not as many pictures as I would have liked, the hardness of the paint making slow going, but these are some good examples of the correction being achieved.
With the correction stage finished, light was fading marking the end of day 1. Before leaving, a glaze was applied to the paint, in this case Chemical Guys EZ Creme Glaze adding oils to the paint, giving the colour improved depth and wetness in the process. The car was then put back in the garage overnight.
Day 2.
After giving the car a quick wipe down with a microfibre cloth and some quick detailing spray to remove any dust that had settled overnight, a coat of Chemical Guys 50/50 Connoisseur Paste wax was applied to all painted surfaces.
Once all the trim had been thoroughly cleaned, Chemical Guys New Look Trim Gel was applied, including tyre walls. The alloys were treated to a healthy coat of Chemical Guys Wheel Guard to help add protection and give them a great shine.
Wax buffed off, all panels gaps were cleared of any polish dust or wax residue and the glass was polished.
A day and a half after starting, here are the end results. The customer was delighted.
I mentioned at the start of the article a unique fact about this car. Have you spotted it? To be fair, you’d have to be a bit of an anorak like we are! This is the only right hand drive car made with Opel Omega badges. Originally supplied to a dealership in Wales, the dealer principle refused to have any car with a Vauxhall badge, so as a result it was ordered with the European Opel badges. Therefore, this car is unique!
Testimonials
“I would definitely recommend anyone to use Shine On regardless of marque, Paul is a genuinely nice bloke who has the rare attributes of actually loving his job and doing it to the best of his ability (bordering on OCD). I personally plan to use this service at least every 8months to keep the cars looking at their best.
And to top it all off…..even my wife commented on how and I quote ‘amazing’ it looked, that testimony alone is worth its weight in gold!
Andy (M3 and Battle Bus!)”
