• VAUXHALL V87 - CARLTON MK3
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OVERVIEW:

The Vauxhall Carlton Mk2 was a bigger success than the Company had originally anticipated considering it was really a facelift of the Carlton MK1 launched in October 1978. However, Vauxhall were well aware that a completely new car was required as a replacement in order to retain their sales success - particularly in the ultra-competitive UK fleet market. Significant changes in the structure of GM Europe’s Design & Engineering had taken place since 1979 and all Vauxhall / Opel Design was now centred in Russelsheim in Germany, this was initially under the American Head of Design Gordon Brown. Tragically he was killed in a climbing accident in 1983 and was replaced by Head of Vauxhall / Bedford Design Wayne Cherry just 18 months after work on the new Carlton (and Opel Omega A) had started. As a result the new car had plenty of familiar Vauxhall styling cues and, as with everything Cherry was involved in, superb aerodynamics. Cherry’s influence was also seen in the improved interiors which had always been a weak point of previous Opel based designs. The Carlton MK3 was voted Car of the Year 1987.

DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT:

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GM STYLING STAFF WORKING AT THE RUSSELSHEIM DESIGN CENTRE

The initial development of the Carlton MK3 began in mid-1981, GM Europe had allocated a huge £1.5 billion investment for the design & development of the new car as well as upgrades to production facilities to build it, at the time this was the single largest investment in a new model in Europe especially for a car that had no real World car ambitions such as the 1982 J Car and proved the determination, particularly for Opel, to win back market share in the upper middle car market. The programme was called V87, V for the platform & 87 for the anticipated year of introduction, the difference from the previous models was that both the new Carlton and the new Senator (V88S) would share almost identical underpinnings only engine

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AN EARLY DESIGN SKETCH FOR THE NEW CARLTON WHICH ALREADY SHOWS THE SMOOTH LINES AND LARGE GLASS AREA

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ANOTHER PROPOSAL THIS TIME FOR A HATCHBACK STYLE WHICH WAS REJECTED

choice & dimensions would change but the exteriors would be very different to suit market expectations. This would reap considerable development & production costs, also the previous in line engines with rear wheel drive would be retained as this was considered to be more acceptable at the time in this sector of the market, particularly in the UK. In fact dynamic tests were done by GM technicians, led by Fritz Lohr, which showed where engines at or above 2.0litre engine capacity & average power output were used rear wheel drive had distinct advantages over fwd (remember this is the early 1980s!) The new Carlton

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1-5TH SCALE MODELS USED FOR INITIAL WIND TUNNEL TESTS

was envisaged as a classic style, comfortable, economical, aerodynamic and spacious 4 door saloon and 5 door Estate with rear-wheel drive. The hatchback path Ford stylists took with the Scorpio was rejected by GM designers.

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AN EARLY VAUXHALL CARLTON MK3 CLAY MOCK-UP IN STUDIO 1 OF THE VAUXHALL / OPEL DESIGN CENTRE

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THE FRONT END DESIGN OF THE TECH 1 CONCEPT IN  1981 PREVIEWED THE DESIGN THEME OF THE NEW CARLTON

Nearly 1,400 hours were spent in wind tunnel testing, including TU Stuttgart and at Pininfarina in Italy, using both 1:5 scale models as well as full sized mock-ups and resulted in a class leading CD 0.28 for the Saloon and CD 0.32 for the Estate version. This was essential for reducing fuel consumption at speeds above 50mph, in fact the front end design had already been previewed in the 1981 Tech 1 Concept. Early design sketches showed similar styling using smooth aerodynamic forms with low waistlines and large glass area.

In total 6,337 different parts had to be newly developed, designed and tested for the Carlton MK3. Test cars and prototypes clocked up 4.7m miles to ensure the engineering would be more than an equal to competitor models. The designers, engineers and modellers started the design process in Studio 1 at the Vauxhall / Opel Design Centre working under senior designer Herbert Killmer, he laid down the main parameters for the development of the new model. One of the first changes made after Wayne Cherry took over as Design Director was to double the number of interior design staff. The Interior was redesigned extensively with a priority on ergonomics, comfort and more

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DESIGNERS WORKING ON A MODEL OF THE NEW DASHBOARD, NOTE THE PROJECT NAME ON THE WALL - V87

lavish appearance, the subdued lighting of fittings and switches were among other additions. In order to reduce production time & costs as well as eliminate rattles the complete dashboard assembly was built up prior to installation and fixed with a special body glue, a system first used on the Astra MK2.

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THE COMPLETE CARLTON DASHBOARD & PEDAL ASSEMBLY READY FOR INSTALLATION

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A DISGUISED CARLTON MK3 UNDERGOING COLD WEATHER TESTING IN SWEDEN

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CRASH TESTING USING THE FRONT END OF V87 & THE REAR OF A ROYALE COUPE

The exterior design also included what GM called ”Partner Protection” which meant the body structure should absorb as much energy as possible in an accident and have no protruding mouldings or parts in order to reduce potential injuries to

pedestrians and cyclists. The calculation of body stiffness was carried out using GMs Cray Supercomputer for the Carlton in order to optimize the body structure without having to add unnecessary weight. Unusually, crash testing was conducted initially using the front end of the proposed new Carlton but using the rear end of a Royale Coupe in order to reduce costs while still giving realistic test data. At launch the Carlton MK3 was available in 3 trim levels – L, GL & CD and a little later GSi was added. 

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VAUXHALL CARLTON MK3 SALOON FRONT SIDE VIEW RH

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VAUXHALL CARLTON MK3 ESTATE FRONT SIDE VIEW RH

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VAUXHALL CARLTON MK3 FRONT CLOSE UP RH

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VAUXHALL CARLTON MK3 SALOON REAR SIDE VIEW RH

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VAUXHALL CARLTON MK3 SALOON REAR SIDE VIEW RH

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VAUXHALL CARLTON MK3 REAR SIDE VIEW RH BOOTLID OPEN

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VAUXHALL CARLTON MK3 SALOON REAR VVIEW RH CLOSE UP

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VAUXHALL CARLTON MK3 ESTATE REAR VIEW LH TAILGATE OPEN

ENGINEERING


DEVELOPMENT:

Although ABS was initially an extra cost option for all Carlton models, except the GSi on which it was standard, Vauxhall made much of the changes made to the chassis dynamics of the new Carlton and even gave it the name ACT – Advanced Chassis Technology. The previous live rear axle was ditched in favour of a heavily modified version of the Royale independent suspension using trailing arms. In reality it was just careful attention to this kind of set up’s common shortcomings: up to 8 degrees from full bump to rebound which limited grip and caused excessive tyre wear plus toe-in changes producing lift off over-steer. The trail angle is the angle the pivot axis makes with the cars lateral axis, typically this ranges from 14 to 26 degrees on different cars, the ACT on the Carlton MK3 reduced this to 10. In addition, the axis of the trailing arms’ pivot was set at 1.35 degrees to the horizontal. With this set up it reduced the rear roll centre and new, stiffer, Miniblock springs with an anti-roll bar countered the effect. The front MacPherson struts were similar but the front wishbone bush was mounted vertically, the rear horizontally. The result was that when braking on a surface with uneven grip the compliance in the rear bush would allow a small change in steering angle due to the influence of the moment generated by the negative scrub radius. ACT was a mixed success, as an alternative to ABS it was a non-starter, but even as a chassis improvement it had one major flaw – it was fine when new but after 20,000 miles the bushes would have worn enough to make the system completely ineffective.

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THE CARLTON MK3 MACPHERSON FRONT SUSPENSION LAYOUT

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THE CARTON MK3 TRAILING ARM INDEPENDENT REAR SUSPENSION LAYOUT

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VAUXHALL CARLTON MK3 SUSPENSION LINE DRAWING & CUTAWAY

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CARLTON MK3 PROTOTYPES UNDERGOING SUSPENSION EVALUATION

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VAUXHALL CARLTON MK3 3000 GSi CUTAWAY

For Vauxhall Dealers the newly developed GM electronic diagnostic test system called “Tech 1” could be used on the Carlton MK3, with the 2.0i engine which was the first Vauxhall to be fitted with an engine management system, saving fault analysis time. A much improved dashboard mounted trip computer was an option at launch.

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VAUXHALL CARLTON MK3 FRONT WHEEL ARCH LINER

THE RENEWED PRODUCTION FACILITIES AT RUSSELSHEIM

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THE VAUXHALL CARLTON MK3 ON THE PRODUCTION LINE

The Carlton MK3 was built on a completely renewed and refitted production line at Russelsheim which made it one of the most modern at the time, at the same time corrosion protection was improved – this was as a result of corrosion affecting the front suspension turrets, a further measure was plastic wheel arch liners to prevent water reaching too far up the inside wing. Also the plastic sill cladding served to keep stones from chipping the side sills and door bottom edges and therefore reduced corrosion.

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THE NEW GM R25 5 SPEED GEARBOX, THE UPRATED UNIT USED IN THE 3000 GSi WAS THE R28

The front ventilated disc brakes used uprated callipers with the piston diameter increased from 52mm to 54mm and from 1989 a new floating calliper design was used. The rather notchy Getrag 5 speed transmission used in the Carlton MK2 was ditched in favour of an in house design – the GM R25 which was uprated for the GSi and called R28.

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THE VAUXHALL CARLTON MK3 1.8i ENGINE

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THE VAUXHALL CARLTON MK3 2.0i ENGINE

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THE VAUXHALL CARLTON MK3 3.0i 12v ENGINE

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THE VAUXHALL CARLTON MK3 2.6i DUAL RAM ENGINE

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THE VAUXHALL CARLTON MK3 3.0i 24v DUAL RAM ENGINE

PRESS PICTURES:

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PRESS RELEASES:

VAUXHALL CARLTON MK3 LAUNCH PRESS RELEASE 10.86

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SECTION 1

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SECTION 2

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SECTION 3:

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SECTION 4:

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SECTION 5:

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SECTION 6:

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SECTION 7:

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SECTION 8:

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SECTION 9:

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SECTION 10:

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SECTION 11:

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SECTION 12:

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SECTION 13:

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VAUXHALL CARLTON MK3 1991 MY PRESS RELEASE 03.09.90

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A DISGUISED CARLTON MK3 UNDERGOING COLD WEATHER TESTING IN SWEDEN

VAUXHALL LOTUS CARLTON PRESS RELEASE 02.10.90

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LAUNCH ARTICLES:

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BROCHURES:

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 VAUXHALL CARLTON MK3 BROCHURE V6499 10.86

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VAUXHALL CARLTON MK3 SALOON LAUNCH BROCHURE V6483 11.86

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VAUXHALL CARLTON MK3 ESTATE LAUNCH BROCHURE V6484 11.86

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VAUXHALL CARLTON ACT BROCHURE V6599 04.87

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VAUXHALL BRIEFING - CARLTON MK2 ESTATE V6676 08.87

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VAUXHALL CARLTON SPECIFICATION UPDATE BROCHURE V7373 09.88

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VAUXHALL CARLTON CDX BROCHURE 10.88

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VAUXHALL CARLTON CDX BROCHURE V7381 10.88

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VAUXHALL CARLTON 1989 MODELS BROCHURE EDITION No1 V7366 10.88

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VAUXHALL LOTUS CARLTON LAUNCH BROCHURE V7424 10.89

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VAUXHALL CARLTON 1990 MODELS EDITION No2 V7366 04.90

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 VAUXHALL CARLTON 1991 MODELS 09.90

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VAUXHALL LOTUS CARLTON PRICE LIST V7483 09.90

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VAUXHALL LOTUS CARLTON LAUNCH BROCHURE V7466 10.90

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CARLTON MK3 PLAZA ESTATE SPECIAL EDITION V10235 04.92

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VAUXHALL CARLTON CLUB ESTATE BROCHURE V10259 10.92

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VAUXHALL CARLTON MK3 DIAMOND ESTATE BROCHURE V10260 10.92

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VAUXHALL CARLTON 1993 MODELS EDITION No2 V7366 04.93

ROAD TESTS:

VAUXHALL CARLTON MK3 CD 2.0i 1998cc AUTOCAR W/E


05.11.86

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