I'm a Liverpool mum who won a 180mph sports car which was my late dad's favourite

Claire Carty, 47, has scooped a £85,000 Lotus Emira - which she believes is a gift from her dad. Lucky Claire, of Liverpool, who lives with her partner Stephen and their ten-year-old son Noah, said the win “felt like fate”.

Retail manager Claire, who won the car through Omaze, says her dad was a huge fan of a Lotus. But he never got to own one - which was even brought up during his eulogy. She said: “Dad was a massive Lotus fan.

“He actually managed to save up and buy a Lotus Cortina in the 70s, but the insurance firm he used got caught up in a scandal and went bust. Because of that – and with his young age and the car’s value – he just couldn’t get it insured again, so he had to sell it.

“He was devastated, and always dreamed of owning a Lotus again one day. He talked about that car all his life – it even came up in his eulogy – so when I found out I’d won this, it honestly felt like fate.

“My brother bought him a replica model of it one Christmas, which now sits in my dad’s room. Since finding out we’d won, I keep going in and saying thank you to the little Lotus – it’s silly, but it just feels like this win was from Dad.

“I’ve always said everything happens for a reason – and of all the months to win with Omaze, it was the month they were giving away a Lotus. It really does feel like it was meant to be.”

On finding out she’d won a prize, she said: “When I first got the email saying I'd won something, my mum was convinced it all sounded a bit too good to be true – she told me to just ignore it at first – but it all looked genuine to me, so I kept checking and double-checking on my account.

“The codes matched the car and the cash, but even then I still couldn’t convince myself it was real! My stomach was in knots all weekend.”

Claire was at work when she got the call confirming exactly what she’d won, saying: “I was in the office and knew Omaze were going to call at 5.30pm – honestly, it felt like the longest day ever. My boss was happy as I did so much work just to keep occupied!”

An inherent Lotus fan because of her dad, Michael, Claire says she loved taking the car out for a spin – but revealed she ultimately plans to sell it and bank the cash. She said: “I loved taking it out for a spin with the Omaze Pro Driver Tess. It's incredible to drive - it's certainly faster than my old Ford Focus!

“The £100,000 and the money I’m getting from selling the car will also make a huge difference. I’ve already treated myself to a lovely BMW X3 M Sport – it's amazing and fits the whole family in very comfortably. I do a lot of miles for work, so it's really lovely to have something newer and reliable.”

Claire was driving an 11-year-old Ford Focus 1.6-litre diesel that had clocked up over 125,000 miles. The four-cylinder engine produced 113bhp and took over 11 seconds to reach 60mph. Her new Lotus Emira is the last petrol-powered sports car to be built by the legendary British marque.

Powered by a mid-mounted Mercedes-AMG engine producing 400bhp, it can accelerate from 0-62mph in just 4.0 seconds and reach a top speed of 181mph. It is finished in striking Osmium Silver with 20-inch V-spoke alloy wheels and red brake calipers.

Inside, the Emira combines modern British craftsmanship with performance-focused design, featuring lightweight sports seats and technology to monitor on-track performance – including a built-in lap timer, F1-style G-meter and downforce display that measures every corner and straight with race-ready precision.

Claire won her prize as part of her £15 monthly Omaze subscription. She never considered herself a particularly lucky person before her big win – saying the last thing she won was two bars of soap from another competition she used to enter.

“As soon as they arrived in the post, I stopped entering – I thought, if that’s all there is to win, why bother?” she laughed. “But then I saw the houses Omaze offers, and I thought I’d give it a go – and I’m so glad I did!”

The prize was part of the Omaze Million Pound House Draw, Surrey – supporting Breast Cancer Now – the UK’s leading breast cancer research and support charity.

Draw entries for the Omaze Million Pound House Draw, London, are available now at omaze.co.uk. The Grand Prize Draw closes on Sunday 25th January 2026 for online entries and Tuesday 27th January 2026 for postal entries.

An Early Bird Prize of a Mercedes GLC AMG worth over £70,000 plus £100,000 in cash – is also available to anyone entering by Midnight on Sunday 11th January 2026 for online entries and Tuesday 13th January 2026 for postal entries.

Entrants can also subscribe for best value bundles and automatic entry into every monthly House, Early Bird and Omaze Monthly Millionaire Draw.

For full terms and conditions, see www.omaze.co.uk. No purchase necessary to enter. Over 18s and UK residents only.