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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
- 2 Greatest Compact Cars of All Time! Now Forgotten!
We're looking at two amazing cars that changed the auto world: the Ford Cortina Lotus and the Fiat 128. But now they are almost forgotten.
First up, the Ford Cortina Lotus. This cool sports sedan was made from 1963 to 1970. It was a team effort between Ford and Lotus Cars. The Cortina Lotus had a special 1.6-liter engine that gave it 105 horsepower - pretty good for its time! It also had some fancy suspension work to make it handle better.
What made the Cortina Lotus special was how it combined everyday usefulness with sports car performance. It looked mostly like a regular Cortina, but with some neat touches like a green stripe on white paint. Inside, it had a wood steering wheel and extra gauges to make you feel like a race car driver.
Speaking of racing, the Cortina Lotus was a champion on the track and in rallies. It won lots of races and championships in the 1960s. Today, it's a sought-after classic car that people love for its history and cool factor.
Now, let's talk about the Fiat 128. This little car came out in 1969 and it was a big deal. Why? Because it had a new way of putting the engine in the car. The engine was turned sideways in the front, with the gearbox next to it. This setup is super common now, but the Fiat 128 was one of the first to do it.
This clever design made the Fiat 128 roomy inside even though it was small outside. It had good handling and was fun to drive. The 128 could seat four adults comfortably and had a decent-sized trunk too.
The Fiat 128 won European Car of the Year in 1970. It was popular because it was practical, affordable, and good on gas. Fiat made over 3 million of them!
Both these cars were game-changers in their own ways. The Cortina Lotus showed how a regular car could be turned into a high-performance machine. The Fiat 128 created a blueprint for small cars that's still used today. Cool, right?
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Not forgotten in England. Iconic. Mk1 and Mk2 are always seen at shows with lots of Fords in attendance.
Not compact either by European standards. Just average sized.
Yep - and worth a fortune too!
In 1990 i bought a FIAT 128 that had been heavily modified by an R.A.F. engineer and it was an absolute beast of a car and a total wolf in sheep's clothing, the 1500 engine was built with a high lift cam, twin 40s and a ported and polished head and the suspension was fully braced and it had superb handling, I embarrassed many people who thought they had quick car's and I had so much fun in that car but I swapped it for a MK2 escort and only three weeks later the fiat was written off by it's new owner, I kick myself to this day for getting rid of the FIAT.
Good for you but we're not interested right now😢
If you want a small 4cyl car (British) that shook up the racing industry you need to look at the Triumph Dolamite sprint. An amaizing car and racing success story.
First 16 valve engine Ten years before the golf. 120 mph.
The mk1 is a legend of a car. The performance difference between the Lotus Cortina mk1 and my 1200cc Consul Cortina with column change from that era was huge.
Irrelevant images of a MK3 Cortina don't help to tell the story. It is easy to forget just how light the early Lotus Cortinas were, massive fun.
Still have an original 1965 MK1 lotus Cortina in the UK.Rog. Pacific Sunset( LA).
Watching Jackie Stewart throwing a Lotus Cortina around the track was a sight to behold. I owned one, Jackie was spot on, they're only going FAST if they are on one wheel....
To my knowledge he only raced one on two occasions in 1964 for Red Rose racing finishing well down on both occasions. Jim Clark was well known for his outings in the Lotus Cortina and lifting the inside front wheel.
The MkI was a Lotus Cortina. The MkII was a Cortina Lotus. The MKI's being finished at Hethel (Lotus), The MKII just had Lotus Parts and were built by Ford.
…depending upon who you ask… 😂 Ford and Lotus will agree with you @BernardSamson-hf6fc - the documentary maker obviously didn’t do his research in the right places…
True. Aeroflow ventilation was introduced on the mark 1 in 1964, together with revised grille and sidelights/winkers. Why show a mark 3 Cortina at all? Research !!
The Mk1 was actually 'Lotus Ford Cortina' as Lotus changed engine, suspension, panels & were painted at the Lotus factory. For the Mk2 everything was assembled at Ford so it was Ford Cortina Lotus, later changed to Ford Cortina Twin Cam.
At 8:59, the commentary states that, "In the US, Jackie Stewart and Mike Beckwith won the Marlboro 12-Hour race," yet the photo shows two pro golfers, one of which is Arnold Palmer. Also, just prior to that, the commentary states that the Cortinas were faster than only the 7-liter Ford Galaxies and later the Mustangs. In '65-67 there were a pair of very potent Ford Falcons driven by Roy Pierpoint and Sir Gawaine Baillie that were beating everything. However, I did see Jackie Ickx at the wheel of a Lotus Cortina lead the opening lap of the saloon car event at Crystal Palace in '66, ahead of Brian Muir's Galaxy, those Falcons, and a couple of Mustangs.
Fiat 128 "Revolutionary" transverse engine and FWD? Mini had transverse engine & FWD since 1959 ten years sooner. Renault R16 came out in 65.
But Minis had _torque steer_ and the engine shared the oil with the gearbox. I'd take the 128 and or the Renault 16 TX in a hearbeat over that stupud, constipated design that the Mini was
The Renault R16 did not have a transverse engine. Neither die the R4, R6, R5. They had longitudinal engines, placed behind the gearbox, leaving space for the spare-wheel in the engine-bay. The first transverse engine in a Renault to my recollection was the in Clio.
@@Chapps1941 So constipated that it won the Monte Carlo rally outright in 1964 1965 and 1967. clueless springs to mind.
@@terrystevens5261 so it lasted long enough to win races. I agree, a clueless design for everyday use.
@@Chapps1941 Did you ever own one or even drive one. I owned both a Mini and Renault 16TS, both innovative designs and fun to drive.
At timestamp 4:48, you show not a Lotus Cortina, but something very rare. An Australian Cortina GT500. In 1965, Ford factory team manager, Harry Firth, built 120 of these to get them homologated for the 1965 Armstrong 500 (predecessor to the Bathurst 1000). These were a cross between a GT and a Lotus, with a worked GT engine. One of the most significant differences was the installation of twin large fuel tanks, with a filler each side behind the rear window
😅Had 66 mk1 2 door in Oz with 2litre pinto. was great fun. Excellent handling.
Good job, that was an interesting video.
Glad you enjoyed it!
The Lotus Cortina is certainly not forgotten!
Man, I'd love to own an early Lotus Cortina!
Just about any petrol head would love a Lotus Cortina. Their value's are sky high.
I owned a 1970 mk2 Cortina Savage in about 1971/2, that was developed by Jeff Uren it had a 3ltr V6 Essex engine in it and it was extremely fast for the time I think there were on around two thousand ever made.
I saw one of these beasts at Mallala race track in 1992 sth Australia it was savage. Loved it even if I was pitcrew for Mazda rx3 Bridgeport 13b . Both diced well
Minty ❤ lotus cortina
If the Fiat 128 pioneered the transverse engine layout, how did minis have the same layout a decade earlier?
The Fiat used a separate engine and gearbox. The Mini put the engine and gearbox together, sharing the oil.
And 1100 (1962) and 1800 (1965).
The Cosworth 's Arch Enemy back in the day .
If the Datsun 510 isn't included here there is no justice put a 2 liter and 5sd add suspension ,turn them into little rockets with turbo or build 😊😊😊
The mk. 1 was a Lotus Ford Cortina made by Lotus. The mk. 2 was a Ford Lotus Cortina made by Ford. Now you know. 😏 Also mm stands for milli meters. 😏
Excuse me, but wasn't the Morris Mini Minor, one of the first cars to be transfers front wheel drive cars in 1959, along with the Morris 1100 of 1962, rather than the FIAT 128 of 1969.
I owned one of these lotus cortina sedans. The a frame caused nothing but trouble as it created diff housing cracks. Am not sure of how many went to NZ. Sold it at the time for $1500 as I was leaving the country. Later on owned two my 2 lotus cortina sedans The lotus badge was a special black and gold not the usual green and yellow. Boy how I wish I still had them. David.
in 1969, I bought a used 1964 and 1/2 Mk1 and experienced those problems with the A-Frame rear suspension. It gave great handling but on mine the diff housing backplate cracked all around it's circumference, with loss of oil and damage to the crown wheel and pinion. In this video they speak about a fix for that problem but to my knowledge that was not the case at the time - there was no fix available except to install the Cortina GT cart spring rear suspension and I eventually had to do that. But the delightful handling was lost and I eventually sold the car. I believe that years after the 1960s someone did come up with a fix for the A-Frame though!
Growing up this was th real.SHAT in Jamaica, man you would give a hand for one 🎉🎉
As normal these videos have great information but spoil by the inapproprate photos at various stages during the video.
Why do you, thru out the whole video show mk1 and mk2 cars randomly not synced with the sound track. Who ever put this together should be fired!
I owned a Lotus Elan for many years. It was clearly specified as 1558 cc. Somehow Wikipedia has come up with 1557 for the Cortina and 1558 for the Elan.
Apparently a small number of Elans were built with a 3 bearing engine. They were recalled but at least one was never found.
A confused account, in both information and imagery. Further compounded by the nonsense about the Fiat 128 pioneering the front wheel drive/transverse engine layout.
@@johngeren1053 Not so. The first popular transverse-engined FWD car to sell in any significant volume was the German DKW Front, introduced in 1931 and featuring an economy twin-cylinder two-stroke engine. In 1946 a prototype of the first SAAB car, the FWD 92, was built with a transversely-mounted two-cylinder, two-stroke engine similar to the pre-war DKW, but with the clutch and gearbox innovatively located in-line with the crankshaft, with these components located ahead of the final drive assembly.
Agreed, the photo entitled Harry Mundy actually showed Wally Hassan..
Much as I appreciate both these cars, Having had an example of both, the Fiat was much more enjoyable to drive! But I would have preferred if the BMC Mini/1100's were featured as they were truly innovative! As was the Hillman IMP! (had it not been jinxed from the start)! Both the MINI & IMP were just as successful in racing and rallying as the Mk 2 Cortina!
I like those a lot !Very rare too!That engine was ahead it’s time!They used it in everything back then and was compared to the Sunbeam in performance.The Dart GT was also compared because of the size but had a v-8 this car was lighter and handled better!
Here in Europe very few people have forgotten these cars. Fiat strategically tested the power-unit arrangement of the 128 for a full five years on subsidiary brand Autobianchi's Primula.
Great documentary although I was surprised no mention of the 128 Sport.
Fiat X1/9's with Lampredi 128 iron blocks and either Ferrari or Alfa Romeo 16V heads are winning hillclimbs in 2024😊
9:40 "...with Lucas fuel injection..." Shows car with twin carbs?
My girlfriend s dad was the sergeant at Medhurst nic and said the loti cortina drivers were under orders to thrash it in order to understand the car in pursuit conditions
The car that you show at the beginning of the video is a LOTUS CORTINA. the Cortina Lotus handle was not used until the Mk 2 came out! Common knowledge I am pretty sure
i´ve colected some Ford models from the 60´s and 70´s , also some from the 80´s and one from the 90´s, the cortina from 1970 was one of them, the GT with a diferent more sportive dash and extra gages with not suplied information in regular models dash, amongst others very nice sportive models or coupés
Lancia Fulvia Coupe: Hold my beer
Alfa Romeo GT1300: Yea, hold mine too....
MK1 Golf, and MK1 Renault 5: Don't forget us either.....we may not be as sporty, but we both sold by the bucket load....and we brought exciting small cars to the masses....at a price they could afford.
Hillman Imps, they definitely were not. And that's a good thing imo. Both rang rings around small British cars of the time. Ford Escort included.
Btw, I wouldn't call the MK1 Cortina a 'small car'. It was a mid-sized car. For those that wanted something bigger than the Escort, but not as expensive as the Granada.
But I'd have a MK1 Golf over the Escort and Cortina of the time, any day of the week. And I'd take the Fulvia Coupe over a Ford Capri, easily.
Perana in South Africa put the 3L V6, 106 KW, 133bhp, into the Cortina 2, copied here by Savage. The engine out of the Cortina, was offered to Ford Escort customers. And the Capri from where the 3L V6 came out, received a Windsor 5L V8, like the Mustang!
Interesting. I remember when the Cortina MK-ll was imported into the US. I really liked the style. [ far better than the MK-1].
I actually did detail a MK-1, Lotus a few years ago. It was Race ready.
I’d love to own a MK-ll Lotus Cortina now. Sadly, I haven’t seen one in decades.
Interesting video. Well done.
🚗🙂
Thank you Sir😊
The ‘Federal Cortina’ i.e. the mk2 imported to the USA had a 1600cc Heron head engine. It was a nightmare to get it to meet US standards for windscreen deice as it was so efficient that at -20 C it hardly warmed up! I often ask UK owners if they know what the outboards cutouts in the dash were for, they were actually for deicing the last of the corners in the US, never used in Europe.
I bought a MkII Cortina GT in Canada in February 1967. I thrashed that car mercilessly. It went from New York City to Winnipeg, Chicago to Indianapolis, Toronto to Montreal and everywhere in between. When my company transferred me to South Africa, the Cortina came with me, even though it was of course LHD where in SA they drive on the left. In SA it travelled from Johannesburg to Durban, Lorenco Marques (now called Maputo) in Mozambique and all over Southern Africa. When I returned to Canada, I sold the car to a guy who lived in Cape Town and who set off the moment money changed hands. I still wonder whether he made the 1400km journey...
@@idrislewis6896 As per my comment below, I had a 1967 MkII Cortina GT in Toronto Ontario Canada. This had the 1500cc engine, which only lasted one year before Cortinas were upgraded to the 1600cc crossflow engine in 1968. I don't remember it being unable to de-ice the windshield, even on -20C (or even colder) days.
@@FrewstonBooks the 1500 had a different engine head/piston which was less fuel efficient and probably warmed up more quickly, I never tested that engine/defrost system. The 1600 would not clear the regulated ice thickness over the outside corners hence we put in a pair of bleed ducts and punched slots in the tops of all the metal instrument panels.
FIAT, the Italian word for passing wind.
Fix It Again Tomorrow.
Meanwhile on the 1968 London To Sydney Marathon three Australian XT GT Falcons finished in front of all the Cortina's, just saying 🤣
5 litre V8 vs 1.6 litre inline 4.
Hampshire and a few police forces used Lotus Cortinas as traffic cars, including a 4 door model.
My fav my dad had 2
The Lotus Cortina the first "Fast Ford " also known as the "Giant Killer" because on certain tracks it would easily beat those lumbering yank tanks
You mean ford LOTUS CORTINA
Why do so many TH-cam videos have excellent spoken information coupled with confusing imagery? I understand copyright could be an issue for some images but better repeat a correct one than show something that doesn't fit the narrative.
Cortina could be competitive or win in its class
I had an Alfa-Romeo 75 with the 1952cc twin spark engine. Far better than any factrory bult Cortina.
Indenmar, hus royal highnes Prince Joakim is drivning. Lotus cortina in vintage racing every year.
When they were sold they were not ‘compact’ cars - they were a midsize car!
What about the 128 coup and the 128 3p?
Fiat - a good car. Maybe back in the old days?
Interesting post, but your pictures aren't matching up with your narration. Probably confusing for people who aren't already familiar with these cars. Thanks anyway
It's a Lotus Cortina, and you have no idea what you're talking about.
Mazda Rx2👍🏽🇿🇦💯
You seemed to have missed the best of the era........the BMW 2002 a car that beats them all in that class.
Why when talking about the Mk1, pictures of the Mk2 are shown, and vice versa when talking about the Mk2, even showing an image of the Mk1 standard (with the ugly grill design) as opposed to the deluxe. There was even an image of a Mk3 Cortina!! The commentary may be spot on, but the visuals weren't.
14:50 rectangular headlights?
I'm not sure the Fiat 128 was innovative using front wheel drive, the Citroen 2CV was using FWD in 1948, also SAAB used FWD from the same year.
By the mid 1950's there were dozens of FWD cars, the Wartburg from Germany, FSO from Poland, and the Suzuki from Japan.
Not forgetting the 1959 Mini which dominated motorsports.
How would you compare Fiat 124S and 125P to Fiat 128? Moreover, Austin Mini was also Front Wheel Drive, then why do you say that Fiat 128 was innovative?
On a winding mountain hwy the Fairlane or mustang would be hard pressed to beat the Cortina
What about the Alfa Romeo Giulia Super 1.6
What about it ?
@@davidspendlove5900 I was apprenticed to Norman Spendlove in Dublin.
6 Hours at Sandown is an excellent film for its time. It shows what a Giulia Super could do - beating Lotus Ford, Mini Cooper, Galaxies, Falcons, Barracudas, Ramblers...
That was 1964. They did it again in 1965.
"EElun"?