The Iconic Lotus Cortina - Reviewed (TWIN CAM GOODNESS INSIDE!)
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2024
- Today in the first video of a week of Lotus content, I am looking at a car that isn't actually a Lotus. Technically a Ford - Lotus, (or Lotus-Ford, depending on who you asked), the Cortina is nonetheless a legend of the road and race tracks.
Featuring a hotted up twin cam engine, iconic looks and real race pedigree, the Cortina is a real hero car. But what's it like to drive?
#Ford #Lotus #Cortina
Petrolheads Welcome recommends car-friendly venues to visit and stay where people like us have taken their cars before... after all, if my car’s happy, I’m happy!
www.petrolhead...
Want to see your car on the channel? Email me on talk@jayemm.com
************************************************************************
Looking to buy a new or used car? HOLMESDALE FINANCE can help!
My channel partner Holmesdale Finance specialises in finance solution for new and used prestige, sports and performance cars - including MODERN CLASSIC policies and many more. You might be surprised at what they can do, so speak to them to find out more. Their website is www.holmesdalef...
***********************************************************************
Want More JayEmm? Become a channel member for access to exclusive content!
/ @jayemmoncars
![[Re:all TREASURE] EP.6 in 방콕ㅣ🚩 쩡캠의 방콕 투어 빵 마이 와이 👍](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/uyFw-nItA_s/mqdefault.jpg)
As a 51 year old, just hearing the words ' twin webbers' put a huge smile on my face !!
Same here!
@@TheYjmfan and here
Saw Jim Clarke race in one of these at Oulton Park around 1967/8.....never forget it.
Possibly Graham Hill in ‘67.
Jim Clark , my all time hero , last drove a Lotus Cortina at Oulton Park in ‘66.
Saw Clark, Hill. Sears et all at Crystal Palace. Never forgot it!
@@davidfoster1762 On 3 wheels usually!
Mk1 Cortina's with a Lotus engine were built by Lotus at their Cheshunt factory, hence Lotus Cortina. The Mk2's were built built on the Ford factory line, hence Ford Cortina Lotus.
I owned one which gives my age away was a mechanic for a Ford dealership
My first proper car after passing my test in a 850 mini was a Mk1 Lotus Cortina - A frame model, which also had aluminium bonnet, boot and doors. It cost me as much to Insure TPFT as it did to buy - £320 in !973 😀 . I also had the later MK1 which had the 'airflow' dash. Handbrake turns in the local carpark where obligatory when meeting your mates in the Wimpy on a Saturday lunch time. Removing the air box gave a lovely intake noise at full throttle and was good for scaring people on zebra crossings 🙃 The joys of a misspent youth. 😀
Yes capable of nought to sixty in the region of 7 seconds which was phenomenal in its day.
When a review of a car that even I can remember from my childhood is uploaded..... we can excuse a bit of dodgy sound reproduction.
An absolute gem there 👍👍👍
One of my hero cars. As a teenager, I was given a lift in one, a Mark 1. The driver took it at some pace along some twisty roads up on the North Yorks moors. Being a complete petrolnerd, I kept thinking about that fragile A-frame as it scrabbled around corners.
Now that you've driven one. Go and watch Jim Clark throwing one around on the race track. WOW!!!
th-cam.com/video/bWp-0TuY4Sk/w-d-xo.html
Last year I visited the Jim Clark Motorsport Museum in Scotland and there was a Lotus Cortina that he had raced in. It looked fast even when standing still. Very nice museum and very nice people, by the way. Can recommend it to anyone who likes racing history.
Hear hear. We filmed there as part of our trip earlier this year. Terrific welcome and some really moving stuff to see/watch.
Been there
A week of Lotus is a proper return to form! The Lotus Cortina was to my generation what the E46 M3 is to yours, an object of desire that was well out of reach at the time. The Cortina's worm and roller steering was pretty common for the era. Most early BMW's including the 1600- 2002 and the much loved E34s had it fitted as do many other vintage BMW models. There is usually an adjustment feature on this form of steering that can help take out excessive play and tighten the feel that is lost over time, all quite reflective of what production cars of the era were fitted with. Perhaps this lovely Cortina needed a bit of a tweak there?
When I was a teenager a mate of mine had one, it was and still is the best sounding 4 pot engine ever and in it's day it was quick.
Jim Clark was the master at getting these on 3 wheels. They're also much lighter than the later Escort ps- it was Clark who won the aforementioned 1965 Indy
Wasn't sure if the clip driving under the railway bridge was a hint to The Great Train Robbery? Bruce Reynolds used a Lotus Cortina at the time of the robbery.
So much more fun than new cars, especially electric 🔥
Holy old school....that car is only a proof how Lotus was able to make a good car more than 50 years ago. That car is probably faster, more spacious, much better sounding, and more ''user friendly'' than a lot of ''city'' cars from 21st century. Unfortunatelly it was a lot more unsafe. But it's a beauty.
Good video
Absolutely love Mk1 Lotus Cortinas… one of those great British cars I always dreamed of owning!
I like how the heater vents are shaped exactly like those tailights 👍😉
Tail lights 'borrowed' for the Lola and GT40.
FORD UK used to be a good car maker, oh dear!?
In Australia mate they are 80 grand plus. I work for a mechanic and we service they exact car u are driving. He races it here and those twin webbers always need tuning. I asked my boss about how it drove his response "like a 1966 pos" lol. I love it myself and always have a good look at what he is up too with it when its here for work.
I remember when I attended College (a long time ago) to gain a Motor Mechanic qualification, one of the Lecturers stated the ultimate classic sports car to obtain, is a MK1 Lotus Cortina. Well, he was probably right in a lot of ways. It looks great fun to drive.
I started my working life as a mechanic at a Ford dealership in Bromley in the 1960's and remember these new. My 2 favourite cars from this era were the Lotus and the Cortina Mk1 1600 GT - That's an amazing restoration from the rust bucket pictures shown. Thank goodness there are enthusiasts around that will take on a task that big. Superb!.
Had one - a '65 - and loved it for 2 years. Great whistle sound from the Webers when on song but a real pig to start .... splendid handling and very safe ..
The Mk1 was my buddies first car at 17 in the mid 70s so it had many squeaks coming from her we never found but all added to the car neither of us forgot :) It did not like to cold start even after half a dozen throttle jabs but always did start :) The best times we had were on 1 or 2 inches of fresh snow clipping a few kerbs on drifting or handbrake slides that always cost him a rim or 2 LoL He wanted to become a rally driver and his dream did come true in later years rallying a MK2 Escort for the ford dealership he worked for in Cumbria north England, he was crazy in that car at 100+ flying through the trees (literally) on gravel forest track roads. I stained more than one undercarriage in that car with him LoL Such great memories :)
@@OllieAlston Splendid tales: A lotus-Cortina at 17 yo.
I changed the gearbox in mine to a close ratio job (then called 'Bullitt' box): slowed the traffic lights Grand Prix but mid-range performance and acceleration greatly improved.
My dad farther had one and he still talks about how good it was and that there wasn't much on the road that could keep it at the time
Engine and exhaust sound is sublime.
Lotus on! I happily lost the Blue Ribbon at our annual British Car Day in my 111R w/Cup Aero to a fully restored Cortina. Even I voted for it. Ghosts of Jimmy Clark.
Loved my 111R. Can’t believe that was over 16 years ago.
The reason the brakes don't come on that quickly is because the vacuum for the servo is only drawing from one cylinder, where as in other cars the vacuum would be coming from all 4 cylinders, so much more vacuum available and hence more power from the servo.
Such a pretty little car! Sounds nice and raspy too, great choice for a review. Another interesting one from a similar era (a bit later, I think) would be the Triumph Dolomite Sprint, if you can find one that hasn't rusted back into the earth.
That takes me back!... It's amazing that the car in its hideous state (3:58) with wall-to-wall rust, had still managed to retain its Lotus badges!
Thanks for another enjoyable video.
A whole week of lotus?! Yay! M100 fingers crossed!
My mothers Mk1 cortina not quite like that....my first car was a MK3 cortina 1.6xl and loved its 3rd gear being 17 years old ;)....thx for memories!
The picture at 4:05 scares the heck out of me,and that was an American one😲
The owner has done a brilliant job getting from the " was" to "is" pictures 👍
The first thing that instantly springs to mind every time i hear the words Lotus Cortina is Jim Clark, I guess it shows my age
Sounds like V-tec is constantly on lovey machine !
Just drove one of these at CarChaseHeroes event in Tibenham this morning as well as a DB5 and a mk1 escort. For me this last drive of the morning was beyond brilliant, so incredible so engaging so beautiful so raw so so good.
Legend has it that Bruce Reynolds did his reconnaissance for the Great Train Robbery in one of these. Must have been a blast, listening to that glorious Lotus Twin Cam, and dreaming of his millions. Should have been content with his Cortina, with retrospect.
11:51 You are doing a drive review on a Lotus Elite. Oh yes please !!!
When I started getting into cars in the late 1970s, the MK 1 Lotus Cortina was starting to become sought after, so we had to put up with single cam Escort Mk 1 & Mk 2 RSes! ie Mexicos & RS2000s Good review as always, hopefully, you will be able to jump into a Lotus Sunbeam, which connects the Lotus Cortina to the Lotus Carlton.
What a great review of one of my dream cars
My goodness, the _sound._ Total perfection.
edit AAAAAAAAAAH YES!
James you legend, I'm onto you!
That sound reminds me of all the cars from the 80s that were built in the 70s. Is when I was pre teens. Every fast souped up car sounded similar. Love these. Always wanted one of these with a Cossie engine and running gear.
Brings back memories of when I was growing up - there was a lot of fast Fords in our village (they were so affordable back then)
Good old Cortinas. I remember mine with some affection ( was not a Lotus one though)
My dad raves about his old one and Jim Clark
A brilliant car!
My father had one and only once did she let him down - when my mother was in labour with me !!! I'd say my father was that excited that he flooded the Lotus on start-up!! 49 years ago !!
Have you seen the price these are making today, if you can find one that is.
A car this nice, should be totally original and not messed around with.
Thats great James! Back in '67 (I was 15) my dad was weighing in on a Cortina or the newly introduced in the States BMW 1600. He (we) decided on the BMW. It certainly had it's issues but I will never know which would have been the better choice. THANK YOU JAMES!
Lovely little car, Lotus engineering at its finest.
Oh Lord, What a Beautiful Noise!!!
I had the 1st one in Queensland with the A frame. great car. Lift off the throttle in a corner to tuck the nose in. And yes they do move around and the body did flex. Late 1964. I was 19! I could see then, hearing was OK too. And I could do all night what now takes me all night to do. Sold it and got an original Prince Skyline GT with triple Webbers.
A real hero in its day.
Stunning car James your camera 🎥 angles are awesome and that Lotus soundtrack 😍😍😍🙏🏻
Welll... More a Ford soundtrack than Lotus really.. Since it's a Ford ;P
What a real true gem these cars are seen them race a few times at histrotic races at Oulton Park look awesome racing 👍
Looks and sounds glorious.
My brother had one in the late 70s. When he was driving back from Exeter Uni the engine let go just after Birmingham. He got towed home to the local garage who were friends of the family, they looked at it and said it's had it so your better off scrapping it....which he did, if I remember correctly he got a Renault 4 as a replacement.
Absolute legend. My neighbour had one of these and bitterly regrets selling it. Love the vid James, thank you!
One of my all time favourite cars 😁
Always been a dream car of mine :)
The original A-Frame coil-over rear suspension gave much nicer handling that the leaf springs later used. But it was unreliable and would crack the diff housing as a result of stresses transmitted through that unit - not one of Colin Chapman's better ideas that, since all the oil then ran out and you could seize the diff, destroying it completely! I had the cracks on two diffs and then converted the car to leaf-springs from the GT model Cortina but it was not the same! I understand that there is a proper fix these days, wish I had that back in 1966!
Great car, can we here more of the engine noise but what you hear inside the car in all your reviews
agree, and ask him to wear a normal shirt too
@@Dave.S.TT600 okay now that’s going to far get the eff out right now
Fizzy, fuzzy, small and buzzy!
Looking forward to all the upcoming Loti.
These were absolutely fantastic cars
I know this car and the roads your on. He’s lovingly cared for it and it’s an awesome bit of kit. Great video James. Paul has an awesome car collection too and had some cool stuff over the years. Cheers, Oliver.
Another superb video . Damned by faint praise ? A wonderful museum piece ?
Looks like great minds think alike after our conversation 😂 great cars, sounds awesome through the webbers, lovely noise
Fantastic car and a great video. Here's me hoping a Lotus Carlton may appear this week 👀😎
Check out his prior videos. He has already reviewed a Lotus Carlton, but yeah another one won't hurt.
He already did a video on the Lotus Carlton. But I never quite understood why Lotus just basicly rebranded Opels and Fords of the time.. 3 (or more) different names for one car is kinda stupid.
"The Lotus Carlton (also called Vauxhall Lotus Carlton, Lotus Omega and Opel Lotus Omega) is a Vauxhall Carlton/Opel Omega A saloon upgraded by Lotus in order to be able to reach speeds up to 285 km/h (177 mph) with acceleration to equal contemporary sports cars."
@@Oystein87 it wasn't just a rebranding. Lotus fettled a lot with the driving dynamics of the car, a new engine too. It drove nothing like any standard Opel Omega/Vauxhall Carlton. Opel it was called in the continental Europe, Vauxhall in the isles.
@@subarnosinha8042 Basicly just a rebranding with some minor tuning. Opel is what its called in it's home country
@@Oystein87 an upgraded, more powerful engine, a different (read: better) steering and suspension setup doesn't constitute as "minor tuning". It takes a lot of engineering and testing to get those things right in a car. It was an entirely different car to drive, and only 320 Carltons and 630 Omegas were made.
My favourite classic car .
You can keep your electric cars..... cars like the Lotus Cortina are where real driving enjoyment is at.
*battery powered cars. Once you call them what they actually are, it doesn't sound so environmentally friendly does it?
For my daily use the electric Corsa serves me well 😀
I assume the leaf spring beam axle has been tamed, I fishtailed a Mk1 Cortina a few times in the early '70s, squeaky bum times. Those Durant 911 mirrors need be further forward on the wings.
A great car, so much nicer than later body styles.
Wow that car sounds awesome. Your one very lucky bunny !
That sound 😍 one of the best looking cars made i think. How have i only just discovered this channel and all these stunning cars. Cracking vids mate 👏
Glorious!!! what a lovely sound! beautiful car too, one of my dream cars. Built back in the day to get over the finish line (in first place obviously 👍)
Love these! Dad had a mark 1 here in 🇦🇺
Really enjoyed this video.. awesome old thing that Lotus Cortina.. cheers James..👍👍
Another great film to add to your huge and growing collection! Thanks for the mention.
One of my Uncles had a mk1 Cortina in the same colour however it wasn't the Lotus. When I was little I was interested in all the car's.
Still own a 1965 mk 1 lotus Cortina. Great car. Rog. Pacific sunset records.
Lovely!
I've literally come here after reading/watching about the Lotus Cortina in the US that has a S2000 engine in it. That's as far removed from this as possible, it apparently has a RX7 rear axle, about the only original thing on it is the body and front brakes. Very interesting to see how an old classic can be updated with modern parts, it completely transforms the driving experience
This is a dream car brilliant review.
Beautiful car saw one at a classic car show not many around it was next to one of my Fiesta Supersports, I had one stolen in the 1980s unfortunately worth a lot of money now ,was there ever a lotus tuned Mark 1 Fiesta?🤣👍
Nice. Assume this was filmed in the summer. Nice to see
Yes indeed, many months ago
I was last in one in 1978, my mate bought it for £650! My favourite car, wish I had bought one along with the twin cam escort I was offered for £600 around the same time. Hindsight is a wonderful thing!
Wow what a car
Love the camera mounted behind you in the cabin, more of this please! - great work as always
Easy to do with a roll cage
A very nice car and great review! Did you actually form a >>> GRIN
Hi mate I know that car and its nice to see it restored! I remember seeing it on the previous owners drive in Wigan, as far as I am aware, every mk1 lotus left the factory irmine white with a green stripe, the mk2 was available in all sorts of combinations, great video thanks for sharing. 👍👍🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁
Looking forward to this
Lucky man James....
Stunning, wonderful car. Absolute dream machine that takes me back... I really hope that you have the Lotus Escort to show too?
People must be really fussy out there even though youtube is basically free!
The audio does change a bit BUT this video was great! Let them comment and perhaps get more attention lol
Something very special to come?
Lotus Charlton to come then!
😊😊😊
Already done a Carlton!
@@JayEmmOnCars He was asking about a Lotus _Charlton_ [sic], have you reviewed one of those?
thats a car your ment to steer with the throttle, the wheel is merely there for suggestion........ love the old ford feel
I can't wait to see more then just her dash!
I recognise those roads.... local to me👍
My uncle had one, slithery slippy slidey goodness. Used to get through prop shafts and diffs like service items. Ended up getting nicked and used in a robbery.
i owned one in 1979 what a car, couldnt stop it though sold it then for £750 omg, to if i remember right it was jeff fenton i think, had a mk2 twin cam up to 2010 sold that after 5 yrs of fun, it went to australia, i could do with another one though now.
Fantastic!
Sweet car. Looking forward to the Elite.
more old fords please :-)
The earlier pre-airflow version of the Lotus Cortina had an alloy bonnet, boot and doors, the differential and gearbox housing also aluminium. On the face of it these are not powerful cars but the low weight was the secret. depress yourself when you see that a Golf VR32 weighs nearly double what these did. Back in the day these were fun cars to drive, just so unaffordable now.
Yes and they were quick to 60