1966 Lotus Cortina Mk1 - Only 220 Made
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2024
- Only 220 left hand drives made. The 1966 Lotus Cortina Mk1 is a very rare car and the reason behind the restoration is a great story which Mike will unfold in this video!
After a few months the car has been finally restored thanks to our friends over at Horsepower. Horsepower offers a wide spectrum of vehicle repair services for your antique, historic, classic or specialty vehicle.
Horsepower uses detailing products from Stoner Car Care - stonercarcare....
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It's actually homolagated
This Guys Dad really had one hell of a career, respect for the man.
Absolutely fantastic. Colin Chapman was a wizard.
Best part -
….. “my dad was really cool”. What a wonderful thing to say about your dad and such a great story. 💫
Every car may have a story, but this is a special car and a special story. Thanks for posting.
Thanks for watching!
Hi from UK. Great life story. Have always admired lotus cortinas since being a nipper in the 60’s.
Great story, for me it was all about the love and admiration of his son. You can’t buy that. 🙏❤️
So true!
As a young man I fell in love with this car, and I still love it
Retired and now self employed running small classic car business in England. This video captured it all, for me. Yes, we love the cars but they’re just so much metal without the story and this is a story which is still going. Sadly, Lotus Cortinas are so expensive, now, so out of my reach, unfortunately. Seeing yours and hearing it’s wonderful story was a real treat.
He has got sum of his facts wrong there was actually 3306 mk1 lotus cortina finally produced not 200
Love the MK 1 Cortina , Lotus version now way beyond me financially , even MK 2 becoming expensive . Learned to drive in Basic MK 1 . Loved it .
Americans for the most part, didn't realize back then that Ford turned British engineers loose in the 60's to produce Fords for the UK domestic and European market. What they did was produce some of the most well -made and enduring models ever produced under the Ford badge. The Early to mid 60s Cortinas were every bit as groundbreaking as the original Mustangs.
What a great story, and what a great car!. And made in Dagenham, just down the road from me in Romford.
The photo at 1:20 is from my home town in Sweden and the fourth placed Cortina in the picture did I own and race in historic racing here in Sweden some 20-25 years ago. It was a 1964 car which was owned at the time by Mr Erik Berger ( 10 time Swedish champion on track and ice) Cheers from Sweden!
Thanks for sharing and thanks for watching! 🙌
Back in 1969 I owned a Cortina GT, couldn’t afford a lotus but ACA 162B still has a place in my heart. I think the first of the “fast fords” were responsible for the term “steer with the rear”. Great story, cool dad, cool car and cool son for bringing such an iconic car back looking fantastic.
Thumbs up for that guy, and his dad!!
Thanks.
Right on!! As long as that guy has that car, his dad is never far from his mind. Even if you dont believe his dad is watching from above...you cant deny he is still in his sons mind when ever his son drives that car😊. Good for sir.
I've owned 3 of them and loved them all.
I had 2them I no that
A very sought after car here in the UK.
What a wonderful job they made of the restoration and your dad would probably think you were 'so cool' also.
Well done👍👍🏴🇬🇧
Drove my cousins once. Wow, after my Austin Cambridge it was a speed machine.
I was an apprentice in Australia about 1983/4 and the electrical supervisor asked me if I would have a look at a car he had bought for his daughter (from a deceased estate ) as it was running a bit rough, I said yes I would be in on a Saturday morning working on my own car so bring it in, he drive it into the shop that next Saturday morning and as I heard it pull up behind me my ears pricked up as I thought that doesn't sound rough it sounds cammed, as I walked around the back of this Cortina to listen to the exhaust for any sign of a miss etc here was this lotus badge on the boot, I had read about Colin Chapman but never did I dream to see one of his specials, I informed him that there was little I could do other than to fine tune it a little and that lope was there to stay, 40 years later and it still gives me goosebumps thinking about it.
I seem to remember these was two in my village when I was a kid, they had consecutive registration numbers.
Precious little on the car.
First car I drove legally on the road was a 65 Cortina Mark 1 deluxe - definitely not a Lotus but a really good little car to drive. It was English assembled, the original owner had requested bucket seats and floor change, I was told the default was bench seats and column change
Very nice 🇬🇧❤️🇺🇸
*THANKS FOR THE UPLOAD* i have loadsa memories when it comes to Mk1 Cortinas, in the 60's i had a MK1 Super, what made it a 'Super' was it had twin chrome mouldings along the side where the lotus had the green flash. My buddies both had the GT Cortina. The MK2 model top of the range was the 1600E, which for the time was a game changer of a vehicle. Not sure if they exported that model to the USA however...
usa got mk2 lotus and gt models you see 2dr Cortina being wrecked by christine in turners yard white one in film Christine also seen mk1 fiestas mk1 Capri mk2 Capri but called a merkur or mercury capri not ford tv programmes like chips etc even the hillman avenger went too America under diff name and brand became Plymouth cricket dodge omni was talbot horizon why ford didnt wanna brand own cars as euro made is silly
my all time dream car. i was lucky in the 1970's i owned a 2 door mk1 gt immaculate when i got it.
could never afford one of these.still can't afford one of these,
That's a cool car and a cool story! The Lotus Cortina was a dream car when I was a lad, I only owned the standard Cortina but it was still fun to drive.
Brilliant story, owned by a hero, exemplary restoration, Mike thanks for sharing.😊
Thanks for watching!
I owned a Mk1 Cortina GT back in the 60s, loved it and wished I could have had a Mk1 Lotus Cortina. A beautiful restoration you've done and a great history with it. Regards from Australia.
Pure Nostalgia! A Ford Cortina with a 105hp twin cam engine!!!.Wow!!!! (You'd have to pull over to let a Sinclair C5 overtake!!)🥱
A FORD CORTINA THATS WON MORE INTERNATIONAL EVENTS RACE RALLYS HILLCLIMBS THAN ANY FERRARI 105BHP IN CAR 3 QUARTERS OF A TON POWER TO WEIGHT RATIO MY ESCORT EATS FERRARIS YOUR DINO WOULD BE SPECK IN MY MIRROR ALL THE WAY WITH ITS INLINE 4 AWD TURBO 16V COSWORTH LEAVE DINOS SITTING LIKE THE CHEAP FIAT IT IS LOL
@@brian3174 Ha ha!
It's the first time that I have heard if it being acid dipped for lightness?.. I know that the dòors/ bonnet and boot where changes from steel to alloy to save weight or as Chapman said " add lightness " 👌
ITS NOT TRUE MICK AMERICAN RACE TEAMS DID ACID DIPPING TO YANK TANKS WE USED LIGHTWEIGHT PARTS MADE OF MAGNESIUM ALLOY
What a car and great story.
What a fantastic story!
Great storey and great motor she's a beauty I had a mk1 cortina gt couldn't afford the lotus
The was one living in my area. I didn't know if it was origanal or a replica. Either way it was 100% correct looking on the outside.....then one day im sitting at the traffic lights and a tilt tray truck pulls up next me and what was on the tray? The very same cortina with its front end totalled. I was almost in tears. All that work and beauty gone...
Thanks for showing this...Really amazing, and he sees it.
Great family history and most definitely a car worth saving. I hope one day it will be returned to the UK where it will be even more appreciated once those with strong connections to it in USA have moved on to whatever comes next.
Very interesting story nice he kept the car to remember his dad.
2 door lotus cortina...priceless
I love the story of this Cortina.
had load of cortinas in uk could of bought 67 mk2 rotten as pear but wish i had. the guys dad does sound ultra cooooooollll
I had a lift in a Lotus Cortina in 1968 through Glencoe in the Scottish Highlands - very memorable! The driver overtook approaching a blind rock cutting, judging no vehicle was inside by speed and timing - fortunately, he was right!
Great story of a beautiful car with so much sentimental attachment 👍
Thanks for watching!
Beautiful car, lovely story. Rarely seen these days in the UK, except at shows.
One sold recently for £125 thousand
@@thomasshepard6030 jeez! I can see why though.
I Jade a drive in a mk1 gt cortina same color white with green stripe wow the thing was really impressive
Remember these..I had a Mk 1 Lotus Escort, with a big valve BDA HEAD..and of course the usual side draught twin Webbers, electronic ignition made it more reliable..
Referred to as a “twin cam Escort” and could have had Dellorto side draught carbs.
Its a beautiful car.....i used to see this car when I was small....but never know the particular brand....the car is loud when you drag the engine....
real nice car
Great history with this car. To see it still in the family is even better, Dad had an interesting life pretty special. I grew up watching these cars in the 60's race here in Christchurch NZ, at Ruapuna Race Track & Wigram Air Base, think I have an old photo of a Lotus Cortina at The Lady Wigram Trophy Race, plus they were on the street. NZ had plenty of English cars sold here.
I now knows more of this bloke's dad than the car
Prince Joachim of Denmark has one and loves to race it.
I had one of these back in the day. It had a lot of aluminium in it that necessitated a strengthening A-frame in the back to stop it folding in half. I wish I still had it
Beautiful story bud. I can relate to the emotion of this story.
My dad bought a 1967 Ferrari 330GTC new on the day I was born. It's now been passed to me. It wasn't very good, even when new, not particularly fast or pretty. The Ferrari dealers love it, but Ferrari enthusiasts turn their noses up at it, comparing it to more exotic and expensive 250, 275 ect.....but who cares, I wouldn't part with it for the world😢
@@a1c3c3u 😂😂 Not even worth that, unless you can find a mug willing to pay through the nose!😉
Cortina MK 1 Best car Ford ever made...../
Must have looked unique in the 60's driving this round the US.
I used to own an ex-works rally spec version of one of these in the 1970s. NVW242C. Loved that car but stupidly decided I needed an Escort instead.
I believe the production figures from Ford show 660 LHD cars were produced for worldwide sales, 160 of which went to the USA. It is believed between 30 and 51 early cars were sold specially for racing worldwide. I have never heard that bodyshells were acid dipped, early cars had alloy bonnets, boots and doors. It is a rare and special car. Little known fact, Lotus built a small number of 4 door Lotus specials for the UK Police.
The bodyshells were not acid dipped as suggested, they were thin enough as built. The first 50 or so cars were reworked by Lotus to include a cobbled together coil spring rear end which tore the axles and bodyshells which were not designed for the job. I have also come across aluminium bell housings, aluminium gearbox tail housings and gearboxes with a layshaft needle roller thrust bearing in place of the brass washer, all of which I assume were fitted to the early cars.
During a school visit to Dagenham in about 1966 I remember a Lotus Cortina coming off the production line with a seized gearbox, it could not be driven away and the line workers pretended they hadn't seen it and let the following car crash in to it. Finally a supervisor hit the emergency stop button but not before two cars were severely damaged.
acid dipped its a small European car not yank tank needing acid dipped to lower weights instead lotus used a selection of alloy parts like twin cam top end gearbox bellhousing early cars had alloy doors boot front wings and bonnet minimum interior and held there own against v8 falcons raced against them in uk lotus Cortina's any shape is a rally race car for road then came mk1 escort and cortina was not main weapon to have as had lotus twin cam escort or cortina at 1 point then escort ditched lotus engine to cosworth bda and became rs1600 better car again in uk acid dippig was never a thing used unlike american race teams but theyd big heavy cars with heavy engines i personally wouldnt want to race a paper thin car flexing all over held together by roll age thats just stupidity
There were only 220 MK1 Lotus Cortinas
Don't think you are right. We were told by guy giving a tour at the lotus factory, I was there in 66 when it was built. You could dent it with a thumb, @@brian3174
@@MichaelGaizauskas That's incorrect there were 3306 built, the first 1000 had some alloy panels. Bonnet, boot, doors. Early cars had the Lotus A frame rear axle, possibly only 220 of that type were built.
Now days these cars put out 180bhp, officially, 200bhp for those in the know.
Had one early 70s paid £20 less engine chopped it up for spares .worth nothing then . Yes I know big mistake
This is a master class ❤❤❤❤ love it awesome ,I will do anything to get one 😂
Homologated.
I was watching in anticipation of what city it was imported to. Had it been imported to Detroit my father & uncle would have touched it. All English Fords, Cortinas and Anglias, that came into Detroit were handled by my family. They had the contract with Ford to import & store the vehicles. I could drive them in the warehouse when I was 13. Saw a number of the Lotus models. My uncle had one for his daughter, it had blue instead of the green to separate it from the others. They raced it in a track near Detroit.
Thanks for sharing!
My Grandfather lived in Detroit. It was at a Cortina Dealer in around 1968. I think the Dealer was on Michigan Avenue.
Michael, yes, that was my Father Bob & Uncle Richard that own that Dealership. It was at 8000 Michigan Ave & Lumley.
My dad's Body Shop was across the street. It was around 1964, I got to hang around the shop all the time.
@@MichaelGaizauskas yes, that was my Father Bob & Uncle Richard's Dealership at 8000 Michigan Ave & Lumley.
Burban Motor Company, the Body Shop was across the street @ 8107.
Dieser Lotus Cortina war zu seiner Zeit fast unschlagbar.
I almost bought a Lotus Cortina in 1968. But I could not convince my dad that it was a good car. I bought an Opel Rallye instead. Then in 1970, I bought a BMW 2002. In 1972, for a honeymoon trip, we towed our 16 1/2 foot sailboat to Oregon to race, then back to Rhode Island to race.
I was taken for ride in one by the father of a girl I knew in the 60s. It was his company car. An executive at fords dagenham
Only 220 made and there are still more of them racing than were made. !!!
LHD Left hand drive...
My step father own one
Homologated is the word
Nice car....do you also still have the Sunbeam Alpine?
He does not!
Had a 1966 With full Brabham modifications , twin 40 DCOE Webbers, Head, Cam,,, Sir Jack drove my car.
Friend of mine had one in the very early 80s! It was minus the lotus engine, might have gone bang at some point, the standard ford engine replaced it!
forgot to mention the 67 was a lotus cortina in about 81
Great car, the best guy built it, Colin Chapman went like sh1t off a shovel! Love to bring it back home!
Nice car , wheels are a bit different
The cars were raced by Group 44 in the US and they used the American Mag 4 spoke Libra rims. They are a copy.
The regular Cortinas were collapsible tin cans. People were killed by being crushed in them. I was going to buy one, but when I lifted the rear wheels holding the bumper, I changed my mind.
Also had a trolley jack to help.!
@@grahamprice3230 HE THINKS HES HULK HOGAN LOL CORTINAS DID NOT COLLAPSE LIKE YOU SAY INFACT I THINK YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THEM LIFTED BY THE BUMPER LOL ITS NOT A KITCAR AD NO WAY YOU LIFTED IT MY GOD MUST BE STRONG WEED YOUR ON
It was built for racing.
@@MichaelGaizauskas was still a saloon car body with lighter alloy panels on lotus models but they were built for racing but collapsible tin cans you can lift from bumper not unless your muscleman lol lotus elan engine fitted in saloon body with changes to suspension etc from normal Cortina's only other Cortina's worth having are 2 door gt export models as strengthened up
Homologation is a bit like homogenisation...😁
I thought the same thing.
3,300 made in total.
In this case, 2,894 were made, but only 220 were left hand drive!
PRODUCTION NUMBERS
Trying to establish how many Mk Lotus Cortinas were made has been the subject of many debates, and the total number varies from 2894 to 3304.
The lower number comes from Ford records, and the upper is from a combination of information from the only Lotus record left, the dispatch diary, and the extrapolation of information from the register held by the LCR. This is a combination of Body Code numbers, from the small oblong tag attached to the inner wing, and the chassis numbers, which for the 1965 and 1966 cars ws just a sequential number.
However, there are a few factors to consider that may explain the differences.
Firstly, there were many Service Shells made that wouldn’t have been included in Ford’s figures for cars made. They had a unique ‘Body Code’ just as a completed car did, which would just be the ‘next’ number in the sequence for Lotus Cortinas, with a different sequence number for Right Hand Drive and Left Hand Drive.
Secondly, most Lotus Cortinas had the initial part of the chassis code as ‘Z74’ or ‘BA74’. There were quite a few that had ‘Z85’ or ‘BA85’ instead, and the reason for this difference is unknown. It’s also not known if the Ford lower figure includes the ‘85’ coded cars.
Thirdly, Lotus record keeping can be unreliable. Lotus kept many types of record to convince the authorities that the target for homologation was being met, and to gain tax advantage with creative accounting.
...and none were acid dipped!
I had one of those as a first car . Except it wasn't the lotus . I've lost your attention now haven't i ! 😅
Still here!
Wizards in the Harry Potter films......obliviate....
US Airforce.....obliterates....
Agreed!!!!
Pity it ended up in America
302winsor.
I've owned a total of six MK1 and MK11 Cortina's including a genuine factory GT and Lotus, sadly all were sold