Two-Owner Project: 1967 Lotus Cortina Mk 1
The Ford Lotus Cortina was a 1960s collaboration between Ford and Lotus Cars to build a performance-oriented small sedan. There were two generations with the Mk 1 being in production from 1963 to 1970. With a 1557-cc twin camshaft inline-4, these little sedans performed well in road racing and rallies. Only about 7,400 were ever built, with 44% originating as Mk 1s like the seller’s project car which no longer has most of its engine.
This was a product of the UK with the bodies and assembly provided by Ford and the drivetrains coming from Lotus. So, while the car looked like a family sedan that Ford would peddle, the heart of the machine was provided by Lotus. This example from 1967 is being offered by its second owner who has had it for 51 years. One of the photos seems to show the car on much better days, with the rest from today where the car has fallen into disrepair over time.
Having spent a lot of time in New England, this Ford/Lotus has its fair share of corrosion and needs restoring. Its Lotus 4-speed manual transmission is still in place, but the engine block and head are MIA. But some of the other engine parts have managed to stay the course. Some extras are coming with the deal, such as a pair of doors and bucket seats from a Cortina GT.
Some of the stickers in the car’s windows imply it may have seen some track time of its own. And the odometer reading stopped at 74,000 miles at some point. This is a project that is admittedly in poor condition according to the seller. Located in Andover, Massachusetts, this vehicle has been listed for several months now here on Facebook Marketplace where the seller is trying to come away with $5,000.
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Comments
That’s a really good deal for a mark 1 Cortina. If this was for sale in the UK it would easily fetch 3X the asking price.
Mainly due to engines and running gear are more readily available here than in USA I would think.
If its been for sale for months (anywhere) for only $US 5,000 and nobody has bought it yet, it is either a fake listing OR it is not a Lotus Cortina (ie just a simply Cortina made up in period to look like one). There are plenty of folks out there who are experts in identifying a real one ( I am not one of those!), but there’s no way that this is real.
cheers,
bt
You are right, time on market tells a story. Good deals don’t last, 12 weeks is an eternity, especially if the are advertised half way competently, which this car is. That suggests this car is grossly overpriced or isn’t what it’s purported to be. It’s 25 miles north of Boston and within a few hour drive of several million potential buyers.
Steve R
Depending upon which block you are looking for (711M?), the cost of a useable block and twin cam Lotus head may cost you as much as the asking price for the car , I believe. I know the heads are seen as being made of gold. Alphasud is correct- there are folks in the UK that would be thrilled to have this car, and would pay much more than the asking price on this one, despite its condition. I have seen Locorts (as the Cortina community refers to these) in the UK that were in many times worse shape fully restored to perfect condition. With all due respect to the Beatles, all you really need is money.
And to think I gave away a good 711 block!
FWIW I just sold a complete twin cam head (Weber, no cams) that required a full rebuild, for US$2600. Now, it had never been abused, standard deck height etc., but still pretty decent money for something that will consume another $2000 in parts and labour – actually may be more than that
bt
@bill tebbutt I don’t see anything in the photos posted that would discount this car as a genuine Mk1 LC. There are a few details like the under dash parking brake and various engine bay items that seem legitimate. The repaired inner fender/upper strut mount areas are pretty rough, sadly the serial number would have been stamped in the body near the passenger side inner fender which is long gone now. Also a small detail but this would be a 1966 model year car. Most likely first sold new in 1967 giving it the later identity on DMV documents.
Gotta wonder if there’s a FF1600 out there with this guys engine..
Wrong engine for FF though…
FB for sure. Thats where the engine in my LoCort went. Guy I got the car from also ran a Lotus 69FB in Historic. He had taken both cars to an event at RA some 30 years ago, blew the FB in practice, pulled the engine out of the LoCort for the FB and a twink never made it back into the car.
It’s a 1966 at best.Left over till 1967 and sold as a 1967.That was a legal thing to do back then.1967-1970 where MK2’s
Mk1 62 to 66 , mk2 66 to 70 , so there was some overlap , I’m no expert but this looks like a standard mk1
This a MKI, second series Lotus Cortina ( airflow vent and different grille, plus other mods). Offered 1965-66.
The Mark II was a Cortina Lotus with later squarer shell (1967-70
It’s not a Lotus without the twin cam engine!….It just doesn’t look or feel like a Lotus Cortina…. maybe that previous comment was correct about trying to fake it from a standard Cortina……I may and could be wrong but it’s just a feeling….I’ve been up close to both cars and driven a Lotus Cortina……this just doesn’t feel right…………
In addition, I have access to a Toyota 1600 Twin cam and transmission which would probably fit right in and become the same pocket rocket as the Lotus Cortina…. and maybe more reliable…How does it sound: Lotus Toyotina!
(Please… this is in fun… no purist angst!)
sure beats trying to shoe horn an LS engine into the car!
These have been fitted with V-8s, mostly in the UK. Oftentimes, a Rover engine is used as it is relatively light. I toyed with the idea of putting a Ford 260/4speed in my Mk. II sedan (Cortobra?), but the firewall/tunnel modifications would have been substantial (I have read that Cortinas that came with automatics have bigger tunnels, if you are interested in modifying the drive train).
You really wouldn’t be doing anything different from what Lotus ended up doing themselves.
Don’t know enough about Cortinas, is this a Mk1 GT perhaps? Seems like images show the Lotus with a 4 gauge pod above the dash, and I don’t think a regular Cortina had those gauges at all. Great cars, one site said it was the replacement for the long running Morris Minor. The tail lights always reminded me of the original War of the Worlds movie. The Martians attacking had eyes that looked very similar. I’d have to think a better place to sell would be England, although that one chap in Cal. had a collection of Mklls, so who knows.
Howard A. You are correct about the gauges. The standard Cortina from what I remember had a horizontal speedometer like the American cars of the day. And yes, I too see the taillights as the Martian eyes in the original War of the Worlds movie!! we must be old timers!!
If the numbers show it to be a real Lotus version, then it would be a good candidate for a swap to RHD. The dash on those cars were made as reversible puzzle pieces and the body accepts pedal box and steering either side. The vintage racers in England would probably offer enough to make it worthwhile.
as always more photos would be great. A picture of trunk showing the hump for the differential. If I was closer and didn’t have two Cortinas and a Jensen Healey I’d buy this. These are cars are the ultimate sleeper and with no block a perfect candidate for a tall block motor. Even if this isn’t a true Lotus all the parts that make it a Lotus are there and well worth the asking price.
As many have said – if its real this is a steal unless its hiding a ton of rust. I’ve been offered that for my rusty Mk1 Cortina GT. As for numbers, on the right shock tower either face or top (99% were on top but I have seen a few on the forward face). Also, the number is on the body behind the front bumper left side (could be behind the grill same area – I’ve seen both). Other than the VIN plate,
My Mk1 is titled as and has a 66 VIN plate but is a pre-airflow body. There are no VIN stampings anywhere. I was told by someone years ago that this probably meant this was a replacement body shell from back in the day.
I am not a Lotus Cortina expert, but as a two owner car, with the current owner owning the car for the last 50 years, it is highly likely this is a genuine Lotus Cortina. The seller provides a photo of the car from the 1970’s; the car’s title from 1973 identifying the car as a Lotus Cortina to current owner; and Lotus Cortina Owners and Service Manuals with the car. Moreover, the car has all of the right parts, except for the engine block. The title has the VIN number on it so if anyone knows the specifics on VIN numbers for Lotus Cortina’s they could verify if it is a genuine car fairly easy.
You bring up a great point. Being with the same owner for 50 years is a strong argument that this a legit Lotus. Back then you could buy a decent running one for $1000. No one was going through the expense or effort to rebody one except maybe for racing.
20 years ago, I’d have been all over this thing. I’ve never seen one on the east coast, for sale, this cheap. But, what would you pay for the engine? If you could find one?
$5-8k minimum for a complete builder
If I bought this I’d put a 1500/1600 Cortina GT spec engine
in it,freshen it up,& drive/enjoy it.
Here’s a picture of my MKI GT/MKII /MKIII.
No signs of a battery holder in the engine compartment which tells me that it is a Lotus Cortina. The other give away would be the drive shaft which differs from the one in a regular Cortina. I owned a 1965 Cortina GT from new which was over time was upgraded with many Lotus components other than the engine. A very fun car.
here’s an engine block for $100! https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/pts/d/sunnyvale-ford-1500cc-kent-lotus/7760723080.html