When i was a kid i lived in Nutbourne on the then A27, we used to sit on the pub wall (Barleycorn) looking for new number plates, car spotting, I can remember 3 or 4 of these very cars going past us in a line, we were overjoyed with this view as a Lotus was a rare car then but 4 Lotus cop cars was a real treat, they must of been very new as we had not seen them before that day.
For me, The Mk 1 is the definitive Lotus Cortina. Who can forget Jim Clark driving to the absolute limit chasing Galaxies and more in the BTC back in the day. My neighbour, David Kirsch, had one of the first (he also had a Mercedes 300SL and Chevy Comaro) and I vividly remember some exciting journeys through the local streets and roundabouts (especially) with me hanging on for dear life and enjoying every minute of it. The Chapman modified rear suspension along with that magnificent engine made an otherwise everyday car something very, very special. Memories.
Great to know so many of this fleet have survived. The earlier "pre airflow" Mk1s are my personal favourite (the smaller front grille and the lack of vents on the rear pillars). I did sometimes see an ex Jim Clark car over 50 years ago on my way to school. In the late 1970s/early 1980s a few of us made a bit of a habit of V6 swapping small Fords. Sadly although a tuned V6 with a 3.09 rear axle and an overdrive gearbox was a top speed beast it lost the agility of the lighter engined cars.
When you asked ‘what’s in the boot?’ I was expecting to be shown the raised bump in the boot floor to accommodate the differential housing because the suspension was lower than the standard production models, this was usually proof of it being a genuine Lotus Ford body shell. Good video,
Mk1 will always be the one for me, as I remember the great Jim Clark racing them back in the day, usually seen with the inside front wheel well off the ground in corners! I also have an old Ford that was once a Police car too! Bit older though its a 1931 Model A Ford 4 door sedan that started life as a Chicago Cops car! It may well have once had Al Capone on board? Amusingly it still has it's very loud Police Siren on the firewall that still works!
Downunder in Australia I have been invovled with 1963/4/5 Mk1 Cortinas mainly in Historic Racing. First one was a very Rare in Australia 1963 2 Door GT. Only 100 imported to run at the famous Bathurst race which was won by a GT. Then wanting to go faster I had a 1964 Lotus replica which I raced at Historic meetings the major tracks . Work committments got in the way so I downscaled to another 2dr GT which ended up in storage for 20+ years. Pulled it out during Covid and did a resto and got it back on track in 2022 . Still have it, but just bit the bullet and bought a restored 1965 Mk1 Lotus Cortina Historic Race Car. This car has an unusual history in that it was orginally LHD and came damaged from USA. We have quite a number of Cortina enthusiasts here in Australia but Most are in MK1's, Mk2's are not as popular.
Hi Jeff, that’s a great story please post a picture of your Cortina on our Facebook page “ This is my classic “ here’s the link facebook.com/share/g/NuxpsygLcywy43Wn/?mibextid=K35XfP
Opinions on favourite cars are obviously subjective and are bound to provoke opposite views. I was fortunate to purchase a real Mark 1 in 1964, reg. 8943DP, (I wonder what happened to that car?). It came from a garage in Park Lane and had belonged to a Doctor, (I think he thrashed it). The car was one of the 500 that Ford homologated for racing and the four opening panels were aluminium. Also aluminium were the clutch housing, the gearbox tailpipe and the diff casting. It had the 'A' Frame and coil springs at the back and I believe the lower front wishbone was a little longer to give a bit of negative. The battery was in the boot and the spare wheel had lost it's home to stiffening tubes both sides, their matching counterparts were inside at the sides of the rear seats behind the panelling. I think the biggest change for the driver was the close ratio gearbox which was fantastic. If you wanted, you could do 40 mph in first gear, only if you wanted. Traffic light grand prix starts were a doddle. The first gear downside was the four up, standing start on a hill, revs and a slipped clutch was the only solution. My Lotus had front lights that were not set into the grill like your Police vehicle, I always wondered whether the rest of the first 500 were like that. Some spares parts were difficult to obtain, for instance the water-pump. The Twin-Cam engine had a fairly flat aluminium casting which, from memory, housed the timing chain and contained the water-pump. No spare was available from Ford so I purchased a standard pump, pressed out the impellers from both castings and replaced new for old. I lived and breathed that car and you had to be there to understand what a huge step forward the Lotus was in motor racing. Watching Jim Clark on two wheels through the chicane at Goodwood, never to be forgotten. Just one more personal observation, your Capri is certainly better looking than the 60s Capri and Classic but they were probably the ugliest cars Ford ever produced. In my opinion. I think motor manufacturers are obliged to sell ugly cars every so often, we are going through an ugly patch at the moment. Great video.
That dash panel is like the one I had in about 1970 or so, much nicer than the early models which had a small binnacle. But that car does not have the A-frame rear suspension setup as mine did which gave super handling but was unable to withstand the stresses through it. Mine fractured around the diff housing and the oil leaked out, destroying the differential! This happened again after repairs and the only thing to do back then was to find a rear cart-spring suspension from a Cortina GT and slip that in! It was now reliable but the handling was not the same. I understand that there is a kit available to fix that major problem these days!
WOW these cars bring back so many memories as a young kid ,well 19 year old to be fair ,here in Australia these ol cortys were everywhere and damm cheap ,you could buy a 65 4 door for a couple hundred dollars and then find an ol Ford at the wreckers with a Windsor v8 and convert the Cortina in a weekend with three mates a engine crane or block and tackle 5 slabs of beer 8 BBQ sessions ,Friday 4pm start after work 9Pm Sunday youve got a lil British car with a stonking 289/302 or if your lucky a 351 Windsor v8 ,Clevelands were too tight in that engine bay ,ive done over 20 Cortinas 4Gts and one odd one with a Cosworth lil 4cyl that i kept as ive never seen one in a Cortina ,strange lil motor that i ended up selling for 150 dollars,the fella who i sold it to put it into a escort track car ,good times back then ,thankyopu for the video ,new subscriber glad to be here
Hello Peter, welcome to the channel love hearing your memories and thank you for subscribing do you have any pictures of the Cortina’s if so I love to see them ?
@@michaelscriven6312if you are on fb please go to my page ‘This is my classic’ and post a picture would love to see it here’s the link facebook.com/share/g/15nvVK7CHB/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Yes as a student at SE London Tech in the mid 60's bare shells transported on big double decker HGV came by up Lewisham Way to Lotus to be assembled. Youngster dreaming.....
Having had both the Mk1 and the Mk2, it's a hard choice to seperate them, both had their good and bad points, though as I got the Mk2 before the Mk1 it still holds a special place with me, and I am now currently restoring a Ford Granada Ghia ex police car, and have a Mk3 Zephyr/Zodiac inline for some major TLC, Oh and as a back story, the M2 came my way in payment for a job I did, the Mk1 was saved from being scrapped when the council started to pull down the garage block it was stored in ( for 35 year) the Granada was a whim purchase not knowing the full history, but bought because it had the zipper in the headlining, indicating it was once a police car, the Zephyr/Zodiac came to me via a soldier Friend of my dad who was a Red Cap ( military police) and had driven it from new in the Army and when it was demobbed in 1976 he asked to purchase it, and used it as a daily driver, until 1989 when it seized the engine and was pushed into a lockup Purchase prices ,,, Mk1 £75, Mk2 £175, Granada Free, the Zephyr/Zodiac also free, the two cortinas were sold off to pay for the restoration of the next two cars together they reach a sales total of £18,000
Hello nemesismcc, welcome to the channel and thank you for sharing this interesting story please send me some pictures of the cars maybe we could do a future episode ? Downatthebarns@gmail.com
The Mk1 was lighter of the two cars. The rev limiter fitted was activated by centrifugal forces at its setting whereby it would make the car miss on one cyl, time to change gear, I think it was about 6.5k ish. The intake roar on the webbers was louder than the exhaust especially if you had ram tubes.😁
All the best police drivers “enhanced” what they’d learnt in driving school after-hours, out of sight and away from other traffic. It’s almost a tradition.
This is a great car and I’m pleased it was properly restored by Keith. However, whilst I know it’s now back to its original appearance, I think the Mk.1 shape is a bit dumpy and awkward. The green stripes complete the iconic Lotus look and give the car a much sleeker appearance. I also think that the Mk.2 is generally a better-styled car, especially the 1600E and Lotus variants. Of course, I would love to have either model.
I agree about the stripe - it is an optical illusion and does give it a totally different shape. Trouble is I had a choice to make during the resto & decided originality was best.
I had a police spec. white 1974 Hillman Avenger with a 1600 GT engine and stiffer springs plus an extra certified speedometer which read about 7 mph below the original fitted speedo so my mates would never accept an indicated 100 mph as 93 mph was top speed on the accurate speedo. It also had two long zips in the roof lining to access the roof lights when fitted which was another tell tale sign of an ex police vehicle so when I tried to part ex it for an Escort 1300E, the dodgy car dealer spotted them as soon as he sat in the vehicle so the deal was off. I replaced the headlining with a black corduroy custom lining stiched by my own fair hands. It was used as an escort vehicle carrying the keys in a heavy safe in the boot for armoured cash in transit trucks similar to the Italian Job but banknotes and travellers cheques printed by Thomas DeLa Rue.Eventually managed to flog it with speedo,zips and safe removed.
@Classiccarstories I do have some photos so will scan them and pass them on. It was my first car and had it nearly three years before selling it to a fireman and buying a rusty spitfire which I had for a year and sold it to buy an Avenger Tiger which kept me in poverty as 15 mpg was the best I ever got.
The replacement engine came from a Europa ? That would make it a Renault 16 engine. Only the 'racing' versions had the Ford based Lotus twin cam engine.
I think a Mk1 looks a lot nicer than a Mk2 (slab sided barge). I had a Mk1 Cortina in the early 1970s as a student, did thousands of miles in it, It's back end fishtailed a couple of times when pushed, did Lotus upgrade the rear suspension? When the engine blew up I couldn't afford to fix it and an though it had a perfect body a garage said the would take it off me for nothing , I made sure I chopped up all the wiring looms.
I asked my insurance agent in town if I bought a lotus 🪷 what would my insurance cost , he asked me what does a new one cost, then that will be your insurance!
Tbh it's 64 years old and it was only a police car for a fraction of that being a lotus and as cool as they are. I would have it as a standard lotus. Amazing history, though
Beautiful car and bought back many happy memories of my first car - Mk1 1500 GT which cost me £60 back in 1972!
Hi Terry, thank for for getting involved 😊
When i was a kid i lived in Nutbourne on the then A27, we used to sit on the pub wall (Barleycorn) looking for new number plates, car spotting, I can remember 3 or 4 of these very cars going past us in a line, we were overjoyed with this view as a Lotus was a rare car then but 4 Lotus cop cars was a real treat, they must of been very new as we had not seen them before that day.
Hi Pete, welcome to the channel , what a fantastic memory
Great memory Pete
Loved my 66 MK1 back in the 70's what a car. My father was running Cortina Mk 2 Savage, what great pair of Fords..
Hi Roy, welcome to the channel thanks for sharing
That very Car chased me in my 1962 E Type all the way back to Brighton at 1am in the nineties, Happy memories!
Hi Malcolm, welcome to the channel the car went out of police service in 1967
For me, The Mk 1 is the definitive Lotus Cortina. Who can forget Jim Clark driving to the absolute limit chasing Galaxies and more in the BTC back in the day. My neighbour, David Kirsch, had one of the first (he also had a Mercedes 300SL and Chevy Comaro) and I vividly remember some exciting journeys through the local streets and roundabouts (especially) with me hanging on for dear life and enjoying every minute of it. The Chapman modified rear suspension along with that magnificent engine made an otherwise everyday car something very, very special. Memories.
Hi Adrian, welcome to the channel and thank you for sharing your memories
Mark 1 Cortina every time. It is iconic
Hi Selwyn that’s for your getting involved
I have a MK1 replica I built on a Scandinavian chassis about 10 years ago, love it.
We’d like to see that
I had a '65 (DEG 250C) in '70-'72. I loved it. But a real beach to start.
Welcome to the channel John wonder if the car is still around
@@Classiccarstories I just had a quick shufti on DVAL - details not found. 60 years on I guess it hasn't survived.
@@johnclayden1670 shame
I loved the Mk 1 from the start
Great cars aren’t they ?
Love the mk1 Cortina lotus👌👌👌👌
So do I!
The mark 1 was called a Lotus Cortina and the mark 2 was called a Cortina Lotus .
Got to be mk1 just a beautiful design that has stood the test of time
Hi Paul, welcome to the channel thank you for your input
Great to know so many of this fleet have survived. The earlier "pre airflow" Mk1s are my personal favourite (the smaller front grille and the lack of vents on the rear pillars). I did sometimes see an ex Jim Clark car over 50 years ago on my way to school. In the late 1970s/early 1980s a few of us made a bit of a habit of V6 swapping small Fords. Sadly although a tuned V6 with a 3.09 rear axle and an overdrive gearbox was a top speed beast it lost the agility of the lighter engined cars.
Thanks for sharing
Mannnn I had mark 1 1500 GT. Even today this is for me the most eye turner.
Yes great car
When you asked ‘what’s in the boot?’ I was expecting to be shown the raised bump in the boot floor to accommodate the differential housing because the suspension was lower than the standard production models, this was usually proof of it being a genuine Lotus Ford body shell. Good video,
Hi Metalmicky, hope you wasn’t too disappointed thanks for sharing the information 😊
Mk1 will always be the one for me, as I remember the great Jim Clark racing them back in the day, usually seen with the inside front wheel well off the ground in corners! I also have an old Ford that was once a Police car too! Bit older though its a 1931 Model A Ford 4 door sedan that started life as a Chicago Cops car! It may well have once had Al Capone on board? Amusingly it still has it's very loud Police Siren on the firewall that still works!
Hi Denis, thanks for sharing
Downunder in Australia I have been invovled with 1963/4/5 Mk1 Cortinas mainly in Historic Racing. First one was a very Rare in Australia 1963 2 Door GT. Only 100 imported to run at the famous Bathurst race which was won by a GT. Then wanting to go faster I had a 1964 Lotus replica which I raced at Historic meetings the major tracks . Work committments got in the way so I downscaled to another 2dr GT which ended up in storage for 20+ years. Pulled it out during Covid and did a resto and got it back on track in 2022 . Still have it, but just bit the bullet and bought a restored 1965 Mk1 Lotus Cortina Historic Race Car. This car has an unusual history in that it was orginally LHD and came damaged from USA. We have quite a number of Cortina enthusiasts here in Australia but Most are in MK1's, Mk2's are not as popular.
Hi Jeff, that’s a great story please post a picture of your Cortina on our Facebook page “ This is my classic “ here’s the link facebook.com/share/g/NuxpsygLcywy43Wn/?mibextid=K35XfP
Beautiful 😍
Thank you Mr Ford
Mk 1 Lotus Cortina all day long :-)
Hello thanks for commenting
Opinions on favourite cars are obviously subjective and are bound to provoke opposite views. I was fortunate to purchase a real Mark 1 in 1964, reg. 8943DP, (I wonder what happened to that car?). It came from a garage in Park Lane and had belonged to a Doctor, (I think he thrashed it).
The car was one of the 500 that Ford homologated for racing and the four opening panels were aluminium. Also aluminium were the clutch housing, the gearbox tailpipe and the diff casting. It had the 'A' Frame and coil springs at the back and I believe the lower front wishbone was a little longer to give a bit of negative. The battery was in the boot and the spare wheel had lost it's home to stiffening tubes both sides, their matching counterparts were inside at the sides of the rear seats behind the panelling.
I think the biggest change for the driver was the close ratio gearbox which was fantastic. If you wanted, you could do 40 mph in first gear, only if you wanted. Traffic light grand prix starts were a doddle. The first gear downside was the four up, standing start on a hill, revs and a slipped clutch was the only solution.
My Lotus had front lights that were not set into the grill like your Police vehicle, I always wondered whether the rest of the first 500 were like that.
Some spares parts were difficult to obtain, for instance the water-pump. The Twin-Cam engine had a fairly flat aluminium casting which, from memory, housed the timing chain and contained the water-pump. No spare was available from Ford so I purchased a standard pump, pressed out the impellers from both castings and replaced new for old.
I lived and breathed that car and you had to be there to understand what a huge step forward the Lotus was in motor racing. Watching Jim Clark on two wheels through the chicane at Goodwood, never to be forgotten.
Just one more personal observation, your Capri is certainly better looking than the 60s Capri and Classic but they were probably the ugliest cars Ford ever produced. In my opinion.
I think motor manufacturers are obliged to sell ugly cars every so often, we are going through an ugly patch at the moment.
Great video.
Hi David, thank you for getting involved and giving such an extensive view point much appreciated
Superb example ,put back to how it was originally built,mk2 every time for me having had one but driven both ,both super iconic
Hi Andrew , welcome to the channel thanks for getting involved
I had one in 1969 reg DGT 299C lovely car
Wonder if it’s still out there
That dash panel is like the one I had in about 1970 or so, much nicer than the early models which had a small binnacle. But that car does not have the A-frame rear suspension setup as mine did which gave super handling but was unable to withstand the stresses through it. Mine fractured around the diff housing and the oil leaked out, destroying the differential! This happened again after repairs and the only thing to do back then was to find a rear cart-spring suspension from a Cortina GT and slip that in! It was now reliable but the handling was not the same. I understand that there is a kit available to fix that major problem these days!
Hi Stewart , thanks for sharing
WOW these cars bring back so many memories as a young kid ,well 19 year old to be fair ,here in Australia these ol cortys were everywhere and damm cheap ,you could buy a 65 4 door for a couple hundred dollars and then find an ol Ford at the wreckers with a Windsor v8 and convert the Cortina in a weekend with three mates a engine crane or block and tackle 5 slabs of beer 8 BBQ sessions ,Friday 4pm start after work 9Pm Sunday youve got a lil British car with a stonking 289/302 or if your lucky a 351 Windsor v8 ,Clevelands were too tight in that engine bay ,ive done over 20 Cortinas 4Gts and one odd one with a Cosworth lil 4cyl that i kept as ive never seen one in a Cortina ,strange lil motor that i ended up selling for 150 dollars,the fella who i sold it to put it into a escort track car ,good times back then ,thankyopu for the video ,new subscriber glad to be here
Hello Peter, welcome to the channel love hearing your memories and thank you for subscribing do you have any pictures of the Cortina’s if so I love to see them ?
@@Classiccarstories ill post them up for you ,no worries mate
@@Tonyclifton-q4f downatthebarns@gmail.com
This very car is the first lotus Cortina I ever sat in many years ago. The current owner knows I lust after it still
Hello Michael, that’s interesting do you have a classic car?
@Classiccarstories Hi. Yes, I have a Mk1 Cortina 1500 GT
@@michaelscriven6312if you are on fb please go to my page ‘This is my classic’ and post a picture would love to see it here’s the link
facebook.com/share/g/15nvVK7CHB/?mibextid=wwXIfr
You are top of my list Mick - happy 2025.
@@KeithHalstead Thanks mate. Always great to see your car. Have a great 2025 Keith.
The Lotus Europa used both the Renault & the Twincam Lotus engine during it's life. Later models were Lotus engined.
Thanks for clearing up Keith
There both equally cool without doubt
Hi Mark, thanks for your thoughts 👍
Yes as a student at SE London Tech in the mid 60's bare shells transported on big double decker HGV came by up Lewisham Way to Lotus to be assembled. Youngster dreaming.....
Hi RA Hellmans , welcome to the channel that’s interesting thanks for sharing
What a great item thanks 😊
Thank you Robert
Sounds awesome 👍
Hi Selwyn, it definitely is
Great car 😤🙏👍
Hi Colin, yes I agree
MK 1. Every time. Awesome.
Hi Phil, thanks for commenting
It's interesting - I thought that everybody would choose a Mk1 over a Mk2 (I certainly would) but clearly this is not the case. Great video - thanks.
Hi Neil, I thought the same it’s interesting hearing people’s thoughts
The Mark one looked 1000 times better. It really is a stylish car.
Hello Hisheroship, welcome to the channel thanks for getting involved
lovely ! my second car was a bottle green A reg .
Lovely
Mk1 all day everyday coolest car
Hi Andy, thanks for your contribution 👍
Having had both the Mk1 and the Mk2, it's a hard choice to seperate them, both had their good and bad points, though as I got the Mk2 before the Mk1 it still holds a special place with me, and I am now currently restoring a Ford Granada Ghia ex police car, and have a Mk3 Zephyr/Zodiac inline for some major TLC, Oh and as a back story, the M2 came my way in payment for a job I did, the Mk1 was saved from being scrapped when the council started to pull down the garage block it was stored in ( for 35 year) the Granada was a whim purchase not knowing the full history, but bought because it had the zipper in the headlining, indicating it was once a police car, the Zephyr/Zodiac came to me via a soldier Friend of my dad who was a Red Cap ( military police) and had driven it from new in the Army and when it was demobbed in 1976 he asked to purchase it, and used it as a daily driver, until 1989 when it seized the engine and was pushed into a lockup
Purchase prices ,,, Mk1 £75, Mk2 £175, Granada Free, the Zephyr/Zodiac also free, the two cortinas were sold off to pay for the restoration of the next two cars together they reach a sales total of £18,000
Oh I forgot to add, both the Mk1 and the Mk2 are current entrants in the Historic races at Goodwoods festival of speed since 1998
Hello nemesismcc, welcome to the channel and thank you for sharing this interesting story please send me some pictures of the cars maybe we could do a future episode ? Downatthebarns@gmail.com
The Mk1 was lighter of the two cars. The rev limiter fitted was activated by centrifugal forces at its setting whereby it would make the car miss on one cyl, time to change gear, I think it was about 6.5k ish.
The intake roar on the webbers was louder than the exhaust especially if you had ram tubes.😁
Hello skanti, welcome to the channel thank you for your input
for me mk1 every time i still miss my 62 1200 column change heavily modded and written off in 80s
Hello Mariebulmer, welcome to the channel did you keep pictures ?
Its always going to be a Lotus Cortina MkI .Why so its so simple the great Jim Clark raced these.
Hi Ray , thank you for commenting
A fella across the road from my parents house had a mk 1 then a mk 2 I think they were company cars as he was a sales rep for a local brewery.
Hi Colin welcome to the channel thanks for sharing , but which was your favourite?
A number of them were sold in Jamaica.
Hello Kennedy , that’s interesting
All the best police drivers “enhanced” what they’d learnt in driving school after-hours, out of sight and away from other traffic. It’s almost a tradition.
Hi Alastair, thanks for getting involved
This is a great car and I’m pleased it was properly restored by Keith. However, whilst I know it’s now back to its original appearance, I think the Mk.1 shape is a bit dumpy and awkward. The green stripes complete the iconic Lotus look and give the car a much sleeker appearance. I also think that the Mk.2 is generally a better-styled car, especially the 1600E and Lotus variants. Of course, I would love to have either model.
Welcome to the channel Mike thank you for your thoughts on the car
I agree about the stripe - it is an optical illusion and does give it a totally different shape. Trouble is I had a choice to make during the resto & decided originality was best.
Kieth lived down my road when I was a kid had a mint aubergine 1600e
Small world 👍
I loved that car.
I had a police spec. white 1974 Hillman Avenger with a 1600 GT engine and stiffer springs plus an extra certified speedometer which read about 7 mph below the original fitted speedo so my mates would never accept an indicated 100 mph as 93 mph was top speed on the accurate speedo.
It also had two long zips in the roof lining to access the roof lights when fitted which was another tell tale sign of an ex police vehicle so when I tried to part ex it for an Escort 1300E, the dodgy car dealer spotted them as soon as he sat in the vehicle so the deal was off. I replaced the headlining with a black corduroy custom lining stiched by my own fair hands.
It was used as an escort vehicle carrying the keys in a heavy safe in the boot for armoured cash in transit trucks similar to the Italian Job but banknotes and travellers cheques printed by Thomas DeLa Rue.Eventually managed to flog it with speedo,zips and safe removed.
Great Story Alan , do you still have any pictures ?
@Classiccarstories I do have some photos so will scan them and pass them on. It was my first car and had it nearly three years before selling it to a fireman and buying a rusty spitfire which I had for a year and sold it to buy an Avenger Tiger which kept me in poverty as 15 mpg was the best I ever got.
@ great please post on my Facebook page This is my Classic facebook.com/share/g/15XyuCgZzJ/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Must be a MK1 lotus Tina...🎉
Thank you for getting involved
Mk1 with the a frame rear and alloy panels
Hi Mega thanks for getting involved
No - leaf springs & all steel panels.
Got to be MK 1
Thank you for taking part
Mk1 👍
Thanks for voting Mk1
Mark 1 every time.
Thanks for getting involved
Mk 1 Cortina.
Hi John, thanks for sharing
The mark 2 was called a Cortina Lotus regather than a Lotus Cortina as in the mark 1 .
The replacement engine came from a Europa ? That would make it a Renault 16 engine. Only the 'racing' versions had the Ford based Lotus twin cam engine.
Hi David , will have to see if Keith can answer that question
Seen a couple of roadcars with the twink but most have the renault engine
The Europa started out with the Renault engine and later models used the Lotus Twincam version.
I think a Mk1 looks a lot nicer than a Mk2 (slab sided barge). I had a Mk1 Cortina in the early 1970s as a student, did thousands of miles in it, It's back end fishtailed a couple of times when pushed, did Lotus upgrade the rear suspension?
When the engine blew up I couldn't afford to fix it and an though it had a perfect body a garage said the would take it off me for nothing , I made sure I chopped up all the wiring looms.
Hi Roger , thank you for taking part 😊
Rear suspension on Mk2 was same a 1600E & GT just basic leaf sprung.
If you saw one you were in trouble!
Did you Robert?
@ not a lotus 🪷 but a late seventies two tone escort!
I asked my insurance agent in town if I bought a lotus 🪷 what would my insurance cost , he asked me what does a new one cost, then that will be your insurance!
@ 😂
Mk1
Thanks Steven
Tbh it's 64 years old and it was only a police car for a fraction of that being a lotus and as cool as they are. I would have it as a standard lotus. Amazing history, though
Hi Mick, welcome to the channel thank you for your thoughts
I have run it as both as all the bits are removable - just for variety I run it with mag minilites now and again.
That car belonged to my ex boss Stuart Linsey he owned for about 20 year's possibly More
It was an ongoing project when I was working at his garage
Interesting added piece of the jigsaw to the the story thank you
@@Classiccarstories around 1988
@@Classiccarstories he even met one of the police officers that drove it
@@User-wollswoycegawage that’s fantastic
I have been in touch with Stuart many times - he was the one who saved it from extinction during his ownership.
A nice car. Not sure about a rev limiter though.
Standard fitting on the twincam engine but most were removed by the owners.
The Mk1 was a Lotus built car, the Mk2 was built by Ford.
Some say the Mk2 is a better driver, even though they have the same under pining's.
Hi Gavin , thanks for getting involved
It all depends on your definition of 'better' it was certainly more refined as it was based on the 1600E & GT.
For sure the mk1. much better looking car , ,the mk 2is to square for me,
Hi Terence , thanks for sharing
MK1 pre airflow special equipment for me
That cars a later airflow not as nice as the earlier one's
Hello welcome to the channel thank you for getting involved
I owned one in 1975. Was to heavy on petrol sold it for £500. Big mistake
Hi Dilla, so many people regret getting rid of their old cars
Mk 1
Thank you Ian
Mk1 Lotus Cortina is quicker than a mk2 as it’s lighter
Very true
@@Tiffany.1970 Hi Tiffany welcome to the channel thank you for commenting
I bet there isnt much left of the original car, they took a lot of damage
Hello Canamcdh06, not sure hopefully Keith could answer that question for you
@@Classiccarstories Had a new front wing after a smash.
Three shifts a day, 7 days a week....try doing that with your Tesla....
Hi Bob, thanks for getting involved
No such thing as Mk 2 Lotus Cortina. Mk 2 was designated Cortina Lotus.
Rs2000 laaaaaavly
Nice replica reshell and non original engine maybe the gearbox is original.
Totally wrong but then again you have never seen it. Officially verified by the club.