Part of High Gear Media

What's The Best Place For Your Teen To Learn How...

News

Hong Kong Witnesses First Aston Martin One-77... Supercars
33 minutes ago

Wreckage of Aston Martin One-77 that crashed in Hong Kong - Image courtesy Weibo

2013 Volkswagen CC Gets Sporty R-Line Trim Luxury
May 27, 2012

Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix Weather Forecast Racing
May 27, 2012

SEE ALL NEWS

Topics

Reviews

Videos

2013 Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG: First Drive

SEE MORE VIDEOS

Spy Shots

2014 Audi S3 Hatchback Spy Shots

2013 Porsche 911 GT3 Spy Shots

2013 Aston Martin DBS Replacement Spy Shots

Car Tech

Volvo Explains Its Pedestrian Airbag System

The founders of Google and one of their autonomous Toyota Prius hybrids

California On Track To Be Next State For Autonomous Car Trials

Audi Offering 4-Year SiriusXM Traffic Subscription On Select 2013 Models

Home

News

Racing

Sports Car Classics: The MK1 Lotus Cortina

Sports Car Classics: The MK1 Lotus Cortina

Todd DeMeza

Contributing Writer BIO

Todd DeMeza has a long time interest in and passion for cars. During high school, he decided he wanted to use his enthusiasm to become an automotive... More

LATEST ARTICLE
Car and Driver Predicts Mazdaspeed 3…Diesel?
The Mazdaspeed 3 has received major praise from the automotive press. For most, it is the fastest... Read More

N/ALEADERBOARD RANK
811ARTICLES CONTRIBUTED
1COMMENTS POSTED

1,418 views Apr 25, 2010

A Lotus Cortina Towing a Lotus 7. Photographed by Brian Snelson.

Enlarge Photo

In the very early ‘60s, special high performance cars were starting to come out from outside businesses, instead of from the factory. One the best and earliest examples of this came between the collaboration between small-scale Lotus and Ford Motor Company to produce the Lotus Cortina.

The Ford Cortina was released in 1962 as a larger family car. Power came from a 1.2L “Kent” engine that produced about 48 hp, which was decent for the sub-2000 pound car. Suspension came in the form of Macpherson struts up front and semi-elliptical springs and a live axle in the rear. For those who wanted a little bit more power could opt for the Cortina GT, which came with front disc brakes and a larger 1.5L Kent. The GT proved to be a good in rally competition.

Around this time, Lotus was using a Cosworth built 1.6L twin-cam (technically a triple-Cam) version of the Kent motor in their Elans as well as their racing cars. Walter Hayes, who worked for public relations for Ford, approached Lotus in 1963 to build 1000 specially built Cortinas to meet FIA touring car homologation.

Ford sent bare two-door Cortina shells to the Lotus factory, there the early built cars were treated to special alloy versions of the doors, hood and trunk lid. Weight savings continued by using an aluminum cased transmission and rear axle. The 105 hp twin-cam engine was installed, along with a special brake servo unique to the Lotus.

Suspension was drastically changed for this Cortina. The front suspension received forged lower control arms and shorter struts. The live axle was suspended by coil springs, shocks and two links, which required modifying the trunk floor and adding bracing behind the rear seat. However, these modifications proved too unreliable, and in 1965 the suspension reverted back to leaf-springs.

Almost all Lotus Cortinas, besides a special few racing versions, came in white with a green stripe down the side, in addition to quarter bumpers and Lotus badges.

The cars were sold through Ford Dealers, and the car won praise by many publications and enthusiasts. In Group 2, no other European touring car could touch the Lotus on the track until Alfa Romeo introduced the Giulia GTA around 1966.

The Lotus Cortina continued to be produced when the Mk II Ford Cortina came out in 1967, but it reached middle-age a bit and wasn't as special as the MK Is.