Lotus Cortina
The Lotus Position Published: 12th May 2011 - 0 Comments - Be the first, contribute now!
Fast Facts
- Best model: £3000-£10,000
- Worst model: Faked GTs
- Budget buy: None really
- OK for unleaded?: Probably not
- Will it fit in the garage? (mm): LxW mm 4267 x 1650
- Spares situation: Generally fi ne
- DIY ease?: Generally good
- Club support: Strong
- Appreciating asset?: Yes, much underrated
- Good buy or good-bye?: Arguably a better buy than the MK1
Lotus engine is better served now than it ever was but timing chains and water pumps woes still common. 
MK2 used stock GT shell – even side stripe was optional 
MK2 used stock GT shell – even side stripe was optional 
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It’s often considered inferior next to the MK1 Lotus Cortina, but the Twin Cam is really the one to have!
Pros & Cons
You’ll never convince some people when it comes to classics! Take the MK2 Cortina Lotus. It’s not the real deal like the MK1, hasn’t any character, is just a GT with a Lotus engine. These are just some of the comments leveled against a car which eventually didn’t even bear the Lotus badge! Ignore the pessimists and instead consider one of the best bargain 60s sports saloons on the block that’s better developed than the original, more civilised, yet retains that unmistakable Lotus link as well as heritage, If you still need convincing then read on!
History
A combination of envy and perhaps a touch of jealousy over the success of the advanced Mini- Cooper on both road and track and the sharp, smooth talking Colin Chapman of Lotus provided all the goading Ford needed to launch its own Grand Prix-linked hot saloon. The original Lotus Cortina was developed in an amazingly short space of time which inevitably resulted in reliability issues. So, when the MK2 Cortina was introduced in October 1966, any Lotus-tuned model went through Dagenham to keep control of the quality (much to Chapman’s dismay at losing such a moneyspinning contract).
Mechanically the Lotus Cortina differed by using the old 109bhp SE spec engine to counter extra weight and body drag. The car used the excellent Corsair 200E gearbox with a 3.7 axle ratio for more relaxed high-speed work. The chassis was much the same as before, riding an inch lower than ordinary Cortina Mk2s and the brakes benefi ted from servo assistance. Outside, to say that Ford made the Lotus low key is an understatement. With no slide fl ash and plain hubcaps the MK2 looked just like a normal GT, making it perhaps one of the best Q cars of its era. Although enthusiasts will always view MK1s through rose-tinted glasses, the Mk2 was the more complete and usable car. Motoring News (now Motorsport News) hailed the Mk2 as the best Lotus Cortina ever built. Ford tried to distance itself from Lotus by badging later MK2s as “Twin Cam”, to complement the newly launched Escort Twin Cam. Yet even with the Escort on board and with less than 200 cars made during its fi nal year in 1970, the Twin Cam still comfortably outsold the original by a healthy 1000 units. Save for the relocated handbrake in 1968, hardly any changes were made to the car. Rumour has it that a batch of 1600E-bodied motors were made plus some estates and certainly Police forces used fourdoor Twin Cams!
Perhaps Ford learned its lesson from the tie up with Lotus because it decided to also make its own go-faster cars in house along with homologated options such as uprated suspension, limited slip differential and closer ratio gearboxes. Certainly, for all its undoubted showroom appeal and exotic name, Lotus Cortinas were a nightmare for main dealers to sell and maintain, while the warranty claims were so bad that Ford considered pulling the plug on the MK1 shortly after its launch. Happily for us they didn’t and the Twin Cam proved far more reliable.
Driving
What the MK2 Lotus Cortina lost in exterior character, it made up for in other ways through a massive refi ning process - so said Motor in its 1967 test adding that it was no longer the raw uncivilised fragile driving machine. The MK2 was actually the quicker car than the MK1, half a second to 50 and best part of a while second to the time-honoured benchmark. In fact, by Motor’s stopwatches the MK2 was a fast to 50 as an E-type 2+2 and the only area where the later Lotus Cortina lost out to the MK1 was in the academic top speed dept: 108 against 105mph. Handling was improved over the MK1 and the Lotus chassis, also used in the 1600E, is an entirely predictable understeer, then oversteer set up and better balanced than the MK1. Of course, compared to today’s cars the limits are lowly but the fun factor is high. Whether or not Ford aimed the MK2 Lotus at the executive market is debatable as the Cortina was never the most refi ned saloon in its class. With a gearing of 1.76mph/1000rpm there’s always fussiness at speed (Sierra fi ve-speed units reduces this) and the ride is fi rm, but there’s no denying that it’s a far more comfortable and refi ned sports saloon than the MK1. As with the ordinary Cortina, even Lotus versions are fairly user friendly. There’s loads of room for the family and they are easy to drive. Two aspects that let the car down are the cheapskate seat runner design and on early cars, a tucked away umbrella handbrake.
Prices
Whether you view the Lotus Cortina as something special or just a jumped up family Ford rather taints your opinion of their worth, especially MK1s which can now sell for astronomical sums. Sanity still exists with the Twin Cam though, and you can pick up a good one for around half that of a MK1. Reckon on spending £3000 or so for a scruffy runner in need of lots of expensive TLC. Good ones usually go for double this but even top models rarely break the 10 grand barrier, although with MK1 prices in orbit this situation will change. When you consider that the Twin Cam is the better developed car then the MK2 Lotus looks exceptional value - but for how much longer? In terms of most desirable models, there’s nothing to look out for except that very early cars up to November ‘67 wore Lotus badges on the boot lid.
What To Look For
- First things fi rst! Is it a real Lotus? Fakes were always rife with this car because they are so easy to convert from standard. So check the car with an owners club to be certain. Look at the chassis numbers. MK2s start with BA91, plus the car should wear the rear radius arm suspension links (they were dropped on all bar the Lotus and 1600E in late ’68).
- Chief tell-tale signs are a special panel to the boot floor to protect the diff from the ultra-low ground clearance and extra radius arms, reinforced front strut top mounts, added bulkhead fl itch panels, boot mounted battery, relocated horn (behind the grille) and special Smiths instruments, such as a 140mph speedo, were unique to the Lotus.
- Myths abound the Lotus Cortina. Were some 600 Mk2s clothed in 1600E bodies made as a run out, were four-door and estates also made? Offi cially no… but there are two or three Crayford-converted drop-tops out there.
- What colour is the engine? Normal Lotus units wore Kingfi sher Blue camshaft covers while green ones signifi ed the higher tune SE (fi tted as standard to MK2s, optional on MK1s) with its high-lift camshafts. Don’t be fooled by a different coloured lid, though! Plain silver items are also around but watch for red (Cosworth) and orange (BRM) topped engines because they may be good for up to 155bhp!
- Other goodies included re-jetted Weber DCOEs, and Minilite magnesium alloy wheels for competition. Fuel injection was also offered along with a range of alternative gear and rear axle ratios plus a limited slip diff. Tuning gear was plentiful – and still is. If you’re after period-style stuff them look for BRM, IWR, Burton Engineering, Vegantune and of course Cosworth (who co-developed the Twin Cam unit) items.
- Rust will always be a worry but most Lotus Cortinas will have been well looked after or restored by now. Chief rot areas are the tops of the front struts (it will have been plated at some point), inner wings, outer and inner sills, A posts, front slam panels and valances, cross-members, jacking points and outriggers, floor pan, rear suspension hangers, rear wheel arches, doors, windscreen scuttle, and the boot fl oor.
- Replacement and pattern parts are readily available from the likes of Ex-pressed Steel Panels Ltd (01535 632721) and LMC Hadrian (01373 865088), while the numerous owners’ clubs can help out. Mechanical bits – even for Lotus versions – are not hard to obtain either.
- Expect engine oil leaks around the cam covers, especially at the rear. Oil usage can be alarming but that’s not a bad sign: pressure should be 40lbft at operating temperature. Look for plumes of smoke on the overrun, suggesting worn bores and pistons.
- Typical “Twink” wear points are failed water pumps and worn/over tightened timing chains. Always use a good quality anti-freeze with corrosion inhibitor. Grasp the water pump pulley and feel for movement. A new pump costs around £90 but the head has to come off to fi t. That said, Burton Engineering markets a special kit that, once fi tted, means you won’t need to take the head off again .
- Poor running is usually due to worn DCOE carbs that require expert fettling. Also, the distributor’s location under the inlet manifold makes servicing the points a pig of a job. Many fi t electronic ignition to counter this and enjoy better performance at the same time.
- Lotus tubular exhaust manifolds are notorious for breaking. Paul Matty Sportscars (01527 835656) sells a superior, bigger bore replacement.
- Early models used a special gearbox based on the old Ford Classic/Corsair with special ratios but by the mid 60s the evergreen Corsair 2000E ‘box was utilised and should be fi tted to the MK2. Special closer ratio gear clusters were available.
- Cortina running gear is simple, inexpensive and long lasting. Only the usual checks need be carried out. Lotus Cortinas used special shorter springs as well as larger nine-inch Classic-sourced drum brakes. Has normal GT or even basic Cortina 1500 Super gear been substituted – or is the car a fake?
- Trim was much the same as the GT it was based upon and so sourcing bits should be straightforward. Some dials were unique to the Lotus, such as the speedometer for example, but don’t suspect a fake if a standard Cortina steering wheel is fi tted as all MK2s came with the same tiller!
Three Of A Kind
Lotus Elite/Eclat/Excel
Launched to replace the Elan Plus 2 the oddly-styled hatchback Elite, and the later coupe Eclat were Lotuses for all the family and far more upmarket than the Cortina, of course. But it was far too rough and unreliable – only transformed as the later Excel with trustwor thy Toyota running gear. Most of what’s left are nasty and neglected but good ones, especially Excels, are dir t cheap supercars.
Triumph Dolomite Sprint
In many ways the Dolomite Sprint was the Cortina Lotus of the 1970s, offering sizzling performance with practicality and prestige plus, like the Lotus, was a big hit in motorsport. Sadly, like the original Ford, the Sprint lacked staying power and soon became a liability. These days it’s easy to sort out this Triumph and they make super value sportssaloon buys.
Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth
This is another Fast Ford with an impeccable pedigree that remains amazingly cheap for what it offers - mainly 150mph Ferrari-beating pace twinned with repmobile Sierra practicality and reliability (engine excepted). Rear drive ones are a hoot, but the four-wheel drive model is the more stable and sensible buy. An easy sub £6000 purchase, good ones will soar in value.Verdict
The Twin Cam is in many ways a diffi cult car to justify. You could buy a Sierra Cosworth 20 years its junior for a lot less cash that will blow the doors off one – but it won’t provide the same feel good factor and sense of occasion. The MK2 Twin Cam may not have the character of the original Lotus Cortina but it’s the more useable effi cient alternative that’s a lot better value. Let Motor have the fi nal word: “For all this anonymity, the Cortina Lotus has a number of outstanding qualities that make it a far better all rounder that it ever was before.” Still not convinced?
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