1965 Lotus Cortina Mk1 - Car Restoration

[@daniellebcooper7160]

Always good to see an old classic brought back to original.

[@howardtowler6146]

To say the finished car is beautiful is an understatement

[@patrickrooney6635]

The car looks class guys

[@bjennings1067]

I was a car sprayer for forty years and one of the panel beaters had the very same car his was in emaculate condition that's thirty years ago great blog very professional

[@jameshogan9529]

A fantastic restoration of possibly the most iconic and certainly my favourite Ford. All done guys

[@pashakdescilly7517]

Except that it is a Lotus Cortina, not a Ford......

[@richardcole9558]

Theirs restoration and theirs restoration , now that is a restoration ! ..stunning work .

[@philipdavison3862]

i remember these on the road back in 65,i was nine,i knew a few people when i was 16 that had these second hand,of course they were older than me,you were like a god having one of these.

[@RobertDore-w4l]

1600e too..😀

[@philipdavison3862]

@@RobertDore-w4l a guy i worked with had a 1600e,he swopped it for a bmw,the ones that sell for big money now,it was faster that the 1600e though,they are not making the money like the rs2000 are.

[@peterlotarius4948]

Wonderful restoration. I had 1500 deluxe MK1 but always craved for a Lotus Cortina.... and still do!

[@martynlawrence2365]

Fantastic job and a truly beautiful car!

[@peterwulf8713]

Mein Kommentar leider nur auf Deutsch. Ihr habt ein wunderbares Auto wieder zum Leben erweckt. Toll und ein guter Job.

[@2tonsrnr718]

Absolutely beautiful, you've done her proud

[@colinevans7134]

Couldn't afford the lotus one but had the 1500 gt,what a car the Mk1 was, love the video and brought back old memories when working on them, want to see more working on these cars colin from Surrey England 👍 👏 ❤

[@edwinthompson6510]

colin the early GTs were faster than the Lotus so Ford made some alterations to the GT

[@specialse]

well worth every minute of restoration.......what a car !!!

[@georgegalyer8224]

What stunning craftsmanship and what a result. Superb job!

[@martinwright2546]

Absolutely beautiful well done guys. What a fantastic job you have achieved

[@michaelboyle7668]

Great job when I had one of these I put an extra leaf in back springs to bring her up that little bit looks far better.😊

[@stevieb4372]

What a beauty. Well done to everyone.

[@colinevans7134]

Love the video,only had a four door but that's all I could afford, what a car the lotus was, loved them and brought back memories so thanks for showing us that beautiful car ❤❤❤

[@johnriley9214]

Very nice lotus especially with the rare A bracket rear suspension.

[@TomLymberopoulos-du5he]

A beautiful job indeed brought back by incredible master auto restorers well done guys love it

[@bsport131]

Fantastic job good to see another saved

[@peterlee6745]

So Great That U Still get The PARTS 4 a Great CAR ./ IN My Day in 1968 Had The GT Cortina 1600 last of the D reg 1966 ./ and had it Bored out to 1750 Had it four 5 years Back in Day GREAT VID

[@nygelmiller5293]

GREAT ONCE AGAIN

[@RobertDore-w4l]

This REALLY IS a 'ground up restoration' WOW😮

[@mariussolomon5398]

Good work plenty days of welding and grinding👏👏

[@rogbrown1965]

Still have my 1965 MK1 lotus cortina in the garage of my 1965 built house.both in very good condition.

[@AnchorsAweighNarooma]

What a stunning result with money and sweat/tears thown in

[@michaelhall549]

Fantastic job!! looks amazing well done..

[@SkotiM]

Amazing workmanship

[@tomthompson7400]

Total work of art , I hope it wins prizes ,,, it certainly should.

[@philipcrascall5860]

Amazing job well done, lovely watching it transform through the stages to a masterpiece 👍

[@martinrobinson9651]

Excellent workmanship

[@johnneedham7343]

Absolutely beautiful..

[@rainer2810]

What a nice sportscar ! A wonderful restauration of a legendary car. Greetings from Germany R Söbbing

[@charleschrist2313]

My father raced one he bought from the Ford dealer showroom floor in Quakertown Pennsylvania. I have the rollbar from his car in my shop. After 1 year he gave it to my mother to drive to work. Then it was sold never to be seen again ... Cool car ! The car that proceeded the Cortina was a Cosworth powered Anglia.

[@davidwebb8877]

Lovely restoration.

[@monteceitomoocher]

Lovely job mate, heaven knows how many hours went into that but it's great, absolutely my favourite car, dad had a mk2 in 69, still alive as well, if you ever see kmj521g about I'd love to see it.

[@philtucker1224]

Nice one Greg, best wishes to you both for Christmas! 🙏👍🎅🏼

[@monteceitomoocher]

@@philtucker1224 cheers Phil, have a great one yourself!.

[@edwinthompson6510]

ermine white and ludlow green ,,,, i used to paint fords in the old cellulose days,,,,, valentine paint used n ixng schemes then ,,,,, Ali and Quality Motor Factors all colours match Mr Ted ,,,,,, great days Ed

[@CrimeVid]

New and in perfect tune they were fun, but you had to tune them to a hair, often ! (around 500 miles)

[@gsxrinfrance5827]

I had Mk 1 and later a Mk 2, you're right, constant carb balancing to get them on song,, sold them both for around £400 each, good money at the time...

[@nigelparker5886]

Quite quick rust buckets! Noisy as hell, just buy an old Jag instead! Be a hooray Henry, instead of. Henry Ford devotee! Move on time now! Cheers

[@dalemiller5893]

Just love the lotus we went to Baskerville (tas) when I was just a teenager they were the good times had by all. 😂😂😂😂

[@kevinparker5363]

Fantastic ! Well done 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@johnmoulton-zh9rm]

That was a good shell to start with.

[@frankiepitt9135]

Yeah, only needed a wash and polish.

[@paullinfoot6017]

superb work , beautiful car

[@pgti6]

Fantastic resto guys. Hard to believe its the same car! Were the boot struts original or added sometime later?

[@base7022]

A beautiful restoration on a super nice, "hot" Ford! I wish I was ready with my AVO Escort MK1! Great video! cheeRS Klaus from Düsseldorf

[@joeedwards627]

Feel your pain! Nice video, nice job, nice panel gaps, enjoyed

[@juanpabloarena2724]

Better than new ✨️

[@skdinterceptor2828]

Great resto..........!

[@leonhill6800]

Stunning restoration. Can I ask you some questions please?. What is your choice of filler and what paint do you use on the running gear and members. I am in a quandary as to what I should use and what is tough enough.

[@Clayshots12]

Fabulous, my all time favorite car

[@AlfUckhamHall]

There was two of these in the village I live in, they had consecutive registration numbers.

[@philtucker1224]

Legendary car and to think drivers like Jim Clark and Jackie Stuart cut their teeth on these cars. I think standard they gave something like 120bhp? (Just guessing) but it’s amazing to think the current Ford 1.0 turbo engines in family saloons easily give that now..thanks for sharing!

[@ferraridinoman]

105 hp in standard form (118hp in SE form) eventually 126hp (Big valve)in Lotus Elan/Europa form. Sorry, I'm an old git but to be honest these are pure nostalgia, bought by old boys who always wanted one when they were young! Now could probably be blown off the road by a Sinclair C5!!

[@josephlambert6642]

@@ferraridinoman Was just thinking the same thing, I had a Mk2 Lotus Cortina in the mid 70`s and it was rapid back then but as you said most family saloons would outclass it nowdays.

[@rogbrown1965]

​@@ferraridinoman Not mine buddy. 1965 original bodyshell car but with140 BHP motor / straight cut close ratio gearbox with 3. 77 diff .50 in 1st/ 70 in 2nd/90 in 3rd and still going at 125 mph.Sure many large engines cars will outrun it but up to 2 liter very few.Cheers. Rog.

[@saabturboguy]

wow amazing work!!!!

[@sicks6six]

there used to be one of these where I lived 50 years ago, I can remember being told it had a lotus engine but I was so young that didn't mean anything to me, I liked the rear lights because they looked like the symbol on the banners at the Aldermaston march I had seen on the telly, I do remember it had nice wheels and it sounded different,

[@paulwhiteman3625]

What a crackin motor!!

[@peterwall9896]

I don't envy anyone and I don't want anything 😂 but I want that car as beautiful as a mark one should be 😉❤️👍👍👍👍👍

[@sarahohalloran6608]

My mother had one. She put a hitch on it to tow our horse trailer! After that Dad sold it and bought her a Land Rover. 😂

[@ironhorsehero1988]

Fantastic restoration but I find it hard to believe that none of that rust will ever come back at some point in the future. Great to see one back on the road though.

[@frankiepitt9135]

Everything rusts in the end, it’s inevitable.

[@robertelliot9508]

What's with all the bondo in the engine compartment and underneath? Surely that will just crack as the car is driven.

[@frankiepitt9135]

We don’t use bondo over here, our stuff is far superior.

[@andypandy955]

My all time favourite car beautiful.

[@KimJones-o4w]

It's just fantastic....

[@حسنفاضل-ش4ش]

عاشت اليادي عمل جميل جدا جدا

[@paulgoode5245]

Beauty❤

[@tonythompson4951]

Looks like a MK 1 GT converted to a Lotus, great job well done 🏆🏆🏆

[@FACELOWNER]

Why do you say that....?

[@tonythompson4951]

@@FACELOWNER My mistake, I just noticed the hump in the boot floor that only the lotus had, the GT and Lotus were very similar in a lot of ways. First class restoration, well done, thanks for sharing 👍🏻🏆🏆🏆

[@WeeShoeyDugless]

If it was a GT, they went to some lengths to convert it for a car worth no more than a GT? Hump in the boot, tramp bar brackets are but 2? Lovely, thorough restoration, shame we never heard it running though😥😥

[@philtucker1224]

No I’m pretty sure it’s a Lotus and probably comes with full registration history anyway…

[@philtucker1224]

@@tonythompson4951 ( that might have been the third or fourth boot floor by now anyway) but I think I’m right in saying The Lotus cars were effectively strengthened 1500 gt shells from Ford anyway? (Anyone know exactly?) - I did a lot of work on the heads back in those days but never touched bodywork…

[@thomasshepard6030]

My brother owned one he bought it out in Germany when he was stationed there with the RAF in the early 1970s he only paid a couple of hundred pounds for it he left it at my mother's house when he returned to Germany and it was stolen never seen again it was mint condition

[@neilcutler8064]

Where the gearbox, rear axle, prop shaft etc refurbed or just painted?

[@MrBoom246]

BOOM 😂😂😂😂😂, that looks the bogs dollocks 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@lesliewatts7537]

Whatever money you made out of this car..................... you deserve it.

[@philtucker1224]

I love the period engine bay ! (Almost empty ha ha! ) great car, great work boys, “another one hits the street” - keep up the wonderful work and have a great Christmas and new year! Where are you based?

[@toniarudd8947]

beautiful job but why the filler on the chassis

[@davidhenryandthemysterons3220]

Bad Ass back in the day

[@pellepp9628]

My friend had a lotus cortina just like that here in sweden, sold it a couple of years ago, think it went outside sweden

[@robertadams733]

How do they rust proof all those welds and new metal ?

[@chrisdowning4235]

Was the grisly music really necessary?

[@AffariSbullonati]

🔝🔝🔝

[@edwinthompson6510]

one thing is guys doors on Cortina Lotus and Mexico's were of a thicker gauge steel

[@Crosshatch1212]

Did you guys get that from where the bearded explorer found all those fords .

[@edwinthompson6510]

good question

[@luckylimbo4816]

The water pump was such a bad design on these engines

[@nygelmiller5293]

Also an unreliable design on VAUXHALLS

[@foxstrangler]

Now THAT is a car. Used to have a Mk1 Cortina (sadly not a Lotus). Wish they still made stuff like that today instead of this 'low emission' strangled rubbish that looks like a blob. Had to laugh when I saw the breather pipe! Greta would have a fit.

[@GILESMARK1]

Where are you based?

[@adriandavies4012]

Mate o mine dropped on one in the 70s, a real bargain at the time, the fella was letting it go for a lot less than it was worth cos he just couldn't get it to run/rev or tick over properly, my mate took it out for a quick spin, came back and did the deal, took it straight home,slackened the fixings on the carbs, 10 minutes later it was like a effin Ferrari

[@geneva760]

NEATO little car in the end, but I am never a fan of correcting the as per the 'standard' factory up and downs that exist in the underneath panels. These cars were never mirror straight underneath - yes - for sure, correct any damage, but as can be seen, using body filler on chassis rails - crossmembers etc to make them dead smooth - is losing some of the 'charm' of factory imperfections. They were never shining and straight underneath. It is sort of like when people use COB paint on a restoration - when the factory never did that to an older period solid color, even some metallics were not COB. When ever I see an early car painted in COB - it shows that the person had no real idea what a restoration to factory specifications is. Yes - it does not mean they have good workmanship - but it how that they have no idea what a true restoration is. CHEERS from AUSTRALIA.

[@hectorherbert6585]

My favorite car ever ,also the year of my birth..!! ,my project is on with metal work now that I retired but since I got mine without an engine ,she will get a FORD 2.5 5cyl turbo motor from the Focus MK2 with 'tricked' chassis parts to fit all perfectly..

[@johnkelly3183]

I hav a brand New front wind for a mark 1, cortina

[@666fallenA]

juste un détail, la cox de Ted était beige, pas bronze. 😉

[@davidprocter3578]

nice job mate shame about the sound.

[@petercarhart5923]

Fabulous job guys ! to find fault is hard but it's only minute the bumper brackets (irons) and behind grill should be matt/satin black but absolutely FAB, the guy who said (boring) and others have no idea what the MK 1 was like in it's day and have no idea how much is involved to make something like that, to find a genuine MK1 Lotus shell would be almost impossible but it was only a modified Cortina shell in the first place.

[@davyirvine3951]

are you sure that is a real lotus MK1

[@frankiepitt9135]

Needs an expert like yourself to judge whether it is or not. What do you think?

[@tonychamberlain8057]

It looked to like polyester spay filler which is the only way ”

[@MegaReddevil71]

Lot of filler used

[@WeeShoeyDugless]

Only to perfect the finish, structurally sound in every way👍👍

[@jamesbaker429]

Sorry don't get it ,fast for then but any car today better and second hand a fraction of the price and so much safer,i e Mondeo s t as fast as 70s Farari and one percent of the price!

[@edwinthompson6510]

time n tide waits for no man Lamma ramma bamma lamma rock n roll is king

[@frankiepitt9135]

Punctuation helps.

[@olelauridsen7929]

Boring

[@WeeShoeyDugless]

If you have never owned a Lotus Mk1 you would say that. Very interesting to those in the know😁😁

[@edwinthompson6510]

@@WeeShoeyDugless I have 2 lotus and one Gt

[@bryanduncan1640]

Basically, you took any old mkI Ford Cortina (well you might just have well as done) thrown mega bucks at it and called it a “restoration”.

[@ezioredigolo4066]

Direi un lavoro impeccabile e preciso, risultato meraviglioso Complimenti però potresti mettere un video per farci sentire la musica di questo motore?

[@grahamprice3230]

The correct Green was BMC Forrest green I believe and many cars are seen with incorrect colour.Original Lotus part numbers began with 26E and ford numbers with 125E

[@rogbrown1965]

Partly right with the colour. It was Sherwood green I believe.

[@grahamprice3230]

Yep ok with that ,thought it was forest but can’t see wood for trees or Robin Hood.

[@rogbrown1965]

@@grahamprice3230 yeah you'll be safe at Xmas with no bows and arrows!! . Stay safe and have a great New year. Cheers .Rog.

[@hrxy1]

43sec,shi music, pops clicks and bangs ain't music, enough bye

[@p.s.w4744]

Iv got heater box and wind wiper motor for cortina mk1 and for sale.