Description
Ford Lotus Cortina MK1 1965 LHD
£39, 500 ono
Fully restored, full and detailed history from new, genuine car, matching numbers, 55, 000 miles documented from new
Originally from New York state where it had been is storage for 32 years. It was 100% original and had never been taken apart or had any restoration work, there was no previous accident damage or repair. All the original service, warranty and hand books are with the car.
The fully documented history file is 3 inches thick and includes a letter from the Lotus Cortina register, a representative of which fully inspected the car in 2024 and confirm that it is genuine. There is also a letter from the previous owner confirming the originality and the mileage.
All the rubbers, seals, gaskets, bushes, etc were replaced along with the windscreen, all other glass is original
The exhaust and manifold are bespoke, made from stainless-steel to exactly match the originals. The tyres are again new and exactly as fitted in 1965, Michelin XAS, this is confirmed by the original owners note book
All the brake pipes were carefully made to match the originals using steel, most restored cars have copper brake pipes which is much easier to work with, but the car should have steel pipes.
All the chrome, including the gear stick was re plated.
Rear light indicator lenses were changed from US spec Red to UK orange.
The petrol tank is brand new.
All the running gear, steering components, engine mount etc were stripped and powder coated.
The rear axle, differential, and gearbox were professionally rebuilt.
Wherever possible the original nuts and bolts, clips and fittings were re plated and reused.
The steering box was rebuilt and all the original auxiliaries including; starter motor, dynamo, distributor, twin weber carbs and brake servo, were professionally rebuilt and retained as was the radiator. The front legs and shocks were rebuilt by GAZ and the rear shock absorbers are GAZ, the front brake callipers and the prop shaft were again professionally re built
The wire loom was repaired where necessary and retained
The engine was very closely inspected and cleaned, the piston cylinders just needed to be honed and not re bored oversized, the crank rods were fine, and the crank shaft just needed to be polished as did the two camshafts, a new timing chain and sprockets, a water pump and all gaskets seals and bearings were used. The head was skimmed. The head and the engine block have serial numbers on them and they confirm that the engine is all matching numbers, it was carefully run in at low revs for 1500 miles and the oil and filter changed every 1000 miles.
The seat frames were repaired and powder coated, and then fitted with new foam and seat covers exactly matching the originals, the front door cards are also new. Th carpets are new and the carpet underlay was remade using the correct material to the correct shapes using the old ones as patterns. The centre console was stripped and powder coated and then recovered as was the dash board. All the clocks and dials were cleaned and rebuilt but we decided to leave the faces original and a little weathered. The roof lining was replaced using the original spec material and over 10 hours spent making sure that it was a perfect fit and uncreased. The original steering wheel and gear knob were refurbished.
USA specification differences - There were a number of specification changes for the 300 cars that went to North America. The most obvious is the front bumper which is the full width of the car and has over riders. The Uk market seems to prefer quarter bumpers and many LHD cars have been changed when they return to the UK, however this car has been restored to exactly how it was when it left the factory. The rear number plate light has two domes and bulbs against one in the UK. Other changes are, it has hazard warning lights, a foot operated floor switch for main beam, the gasses from the engine breather pipe are fed back into the carb. A UK engine gives 105bhp with the special SE version having up rated cams to give 115 bhp, all USA engines ha up rated cams were to 115 BHP.
