Lotus Cortina Mk 1 Values

...A very nice road version was recently sold in Oz for AUD 75,000...

...Am I alone in thinking this is extraordinary...

It seems the market is cooling somewhat of the 'elite vehicles' (XU1s, GTHOs etc) and is now turning to 'interesting' cars from pre-fuel crisis.

Datsun 240zs with no unique history, but matching numbers, are now selling with asking prices around $70kAUS,

I suspect that in Britain, if a car is "Goodwood eligible" it will sell at a premium.  Witness the mini-explosion in the price of the Austin J40 pedal cars when they introduced a race for them.

It seems the market is cooling somewhat of the 'elite vehicles' (XU1s, GTHOs etc) and is now turning to 'interesting' cars from pre-fuel crisis.

 

Datsun 240zs with no unique history, but matching numbers, are now selling with asking prices around $70kAUS,

And no doubt full of bog! I have owned several 260Zs and the last one 10 years ago I sold for about $2500. Not totally rusted out but had plenty!

Even then shorties were making 7-10k in half decent condition.

I suspect that in Britain, if a car is "Goodwood eligible" it will sell at a premium.  Witness the mini-explosion in the price of the Austin J40 pedal cars when they introduced a race for them.

A30 race cars. Not A40s.

He stated J40 pedal cars. Not A30 race cars,

When it's all said and done, they're still only Cortinas...

There are some very nice ones around, though. The Michelmore car, subject of discussion here a couple of weeks ago, is totally period-prepared after a fairly hard life. But it was never a 'race' car, running only in Series Production. It did spend time, however, rallying.

The owner, Graham Mein, went to a lot of trouble to get things like the starter and generator from the right production dates to make it as original as he could.

And he's pretty capable, he's the man who pieced together the Geoghegan lightweight car so that it's now in showroom condition.

Nobody will be checking, of course, to see which cars have reproduction heads...

20 years ago there was a lot of Lotus Cortinas in GpN. Most built from parts I am sure. That is also the deal with many street ones as well.Along with fake Falcon Gts, 6 pack Chargers, Monaros, XU1s etc etc.

They are often ok as a road car providing you know [ and so many do not] that the car is a replica/ clone.

.
Am I alone in thinking this is extraordinary.

Not really that extraordinary at all after considering the returns from other areas of ones investment portfolio in recent years

To carry on the title

Are insane.

But why not when people pay it, never quite sure Jim Clark drove looked at, sat in, watched, went near, passed on the motorway, parked near, so many.

Hi all.

I was the Group N eligibility scrutineer in SA. There were 3 or 4 Lotus Cortina "replicas" built in Adelaide for racing. Real cars were too valuable. Also a couple of 2 door GT's.

Unfortunately they were sometimes passed off as real ones at various times. It is the grandfather's axe story really. It had 2 new blades, 3 new handles....but it was an early 1800's genuine example. The remains of genuine cars were available in the UK if you searched hard enough.

Regards

Pete S.

As has been said , of the 3000 Mk 1 Lotus Cortinas made , only 12 ,000 now survive ....

As has been said , of the 3000 Mk 1 Lotus Cortinas made , only 12 ,000 now survive ....

At least!!

The same with many collectable English Euro US or Aussie cars.

I think you're comparing apples with oranges.  

Lotus Cortinas, as built in the 1960s by Lotus and Ford, are one thing; cars that can win at Goodwood in a race for FIA-approved "HTP Special" Silhouette class "Lotus Cortinas" are something else completely.  The former are "collectable", the latter are purely for racing at Goodwood and its satellite events,  The text of all three adverts makes clear that they are for cars built in the last few years, so you shouldn't be comparing these with the values of original cars.

Here are some offered for sale in the UK.  Prices range from £13k (perhaps a typo?) to £125k plus a Alan Mann car presumably POA

I think you're comparing apples with oranges.  
 
Lotus Cortinas, as built in the 1960s by Lotus and Ford, are one thing; cars that can win at Goodwood in a race for FIA-approved "HTP Special" Silhouette class "Lotus Cortinas" are something else completely.  The former are "collectable", the latter are purely for racing at Goodwood and its satellite events,  The text of all three adverts makes clear that they are for cars built in the last few years, so you shouldn't be comparing these with the values of original cars.

ANother reason for prices is stupidity let's face it

Very few of these cars are ever worth what is paid for them in real terms, only what people are prepared to pay.

It's a rather silly industry, but a very profitable one.

But then you can say the same of housing, art, Star WArs men! lol

That "lightweight wiring harness" surprised me too. I don't know what it would cost to make a lightweight wiring harness, but I can't imagine it would be cheap. The weight of a complete wiring harness for a Cortina-sized car would be around 20-25 kgs. How much weight could be saved designing a lightweight one?  5kgs? Maybe 10? Fair enough, that's some weight saved, but the main body of a wiring harness runs along the floor of the car, and most of these cars need ballast to make minimum weight. So you save your 5-10kgs in your wiring harness, and then bolt lead on the floor to make minimum weight. Am I missing something here? Even if I am, is this what this category has come to?  

Edited by gkennedy, 01 February 2017 - 08:49.

There probably isn't an original cylinder head between them, either...

But the one that surprised me was the mention of a 'lightweight wiring harness'.

Re: wiring harness.  An aluminium harness would be lighter than a copper one.  But there are far simpler and less costly ways of saving weight.

An interesting comparison on values is surely with the Elan-same engine and gearbox, similar production numbers.  Interestingly there is a discussion on the Elannet forum discussing why Elans are not worth more.  I knew I shoulda kept my one previous owner Lotus Cortina...

Re: wiring harness.  An aluminium harness would be lighter than a copper one.  But there are far simpler and less costly ways of saving weight.

But if you have to replace the harness anyway - they do get a bit knackered after so many years - why not a lighter one, if you have money to burn.

Exactly. Why not? Buy a ballast weight set while you're at it.

(Twin cam rocker covers. )

Originally posted by RogerFrench
Rocker cover? On a Twink?

I really doubt you could save five pounds with a wiring harness...

These are old cars, the only long wires are to the tail lights and fuel gauge, no electronics except for the tacho, I have no doubt that they had just two fuses.

Today's cars have heaps of wiring, electric windows, rear window demister, boot light, sound systems, they do have heavy looms.

And I said the head, Artti, not the rocker cover.

Simple loom yes, but a bit more than that. Tail, Brake, turn signal and reverse light [optional but wire there] plus fuel guage. At the front headlights, parklights, turn signals, engine loom, dash lights, heater [again optional] horn. Instument loom. About 5 fuses. 

Modern looms are far more complex but are made from thinner wire so I guess a lightweight loom is made from that with far less tape binding the loom. And maybe modern fuses not those dreadfull ceramic fuses on even 70s Cortinas

An interesting comparison on values is surely with the Elan-same engine and gearbox, similar production numbers.  Interestingly there is a discussion on the Elannet forum discussing why Elans are not worth more.  I knew I shoulda kept my one previous owner Lotus Cortina...

........It seems that with the Elan and Cortina to get top prices they must conform to FIA Appendix K and have an FIA Historic Technical Passport (HTP).

Edited by bill p, 02 February 2017 - 07:26.

All cars need to have valid HTP Papers, etc. to achieve a "top price". From my experience anyway.......
Bill P

I know which one I'd rather have !

Isn't that what I said?

Edited by bill p, 02 February 2017 - 12:32.

No GT500? I wonder if any still exist, I was fortunate enough to stand beside one at my mate's place one day and have no idea who owned it. A car yard owner at Woolooware (Sydney), the name Rodgers rings a bell, had a Lotus Cortina very early in the peace from memory.  

I am intrigued to know which one GMACKIE would have?

Terrys:  Thanks for that response and the info.  It still means that an Elan is worth less than a LC and yet shirley it is more car?

No GT500? I wonder if any still exist, I was fortunate enough to stand beside one at my mate's place one day and have no idea who owned it. A car yard owner at Woolooware (Sydney), the name Rodgers rings a bell, had a Lotus Cortina very early in the peace from memory.  

Arthur Rogers. His son, Terry, was regularly seen driving a 'flash' car. He had a Studebaker Golden Hawk for a while.

More famous than Terry, however, was his wife Barbie Rogers.

I am intrigued to know which one GMACKIE would have?

Elan of course...

Arthur Rogers. His son, Terry, was regularly seen driving a 'flash' car. He had a Studebaker Golden Hawk for a while.
 
More famous than Terry, however, was his wife Barbie Rogers.

No GT500? I wonder if any still exist,

There was a guy on Ebay Oz. in the early 2000 fabricating mock up parts,Brake ducts,fuel fillers etc. for them so like the LC it would be extreme buyer beware. 

Terry, you forgot to mention that David McKay demolished a hession-covered toilet on the way through...

Of course it was the previous year, I don't know what I was thinking...

That was at Polo, they never rebuilt the outhouse to my knowledge.

The 1963 incident was at Creek, was it not?

Their business was called Southern Cross Car Sales, but despite impressive name was just a vacant block full of cars next to their house on the Kingsway between Woolooware and Caringbah. There were no buildings at all on the block. I went past it regularly living at Cronulla at the time, and it seemed very low key.

I lived at Taren Point and was always at Cronulla. You could start a forum on those days at Cronulla, the drags at Kurnell etc, the cops closing down the main street and defecting everything in sight when they got bored.  

I lived at Taren Point and was always at Cronulla. You could start a forum on those days at Cronulla, the drags at Kurnell etc, the cops closing down the main street and defecting everything in sight when they got bored.

TerryS

You may have a look at the estimates for a couple of Lotus Cortinas in the Silverstone Auctions sale at the upcoming Race Retro show

Prices more realistic....

Bill P

Edited by TerryS, 05 February 2017 - 22:51.

"Will be interesting to see final sale prices."

I certainly will second that!

Edited by David Birchall, 06 February 2017 - 03:10.