1968 Lotus Cortina on BAT

[Brett Wilkie]

To me it looks like a 1967? My 67 LoCort had the same high dash layout.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1968- ... 2020-11-21

[peteleo]

Built in May '67. Probably sold at the end of '67 as a '68 in Canada. I know of only one in the U.S., Texas

[Sideways]

Never a fan of the Mk11 regardless of the model (yes, I know they are good cars!) and they just never had the same appeal as the Mk1's - this one looks fine but that is the most pitiful video I have seen in a long time.

I posted on BaT, saying so but BaT has a habit of eating posts so my labours were all in vain. I suggested they redo the video - NO music other than that from the engine and also to drive the damn thing properly, that granny drive on the video is pathetic and does not represent the car at all well - give it the welly, foot to floor and throw it sideways.

Also, repair/replace the oil/temp gauges rather than bunging them under the dash please.

Whine over...

[zephyrgary]

Someone on this forum had one for sale some years back (maybe 5 or 6) for a very reasonable $12K if I recall correctly.
Gary in AZ

[peteleo]

That may have been Steve Patti, Boerne, Tx. Don't know if he ever sold his '67 LC.

[angliagt]

I think this one belongs to Tom Bungay.
He worked for Dave Bean,back when they were
in Santa Barbara.

[Brett Wilkie]

Never a fan of the Mk11 regardless of the model (yes, I know they are good cars!) and they just never had the same appeal as the Mk1's - this one looks fine but that is the most pitiful video I have seen in a long time.

I posted on BaT, saying so but BaT has a habit of eating posts so my labours were all in vain. I suggested they redo the video - NO music other than that from the engine and also to drive the damn thing properly, that granny drive on the video is pathetic and does not represent the car at all well - give it the welly, foot to floor and throw it sideways.

Also, repair/replace the oil/temp gauges rather than bunging them under the dash please.

Whine over...

You are right, the Mk2 does not get the love the Mk1 gets and I would prefer a Mk1 myself but I did have a Mk2 for 11 years. My close friend back in the 1970s had a Mk1 and we used to swap/test drive our vehicles on occasions and the Mk2 was always the winner for driving pleasure but the Mk1 wins over all for just being the Mk1.
I did watch that video and I agree 100% I am quit put off by videos with music over the vehicle at the best of times but that was over the top and you could not appreciate the car being driven like a LoCort should and not like a Morris Minor?

[cyirush]

That may have been Steve Patti, Boerne, Tx. Don't know if he ever sold his '67 LC.

Wasn’t he selling his last year on Ebay? Wanted something like $40-50k iirc.

Curious to see what this goes for ...

On the model year - didn’t this dash with the raised gauge pod last until fall ‘68 when they put the gauges in the dash and extended the center console up to the bottom of the dash?

The Brooklands book on the Mk II GT and 160OE has U.S. road tests of ‘68 GTs with this dash, and the little clock they added on the end of the shifter console in the fall of ‘67 when the x-flow was introduced along with the 1600E.

Pretty sure the LoCorts had the same interior as the same model year GTs.

[angliagt]

These MKII's with the "High Top" dash,& rear trailing arms were built
from 9/66 to 12/67,according to the factory parts manual.
MKII's also came with a 1500 engine - 9/66 to 8/67.

[Brett Wilkie]

These MKII's with the "High Top" dash,& rear trailing arms were built
from 9/66 to 12/67,according to the factory parts manual.
MKII's also came with a 1500 engine - 9/66 to 8/67.

Those were the good 1500s with the stouter block, six bolt crank and later seals. The Lotus boys like them.

[cyirush]

So if a MkII GT was built in ‘68 for the ‘68 MY it wouldn’t have the high top dash?

This confuses me b/c I thought it wasn’t until the fall of’68 (model year ‘69) that the MkIIs got the revised interior with the gauges lower in the dash, the console that came all the way to the bottom of the dash, and the pull up handbrake between the seats.

Was there an interim layout for U.S. cars built in ‘68 with the old low center console but without the high top dash? Car and Driver’s May ‘68 review of a 1600 MkII GT has this layout.

Apologies for the MkII nerdery!

[Brett Wilkie]

Here is a bit of info out of a book I have here, this may or may not be true?

[cyirush]

Great info; thanks for posting.

Still curious about the interior and suspension of US cars built after 12/67 but before the big changes in 10/68 for the ‘69 MY. Did they have the high dash with aux gauges and the trailing arms?

What book is it from?

[zephyrgary]

Sold for $22250. Well bought I think.
Gary in AZ