Why are Cortinas so expensive?

[chicagojeff]

Dear all, polite fun discussion. Another reason why this forum is my favorite. I think the nostalgia factor is a good one to add to my price criteria. I am an economist, so always thinking about what is driving prices and behavior. It might be that on this side of the pond it was just so rare that there are few people in the US who understand the nostalgia.

Anyway, another way to think of all of this is...why are Elans still so relatively cheap? My hypothesis is that within the next decade people will think of them more like the Elite. Cheers, Jeff in 22 degrees Chicago.

[Robbie693]

They do look good...you'll have to get the Clark and Mann cars now!

Mark

Oh no! You've done it now.. I think I need those

Robbie

[AussieJohn]

Although drifting away from lotus cortinas, Ford Australia built a very rare version of a Mk1 cortina for the Bathurst 500. It was a run of about 200 cars called a GT500. From memory they had the bullet gearbox, a huge tank with twin alloy filler caps ect. ect.. These cars command a higher price than a Lotus Cortina. "Why?" is a good question, sadly if I won the lottery I would have one in my garage. One is on the market at ?41000 or thereabouts, cheers, John.

[Elanintheforest]

I've never seen one for sale, John, but I'm sure because they were 'home grown' they'd attract quite a premium from the fair-dinkum Ford boys!

Here's some info on them:
http://www.pixelmatic.com.au/cortina/gt500.html

Mark

[AussieJohn]

Thanks for the links Mark, brought back loads of memories, cheers, John.

[garyeanderson]

Some of folks on jewels Mk1 Cortina forum know a bit about the GT500's. There are several owners/members and one is currently for sale for something like 85k Austrailian dollars.

http://www.cortina-mk1classifieds.com/f ... y.php?f=45

http://www.cortina-mk1classifieds.com/f ... php?t=1504

I guess my favorite wolf in sheep?s clothing is Jost Wildbolz MK2 Lotus Cortina CTC14E.
http://www.lotus-cortina.com/photos/wil ... dbolz2.htm

I guess Ford built 2 the other is CTC24E.
Graham Hill and Jacky Ickx did circuit racing with them. I read a road test of one of them and it was set up with a full race injected FVA with a 4.44 CW&P. I believe that they timed it at the drag strip in the high 12's, in the 1/4 mile. I don't think any of the big 60's Hemi's ever were in the 12, more like 13's with a good tune up off the show room floor. I wish I could remember where I read the test, I think I must have saved it but I can't find it.

more info here
http://www.ten-tenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=91442

[AussieJohn]

I never knew FVA mk2's existed; I had better make my fantasy garage bigger, cheers, John.

[elansprint71]

In answer to the original question- could rust have anything to do with it?

[Dag-Henning]

No !

[Elanintheforest]

The Vauxhall Viva, Hillman Hunter, Austin Maxi, Morris 1100 and, well, every bloomin metal car made in the 50s and 60s rusted like crazy, and they are all now very rare and worth....nothing! Same story on the rust only more so with Alfas and Lancias, except the rare survivors do have some value.

I think you'll find that it's also just a curious coincidence those of us who are so obviously supporting the Lotus Cortina happen to have a sporty Ford of the 60s or early 70s in the garage! No bias, I'm sure.

Mark

[elansprint71]

Have you seen the prices being asked for Escort Mk1 cars/shells? Every humble 1100L dragged from a shed on a council estate is morphing into a genuine, ex-works RS1600.

[Dag-Henning]

True! There is a rather nasty business growing around old Cortinas and Escorts. Some chassisnumbers can be found on three different cars, of which all are of course genuine.... " Out of the 2741 Lotus Cortinas made between -63 and 66, - more than 10000 have survived....". Unfortunately, some people with more money than knowledge keep this criminal business growing..! But how to fight it ??

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

True! There is a rather nasty business growing around old Cortinas and Escorts. Some chassisnumbers can be found on three different cars, of which all are of course genuine.... " Out of the 2741 Lotus Cortinas made between -63 and 66, - more than 10000 have survived....". Unfortunately, some people with more money than knowledge keep this criminal business growing..! But how to fight it ??

That is inbloodycredible! 10000 Lotus Cortinas around the World!
How do they get away with it? The mind boggles.
Do you know if BOB 625 B Mk1 1964 is still alive somewhere?

Cheers
John

[cabc26b]

Mark , the photo of clark getting in the car , is that at sebring ? and also is it one of Jim Woods photos he shot as a kid ( looks like to to me) ?

George

[elansprint71]

I rather like Alex Postan's take on the "genuine team car":

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4014/4362597332_bbc2f34e4c_o.jpg

You may need to look twice.