In 1990 i bought a FIAT 128 that had been heavily modified by an R.A.F. engineer and it was an absolute beast of a car and a total wolf in sheep's clothing, the 1500 engine was built with a high lift cam, twin 40s and a ported and polished head and the suspension was fully braced and it had superb handling, I embarrassed many people who thought they had quick car's and I had so much fun in that car but I swapped it for a MK2 escort and only three weeks later the fiat was written off by it's new owner, I kick myself to this day for getting rid of the FIAT.
The mk1 is a legend of a car. The performance difference between the Lotus Cortina mk1 and my 1200cc Consul Cortina with column change from that era was huge.
The MkI was a Lotus Cortina. The MkII was a Cortina Lotus. The MKI's being finished at Hethel (Lotus), The MKII just had Lotus Parts and were built by Ford.
…depending upon who you ask… 😂 Ford and Lotus will agree with you @BernardSamson-hf6fc - the documentary maker obviously didn’t do his research in the right places…
But Minis had _torque steer_ and the engine shared the oil with the gearbox. I'd take the 128 and or the Renault 16 TX in a hearbeat over that stupud, constipated design that the Mini was
The Renault R16 did not have a transverse engine. Neither die the R4, R6, R5. They had longitudinal engines, placed behind the gearbox, leaving space for the spare-wheel in the engine-bay. The first transverse engine in a Renault to my recollection was the in Clio.
The Mk1 was actually 'Lotus Ford Cortina' as Lotus changed engine, suspension, panels & were painted at the Lotus factory. For the Mk2 everything was assembled at Ford so it was Ford Cortina Lotus, later changed to Ford Cortina Twin Cam.
At timestamp 4:48, you show not a Lotus Cortina, but something very rare. An Australian Cortina GT500. In 1965, Ford factory team manager, Harry Firth, built 120 of these to get them homologated for the 1965 Armstrong 500 (predecessor to the Bathurst 1000). These were a cross between a GT and a Lotus, with a worked GT engine. One of the most significant differences was the installation of twin large fuel tanks, with a filler each side behind the rear window
At 8:59, the commentary states that, "In the US, Jackie Stewart and Mike Beckwith won the Marlboro 12-Hour race," yet the photo shows two pro golfers, one of which is Arnold Palmer. Also, just prior to that, the commentary states that the Cortinas were faster than only the 7-liter Ford Galaxies and later the Mustangs. In '65-67 there were a pair of very potent Ford Falcons driven by Roy Pierpoint and Sir Gawaine Baillie that were beating everything. However, I did see Jackie Ickx at the wheel of a Lotus Cortina lead the opening lap of the saloon car event at Crystal Palace in '66, ahead of Brian Muir's Galaxy, those Falcons, and a couple of Mustangs.
I owned a 1970 mk2 Cortina Savage in about 1971/2, that was developed by Jeff Uren it had a 3ltr V6 Essex engine in it and it was extremely fast for the time I think there were on around two thousand ever made.
I saw one of these beasts at Mallala race track in 1992 sth Australia it was savage. Loved it even if I was pitcrew for Mazda rx3 Bridgeport 13b . Both diced well
A confused account, in both information and imagery. Further compounded by the nonsense about the Fiat 128 pioneering the front wheel drive/transverse engine layout.
@@johngeren1053 Not so. The first popular transverse-engined FWD car to sell in any significant volume was the German DKW Front, introduced in 1931 and featuring an economy twin-cylinder two-stroke engine. In 1946 a prototype of the first SAAB car, the FWD 92, was built with a transversely-mounted two-cylinder, two-stroke engine similar to the pre-war DKW, but with the clutch and gearbox innovatively located in-line with the crankshaft, with these components located ahead of the final drive assembly.
If you want a small 4cyl car (British) that shook up the racing industry you need to look at the Triumph Dolamite sprint. An amaizing car and racing success story.
Perana in South Africa put the 3L V6, 106 KW, 133bhp, into the Cortina 2, copied here by Savage. The engine out of the Cortina, was offered to Ford Escort customers. And the Capri from where the 3L V6 came out, received a Windsor 5L V8, like the Mustang!
I owned a Lotus Elan for many years. It was clearly specified as 1558 cc. Somehow Wikipedia has come up with 1557 for the Cortina and 1558 for the Elan. Apparently a small number of Elans were built with a 3 bearing engine. They were recalled but at least one was never found.
Great documentary although I was surprised no mention of the 128 Sport. Fiat X1/9's with Lampredi 128 iron blocks and either Ferrari or Alfa Romeo 16V heads are winning hillclimbs in 2024😊
Watching Jackie Stewart throwing a Lotus Cortina around the track was a sight to behold. I owned one, Jackie was spot on, they're only going FAST if they are on one wheel....
To my knowledge he only raced one on two occasions in 1964 for Red Rose racing finishing well down on both occasions. Jim Clark was well known for his outings in the Lotus Cortina and lifting the inside front wheel.
Why do so many CZcams videos have excellent spoken information coupled with confusing imagery? I understand copyright could be an issue for some images but better repeat a correct one than show something that doesn't fit the narrative.
I owned one of these lotus cortina sedans. The a frame caused nothing but trouble as it created diff housing cracks. Am not sure of how many went to NZ. Sold it at the time for $1500 as I was leaving the country. Later on owned two my 2 lotus cortina sedans The lotus badge was a special black and gold not the usual green and yellow. Boy how I wish I still had them. David.
in 1969, I bought a used 1964 and 1/2 Mk1 and experienced those problems with the A-Frame rear suspension. It gave great handling but on mine the diff housing backplate cracked all around it's circumference, with loss of oil and damage to the crown wheel and pinion. In this video they speak about a fix for that problem but to my knowledge that was not the case at the time - there was no fix available except to install the Cortina GT cart spring rear suspension and I eventually had to do that. But the delightful handling was lost and I eventually sold the car. I believe that years after the 1960s someone did come up with a fix for the A-Frame though!
Here in Europe very few people have forgotten these cars. Fiat strategically tested the power-unit arrangement of the 128 for a full five years on subsidiary brand Autobianchi's Primula.
I like those a lot !Very rare too!That engine was ahead it’s time!They used it in everything back then and was compared to the Sunbeam in performance.The Dart GT was also compared because of the size but had a v-8 this car was lighter and handled better!
Why when talking about the Mk1, pictures of the Mk2 are shown, and vice versa when talking about the Mk2, even showing an image of the Mk1 standard (with the ugly grill design) as opposed to the deluxe. There was even an image of a Mk3 Cortina!! The commentary may be spot on, but the visuals weren't.
Interesting. I remember when the Cortina MK-ll was imported into the US. I really liked the style. [ far better than the MK-1]. I actually did detail a MK-1, Lotus a few years ago. It was Race ready. I’d love to own a MK-ll Lotus Cortina now. Sadly, I haven’t seen one in decades. Interesting video. Well done. 🚗🙂
The ‘Federal Cortina’ i.e. the mk2 imported to the USA had a 1600cc Heron head engine. It was a nightmare to get it to meet US standards for windscreen deice as it was so efficient that at -20 C it hardly warmed up! I often ask UK owners if they know what the outboards cutouts in the dash were for, they were actually for deicing the last of the corners in the US, never used in Europe.
The car that you show at the beginning of the video is a LOTUS CORTINA. the Cortina Lotus handle was not used until the Mk 2 came out! Common knowledge I am pretty sure
Lancia Fulvia Coupe: Hold my beer Alfa Romeo GT1300: Yea, hold mine too.... MK1 Golf, and MK1 Renault 5: Don't forget us either.....we may not be as sporty, but we both sold by the bucket load....and we brought exciting small cars to the masses....at a price they could afford. Hillman Imps, they definitely were not. And that's a good thing imo. Both rang rings around small British cars of the time. Ford Escort included. Btw, I wouldn't call the MK1 Cortina a 'small car'. It was a mid-sized car. For those that wanted something bigger than the Escort, but not as expensive as the Granada. But I'd have a MK1 Golf over the Escort and Cortina of the time, any day of the week. And I'd take the Fulvia Coupe over a Ford Capri, easily.
How would you compare Fiat 124S and 125P to Fiat 128? Moreover, Austin Mini was also Front Wheel Drive, then why do you say that Fiat 128 was innovative?
I'm not sure the Fiat 128 was innovative using front wheel drive, the Citroen 2CV was using FWD in 1948, also SAAB used FWD from the same year. By the mid 1950's there were dozens of FWD cars, the Wartburg from Germany, FSO from Poland, and the Suzuki from Japan. Not forgetting the 1959 Mini which dominated motorsports.
6 Hours at Sandown is an excellent film for its time. It shows what a Giulia Super could do - beating Lotus Ford, Mini Cooper, Galaxies, Falcons, Barracudas, Ramblers... That was 1964. They did it again in 1965.
Not forgotten in England. Iconic. Mk1 and Mk2 are always seen at shows with lots of Fords in attendance.
Not compact either by European standards. Just average sized.
In 1990 i bought a FIAT 128 that had been heavily modified by an R.A.F. engineer and it was an absolute beast of a car and a total wolf in sheep's clothing, the 1500 engine was built with a high lift cam, twin 40s and a ported and polished head and the suspension was fully braced and it had superb handling, I embarrassed many people who thought they had quick car's and I had so much fun in that car but I swapped it for a MK2 escort and only three weeks later the fiat was written off by it's new owner, I kick myself to this day for getting rid of the FIAT.
The mk1 is a legend of a car. The performance difference between the Lotus Cortina mk1 and my 1200cc Consul Cortina with column change from that era was huge.
Irrelevant images of a MK3 Cortina don't help to tell the story. It is easy to forget just how light the early Lotus Cortinas were, massive fun.
Still have an original 1965 MK1 lotus Cortina in the UK.Rog. Pacific Sunset( LA).
Why do you, thru out the whole video show mk1 and mk2 cars randomly not synced with the sound track. Who ever put this together should be fired!
The MkI was a Lotus Cortina. The MkII was a Cortina Lotus. The MKI's being finished at Hethel (Lotus), The MKII just had Lotus Parts and were built by Ford.
…depending upon who you ask… 😂 Ford and Lotus will agree with you @BernardSamson-hf6fc - the documentary maker obviously didn’t do his research in the right places…
Fiat 128 "Revolutionary" transverse engine and FWD? Mini had transverse engine & FWD since 1959 ten years sooner. Renault R16 came out in 65.
But Minis had _torque steer_ and the engine shared the oil with the gearbox. I'd take the 128 and or the Renault 16 TX in a hearbeat over that stupud, constipated design that the Mini was
The Renault R16 did not have a transverse engine. Neither die the R4, R6, R5. They had longitudinal engines, placed behind the gearbox, leaving space for the spare-wheel in the engine-bay. The first transverse engine in a Renault to my recollection was the in Clio.
@@Chapps1941 So constipated that it won the Monte Carlo rally outright in 1964 1965 and 1967. clueless springs to mind.
@@terrystevens5261 so it lasted long enough to win races. I agree, a clueless design for everyday use.
@@Chapps1941 Did you ever own one or even drive one. I owned both a Mini and Renault 16TS, both innovative designs and fun to drive.
If the Fiat 128 pioneered the transverse engine layout, how did minis have the same layout a decade earlier?
The Fiat used a separate engine and gearbox. The Mini put the engine and gearbox together, sharing the oil.
The Mk1 was actually 'Lotus Ford Cortina' as Lotus changed engine, suspension, panels & were painted at the Lotus factory. For the Mk2 everything was assembled at Ford so it was Ford Cortina Lotus, later changed to Ford Cortina Twin Cam.
If the Datsun 510 isn't included here there is no justice put a 2 liter and 5sd add suspension ,turn them into little rockets with turbo or build 😊😊😊
At timestamp 4:48, you show not a Lotus Cortina, but something very rare. An Australian Cortina GT500. In 1965, Ford factory team manager, Harry Firth, built 120 of these to get them homologated for the 1965 Armstrong 500 (predecessor to the Bathurst 1000). These were a cross between a GT and a Lotus, with a worked GT engine. One of the most significant differences was the installation of twin large fuel tanks, with a filler each side behind the rear window
The Cosworth 's Arch Enemy back in the day .
At 8:59, the commentary states that, "In the US, Jackie Stewart and Mike Beckwith won the Marlboro 12-Hour race," yet the photo shows two pro golfers, one of which is Arnold Palmer. Also, just prior to that, the commentary states that the Cortinas were faster than only the 7-liter Ford Galaxies and later the Mustangs. In '65-67 there were a pair of very potent Ford Falcons driven by Roy Pierpoint and Sir Gawaine Baillie that were beating everything. However, I did see Jackie Ickx at the wheel of a Lotus Cortina lead the opening lap of the saloon car event at Crystal Palace in '66, ahead of Brian Muir's Galaxy, those Falcons, and a couple of Mustangs.
😅Had 66 mk1 2 door in Oz with 2litre pinto. was great fun. Excellent handling.
I owned a 1970 mk2 Cortina Savage in about 1971/2, that was developed by Jeff Uren it had a 3ltr V6 Essex engine in it and it was extremely fast for the time I think there were on around two thousand ever made.
I saw one of these beasts at Mallala race track in 1992 sth Australia it was savage. Loved it even if I was pitcrew for Mazda rx3 Bridgeport 13b . Both diced well
Man, I'd love to own an early Lotus Cortina!
Just about any petrol head would love a Lotus Cortina. Their value's are sky high.
As normal these videos have great information but spoil by the inapproprate photos at various stages during the video.
A confused account, in both information and imagery. Further compounded by the nonsense about the Fiat 128 pioneering the front wheel drive/transverse engine layout.
@@johngeren1053 Not so. The first popular transverse-engined FWD car to sell in any significant volume was the German DKW Front, introduced in 1931 and featuring an economy twin-cylinder two-stroke engine. In 1946 a prototype of the first SAAB car, the FWD 92, was built with a transversely-mounted two-cylinder, two-stroke engine similar to the pre-war DKW, but with the clutch and gearbox innovatively located in-line with the crankshaft, with these components located ahead of the final drive assembly.
Agreed, the photo entitled Harry Mundy actually showed Wally Hassan..
Good job, that was an interesting video.
Glad you enjoyed it!
If you want a small 4cyl car (British) that shook up the racing industry you need to look at the Triumph Dolamite sprint. An amaizing car and racing success story.
Meanwhile on the 1968 London To Sydney Marathon three Australian XT GT Falcons finished in front of all the Cortina's, just saying 🤣
5 litre V8 vs 1.6 litre inline 4.
Perana in South Africa put the 3L V6, 106 KW, 133bhp, into the Cortina 2, copied here by Savage. The engine out of the Cortina, was offered to Ford Escort customers. And the Capri from where the 3L V6 came out, received a Windsor 5L V8, like the Mustang!
I owned a Lotus Elan for many years. It was clearly specified as 1558 cc. Somehow Wikipedia has come up with 1557 for the Cortina and 1558 for the Elan.
Apparently a small number of Elans were built with a 3 bearing engine. They were recalled but at least one was never found.
Great documentary although I was surprised no mention of the 128 Sport.
Fiat X1/9's with Lampredi 128 iron blocks and either Ferrari or Alfa Romeo 16V heads are winning hillclimbs in 2024😊
Watching Jackie Stewart throwing a Lotus Cortina around the track was a sight to behold. I owned one, Jackie was spot on, they're only going FAST if they are on one wheel....
To my knowledge he only raced one on two occasions in 1964 for Red Rose racing finishing well down on both occasions. Jim Clark was well known for his outings in the Lotus Cortina and lifting the inside front wheel.
Why do so many CZcams videos have excellent spoken information coupled with confusing imagery? I understand copyright could be an issue for some images but better repeat a correct one than show something that doesn't fit the narrative.
I owned one of these lotus cortina sedans. The a frame caused nothing but trouble as it created diff housing cracks. Am not sure of how many went to NZ. Sold it at the time for $1500 as I was leaving the country. Later on owned two my 2 lotus cortina sedans The lotus badge was a special black and gold not the usual green and yellow. Boy how I wish I still had them. David.
in 1969, I bought a used 1964 and 1/2 Mk1 and experienced those problems with the A-Frame rear suspension. It gave great handling but on mine the diff housing backplate cracked all around it's circumference, with loss of oil and damage to the crown wheel and pinion. In this video they speak about a fix for that problem but to my knowledge that was not the case at the time - there was no fix available except to install the Cortina GT cart spring rear suspension and I eventually had to do that. But the delightful handling was lost and I eventually sold the car. I believe that years after the 1960s someone did come up with a fix for the A-Frame though!
Here in Europe very few people have forgotten these cars. Fiat strategically tested the power-unit arrangement of the 128 for a full five years on subsidiary brand Autobianchi's Primula.
It's a Lotus Cortina, and you have no idea what you're talking about.
You mean ford LOTUS CORTINA
I like those a lot !Very rare too!That engine was ahead it’s time!They used it in everything back then and was compared to the Sunbeam in performance.The Dart GT was also compared because of the size but had a v-8 this car was lighter and handled better!
Minty ❤ lotus cortina
9:40 "...with Lucas fuel injection..." Shows car with twin carbs?
Why when talking about the Mk1, pictures of the Mk2 are shown, and vice versa when talking about the Mk2, even showing an image of the Mk1 standard (with the ugly grill design) as opposed to the deluxe. There was even an image of a Mk3 Cortina!! The commentary may be spot on, but the visuals weren't.
Interesting. I remember when the Cortina MK-ll was imported into the US. I really liked the style. [ far better than the MK-1].
I actually did detail a MK-1, Lotus a few years ago. It was Race ready.
I’d love to own a MK-ll Lotus Cortina now. Sadly, I haven’t seen one in decades.
Interesting video. Well done.
🚗🙂
Thank you Sir😊
The ‘Federal Cortina’ i.e. the mk2 imported to the USA had a 1600cc Heron head engine. It was a nightmare to get it to meet US standards for windscreen deice as it was so efficient that at -20 C it hardly warmed up! I often ask UK owners if they know what the outboards cutouts in the dash were for, they were actually for deicing the last of the corners in the US, never used in Europe.
The car that you show at the beginning of the video is a LOTUS CORTINA. the Cortina Lotus handle was not used until the Mk 2 came out! Common knowledge I am pretty sure
Hampshire and a few police forces used Lotus Cortinas as traffic cars, including a 4 door model.
The Lotus Cortina the first "Fast Ford " also known as the "Giant Killer" because on certain tracks it would easily beat those lumbering yank tanks
Lancia Fulvia Coupe: Hold my beer
Alfa Romeo GT1300: Yea, hold mine too....
MK1 Golf, and MK1 Renault 5: Don't forget us either.....we may not be as sporty, but we both sold by the bucket load....and we brought exciting small cars to the masses....at a price they could afford.
Hillman Imps, they definitely were not. And that's a good thing imo. Both rang rings around small British cars of the time. Ford Escort included.
Btw, I wouldn't call the MK1 Cortina a 'small car'. It was a mid-sized car. For those that wanted something bigger than the Escort, but not as expensive as the Granada.
But I'd have a MK1 Golf over the Escort and Cortina of the time, any day of the week. And I'd take the Fulvia Coupe over a Ford Capri, easily.
I had an Alfa-Romeo 75 with the 1952cc twin spark engine. Far better than any factrory bult Cortina.
How would you compare Fiat 124S and 125P to Fiat 128? Moreover, Austin Mini was also Front Wheel Drive, then why do you say that Fiat 128 was innovative?
Fiat - a good car. Maybe back in the old days?
Cortina could be competitive or win in its class
The mk. 1 was a Lotus Ford Cortina made by Lotus. The mk. 2 was a Ford Lotus Cortina made by Ford. Now you know. 😏 Also mm stands for milli meters. 😏
What about the 128 coup and the 128 3p?
I'm not sure the Fiat 128 was innovative using front wheel drive, the Citroen 2CV was using FWD in 1948, also SAAB used FWD from the same year.
By the mid 1950's there were dozens of FWD cars, the Wartburg from Germany, FSO from Poland, and the Suzuki from Japan.
Not forgetting the 1959 Mini which dominated motorsports.
FIAT, the Italian word for passing wind.
Fix It Again Tomorrow.
14:50 rectangular headlights?
Mazda Rx2👍🏽🇿🇦💯
What about the Alfa Romeo Giulia Super 1.6
What about it ?
@@davidspendlove5900 I was apprenticed to Norman Spendlove in Dublin.
6 Hours at Sandown is an excellent film for its time. It shows what a Giulia Super could do - beating Lotus Ford, Mini Cooper, Galaxies, Falcons, Barracudas, Ramblers...
That was 1964. They did it again in 1965.
On a winding mountain hwy the Fairlane or mustang would be hard pressed to beat the Cortina