German Thorsten Seltz models his Ford Cortina after the Lotus Cortina and it works perfectly for him (VIDEO)
While many of us are attracted to cars for their speed, power, or performance, some of us are drawn to the simplicity that they represent. Once such person is Thorsten Seltz, a collector of old German Fords who likes his fleet nice and simple.
In the United States, we rarely received the Fords that were built in marketed in other markets such as Europe. The only exception was the Capri that was sold in the United States in the late 1960s through the-mid 70s. It was also sold in the United States as a Capri. Interestingly enough, the Ford Capri was campaigned in Europe as a competitor to BMWs legendary 3.0 CSL.
A Love for the Simple Things
When asked about what attracts him to the old Fords, he say, “these Fords are rarely altered. Everything has already been done.” He adds, “on old cars, many put exhaust tips, mud flaps, or chrome trim that doesn’t belong there. No, I like to keep it simple.”
In building his Ford Cortina into a two-door, he used the original Lotus Cortina as a model for his build. While some may have issue with the fact that his car is not an original Lotus Cortina, I applaud his effort to make something that works for him. At the end, that is all that matters. Having something to call our own that reflects who we are as car fans.
The Lotus Cortina
The Lotus Cortina was a commonly referred term used to refer to the Ford Cortina Lotus. It was a high-performance sports sedan made in the United Kingdom from 1963 to 1970. It was built in collaboration with Lotus Cars.
Legendary Lotus Founder Colin Chapman had a hand in developing the 1.6-liter twin overhead cam straight four engine. The engines were used by Ford to meet Group 2 homologation requirements. For 1,000 Ford sedans. Lotus did the mechanical and cosmetic changes while Ford did everything else.
Major mechanical changes done to the Ford Cortina body included installing the 1,557 cc engine that produced 105 horsepower and adding the same close-ratio gearbox that was used within the Lotus Elan. The rear suspension was drastically altered and lightweight alloy panels for the doors, trunk and hood were added. Most of the Lotus Cortinas produced had the green stripe but Ford built a few having a red stripe.
Racing Success
The Lotus Cortina went on to have a successful racing career. It was able to win beat almost anything in saloon car racing except the 7-liter Ford Galaxies and Ford Mustangs a few years later. In historic touring car racing, the Cortina Lotus Mark 1s are consistent class in events around the World.
Source: Petrolicious