1963 FORD LOTUS CORTINA
Charlie Carter has pined after his great uncle’s barnfind Cortina ever since he was a boy so finally restoring it to its former press car glory – with a little help from dad John – is something of a dream come true for him
HOW DID YOU COME TO OWN YOUR CLASSIC?
‘My great uncle, Alan Gould, bought the car in 1969 and ran it for a few years before putting it in storage. The car had been vandalised in the garage where it was kept but I’d wanted to see it up and running again ever since I was a child. Alan agreed to let me and my dad restore the car in 2019. Getting it authenticated by the Lotus Cortina Register revealed that it was one of three original Lotus Cortina press cars so we had it re-painted in its original colours as it was pictured at the time. The car needed a lot more work than we first thought so Redcastle Classics in Caerphilly restored it.’
WHAT DO YOU USE IT FOR?
‘I haven’t passed my driving test yet so dad and I take it out to shows. The car’s debut was at a Lotus Cortina Register event. It hasn’t been finished for very long so we’re still running the engine in but we want to get to more events this year. It’s the first classic car that we’ve had so it’s a bit of a learning curve. The idea is to keep the car’s mileage low and the car itself in great condition so we’ll probably trailer it to events like the Classic Motor Show at the NEC and various other classic shows around the UK. We want to get some more exposure for the car and show off its beautiful restoration.’
WHAT WOULD YOUR OWNERSHIP TIPS BE?
‘Know your limits. We realised that a full restoration was totally beyond us; we would have been there for 20 years and still not finished it though it might have been a different story if the car had been a runner. Getting it restored professionally meant that it was finished much more quickly and now we’re able to enjoy it. Keeping it in a lock-up bumped the insurance costs up a bit but it’s still around £600. We’re taking it easy and learning lots about the car along the way. It’s something that I’ve wanted to do for years so we’re enjoying taking it to shows and running it in now that it’s finally finished.’
WHAT DO YOU SEE BEING IN YOUR GARAGE IN FIVE YEARS’ TIME?
‘The Cortina is a family heirloom now and hopefully it will be my wedding car one day. If I ever came into some money I would definitely buy my dad an Austin-healey Sprite and being a Ford man and a fan of The Professionals TV show – I used to watch it with my nan – means that I’d probably get a Ford Capri S, too. I love classic motorcycles, too. My great uncle inspired me to be a a petrolhead at heart; he told me all about his history of cars – he had a couple of ’Healeys, a Rover P6, Land Rovers, a Lotus Seven and a Mini Cooper S, which he exchanged for the Lotus Cortina.’