1965 Lotus Cortina Mk One restoration project

Description for Lotus Cortina 1965

I purchased this rare, 1965 Mk One Lotus Cortina in 2010 with the intention of restoring it for my personal collection. Unfortunately, we have been too busy working on customer cars to spend any meaningful time on the Lotus, so I have reluctantly decided to let it go to someone who can give it the restoration it deserves.
We have carefully disassembled the car and had the body blasted back to bare metal. We then sealed all bare metal in epoxy primer. It is currently sitting on a purpose built, roll-around jig that is included in the sale. Although we believe the car spent its entire life prior to our ownership in California, it does need some significant rust repairs, most notably around the boot opening and the boot floor. There is also rust in the passenger side foot well, although the the rest of the floor pan is sound. The front shock towers, firewall and engine bay are in pristine, rust free condition.
This Lotus Cortina is virtually complete and is not missing any significant parts. When we acquired the car it had the wrong transmission, center console and steering wheel installed. We were fortunate enough to be contacted by a previous owner who directed us to the original, 'matching numbers' remote shift transmission, which is now with the car and included in the sale. We also managed to obtain a correct wood rim Lotus steering wheel that is in exceptional condition, as well as a correct Lotus center console. The sale also includes a new dash panel and a new gas tank.
The engine, which we believe is original to the car, has the cylinder head removed and there is surface rust inside the cylinders, so it will obviously need a full rebuild. The Weber carbs are still attached to the cylinder head.

We will assist in carefully packaging and labeling all the component parts that go with this car, so shipping and transportation will not be a problem for the new owner. We can also assist in obtaining competitive transportation quotes for serious buyers, although transport costs will obviously be the responsibility of the buyer.

Inspections are welcome and actively encouraged. Call (512) 288 8800 or email through the eBay system with any questions or to make an appointment to view.

This vehicle is being sold as is, where is, with no warranty of any kind being offered. Clear, unencumbered, title conveys to the new owner. There are additional photographs on the Classic Jaguar website in the Cars for Sale section.