Mk2 Lotus Cortina Cabriolet - VJH 600J

Smithy069 · Post by **Smithy069** » Sat 24th Jan 2009 12:53 am

I've just become the very proud owner of a Mk2 Lotus Cabriolet one of only 3 ever made, yet all 3 still survive to this day.

Can anyone tell me anything about my particular LC?

I intend to just get the car on the road for this summer, then autumn she will be taken off the road for a 'full on' restoration to include dipping, body restoration to correcting detail & then back to the 'dip shop' for the final treatment of phosphorous plating & etching before repaint......

Post by **andy spain** » Sat 24th Jan 2009 9:30 am

Be nice to see that one restored,was for sale for over a year but no one was brave enough,including me.All the best with the resto.
The car is well know,belive the car spent some time in Spain and Watford area,before going up to the North where Daz had it.
Funny thing ,the day i mailed Daz to make some plans to look at it was the day he sold it ,after nearly a year.

Post by **Steve 155C** » Sat 24th Jan 2009 10:10 am

Well done Smithy for being brave enough to take on this rare car. I also toyed with buying it , but in reality I just knew I would never get it finished. I look forward to seeing it get restored.

Post by **Lashman** » Sat 24th Jan 2009 10:59 am

Yep, it would fab to see it out and about.

Smithy069 · Post by **Smithy069** » Sat 24th Jan 2009 11:24 am

The Cab was owned by a fellow Mk2 Cortina enthusiast named Geoff from Wigan for the past 8 or so years.

I tried to buy it about a year ago, but Geoff kept changing his mind, but in November (round about the 20th - my birthday - coincidence) I paid Geoff a visit to find out that he had sold his Mk2 Estate that I wanted & quizzed him about the Cab.........after 4 or 5 brews, a lot of humming and haring we agreed a price & I paid him the deposit.......I went off to save up........last week I paid in full & collected the car & beleive you me Goef nearly changed his mind as his wife was counting the bundle, so we hastily loaded the Cab onto the trailer & duely vanished in the rain.............

Does anyone know anything else about the car?

I have HPI'd the car & it states that the previous colour was black, but Geoff reckons it has always been Dragoon Red & this tallys up with the VIN tags too. It may have been changed from red to black back in the days prior to computerisation & then back to red. Personally I think it would look good in black with a touch of gold striping.

Robert · Post by **Robert** » Sat 24th Jan 2009 4:42 pm

Silver looks really well with black, fella on BSC forum has painted his gt black with the silver stripe.

Post by **Steve 155C** » Sat 24th Jan 2009 5:41 pm

I'm not a purist , so black body (no stripe) with red interior gets my vote. There is another MK11 Crayford with these colours and it looks fantastic.

Robert · Post by **Robert** » Sat 24th Jan 2009 7:26 pm

It all depends on if you want to keep it original or not, if you do i would paint back to the original colour ( Dragoon red ) and maybe an alan man stripe.

Also, i was led to believe that where more than three car's built.

Post by **Steve 155C** » Sat 24th Jan 2009 7:57 pm

There are more then 3 MK11 Cabriolets , but only 3 MK11 Lotus Cabriolets. The Cabriolet has a different hood configuration to the more common Mk11 Crayford convertable.

Robert · Post by **Robert** » Sat 24th Jan 2009 8:37 pm

Do you mean the crayford with the roof that folds away and doesn't sit on the parcel shelf like the most common crayford.

Post by **andy spain** » Sat 24th Jan 2009 9:17 pm

Under the gallery section "Crayfords" the second photo is a cab,and the 5th photo is the car Smithy has bought.

Post by **Opec V8** » Sun 1st Feb 2009 11:38 pm

I'm pretty sure this is the car which belonged to Jack Usher my neighbour and good friend who lived in Watford Herts - He had it for about 5 years i would guess in 1986 onwards- it was dragoon red, he was a retired trimmer who worked all his time for rolls royce hence the plush interior, he fitted wood panels of "1600e" spec, walnut veneered!! First lotus and only lotus cortina i ever drove so far (be driving mine soon but thats another story). Jack moved away to live by the coast and i've not heard from him for around 10 years now. He said it was one of the last LC's made??! I know he maintaned it in a small garage next to his house and most of the body maintenance was gas weld, fibre glass and filler.

Post by **Andy M** » Mon 2nd Feb 2009 11:45 am

Hi Opec,
You are correct in your assumption this was Jack and Joyces car. It is still affectionly known within the LCR circles who knew it as "Ex Jacks". Nothing makes me laugh more as when I visualise the both of them in the outside lane of the M4 returning from the National at Castle Coombe hood down doing 95mph with Jacks nose pushed up on the windscreen Joyce`s neck scarf almost strangling her at 90 degrees behind her!
Andy M

Post by **mk2cortinamatt** » Tue 18th Aug 2009 9:15 pm

Photos please

Smithy069 · Post by **Smithy069** » Sun 13th Dec 2009 12:35 pm

Opec V8 wrote:I'm pretty sure this is the car which belonged to Jack Usher my neighbour who lived in Watford Herts - He had it for about 5 years i would guess in 1986 onwards- it was dragoon red, he was a retired trimmer who worked all his time for rolls royce hence the plush interior, he fitted wood panels of "1600e" spec, walnut veneered. He maintaned it in a small garage next to his house and most of the body maintenance was gas weld, fibre glass and filler.

I haven't been on the sire for ageg & having a hunt round, so to give you folks a quick update, I haven't touched the Cab yet, but looking into getting stuck in early 2010........

Regarding Opec V8's comments, aye that'll be the one, does anyone have Jack's contact details o any other info/photos of the Cab (I would like to start building a portfolio for the Cab)..........it also has elecric windows too.......this is wher the diallema begins:

Once I have removed all the glassfibre/filler & replaced them with 1mm Zintec, do I put it back to it's original 'factory' trim

or

Do I sort out the electrics & the Connolley hide with red piping & have it as Jack left it - looks nice too

Piccies below: