My son has just bought a 2 litre Ford Fiesta Sports hatchback.

He's a typical 22 year old car enthusist. Spends most of his wages on a top of the range sporty hatchback and the spends the rest trying to insure the thing.

He only knows two speeds. "Stop", and "Why don't they cut a hole in the floor so I can get my foot down a bit more."

So this lens is dedicated to you Dean and to all the other 'Deans' out there who think that no-one has ever been in a fast car before, especially their over the hill father.

Cosseted in the front seat of the Fiesta, powering a deserted stretch of roa dthe Fiesta really gave no sense of speed. Yes it was fast and yes it accelerated seriously quickly, but where was the danger?
That got me thinking back to the first time I had ever been in a really fast car a quarter of a century ago.

Technology is all the rage these days with Ford Driver comfort and interior trim seem to maatter more than external appearences but then again I'm not 22 any more and perhaps a bit jaundiced on the view of what makes a good car. Why do the kids go for these hatchback things..They were Granny Mobiles in my day, except for the Mini Cooper....talked myself into a hole there haven't I?

1981 and my dear friend pulled up beside me in his latest aquisition. A Cortina MK1. That's one at the top of the page. This one didn't have the number on though.

"Want a lift?"
"Sure."

One of my other friends was in the front seat and obligingly lifted his seat to allow mw to get in the back.

There were no seat belts in the back as I remember. Well they didn't fit them in the 60's when this car was built. Nobody wore them in the front either. You had luck and the skill of the driver between you and the grave and that was it. How times have changed. My rebel of a son wouldn't dream of driving without a seatnelt.

For the next hour or so I was bounced around like a pea in a tin can. My friend fancied himself as a bit of a rally driver.
When we finally stopped, I put a really brave face on it and told him what a great car he had. It was only then that i spotted the badge on the back. So that was a Lotus Cortina.

I crept in the house and threw up. Fast cars have never scared me since.

The history of the Lotus Cortina dates back to 1963.

Walter Hayes, Public Affairs Officer Ford UK was a personal friend of Colin Chapman the head of Lotus. Lotus were using a Ford engine at the time for their elan model and Hayes suggested a colaboration to turn an ordinary family car into something that fitted Ford's motto at the time "Total Performance."

This quote sums it up.

"The transmission, with its synchronized first gear, is a great asset because the car will achieve 45 mph in first. Thus, one is confined to first and second for city driving. " ... Road and track 1964

Yeah right. You didn't know my mate.

Here's more from them.

As we have mentioned before, the axle ratio is low and the transmission ratios are close so 70 mph is attainable in second and 90 mph in third.

Top Speeds:
High gear (6500), mph: 106
3rd (6500): 90
2nd (6500): 68
1st (6500): 45

Fuel consumption:
Normal range, mpg: 18-24
Crusing range, mi: 170-230

It said 106 mph in the stats yet the speedometyer showed 140 on the clock..My mate bragged about having the car "off the clock."

Not bad for a 1558 cc engine. and it seats 5. Try getting 5 people in a Fiesta.

What's my mate doing now? He's happily married with two teenage girls who show no interest in fast cars. Just the guys who drive them.
Some things never change.

Old Fords never die. They just get faster.

Happy Motoring.

John