Hey -its NYD; let’s go for a drive along the coast!
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Every New Years Day, Linda and I and some friends take a drive along Malibu’s famous, Pacific Coast Highway (1) to get out-and-around, give our cars some exercise, and go out lunch. Our favorite place has for years been the somewhat famous Reel Inn on PCH right at the border of Malibu and Santa Monica – very casual, with terrific grilled seafood, and/or breakfast. This year, as I was sitting at our table glancing out the window at the parking lot, my eye caught a flash of bright blue and another of equally bright yellow pulling in to park – I made a mental note that after lunch, my buddy Jeff and I simply must investigate.
It turned out to be more than worth the walk across the lot, parked together next to the restaurant just across from the abandoned Topanga Ranch Motel, was this handsome and sporty trio. This forlorn “bungalows inn,” now belonging to the State and sitting on property worth a more -than-fortune, looks like a place that Hitchcock would be filming his next movie, were that to be possible.
Hey – if Big Eagle was still with us, I’d be all up for this idea
You may remember the original (British) Ford Cortina, a work-a-day compact sedan sold primarily in the UK, but also other world markets. Lotus was working with Ford on the use of the latter’s 15-1600cc “Kent” overhead-valve inline four-cylinder engine in certain of its production and racing models; the engine was employed in the first generations of open-wheel Formula Ford racing; Lotus developed a high-performance double-overhead camshaft (DOHC) cylinder head for the Ford engine block for use in the sporty Lotus models. “Sedan racing” was very popular in Europe at the time, so Ford of England and Lotus figured “why not produce a Lotus powered version of the Cortina using the racier twin-cam engine, sportier suspension, and such. They did and it proved highly successful – racing greats such as Jim Clarck, Jackie Stewart, and Graham Hill, all drove them in competition. The model was called the Lotus Cortina and was about the size and general packaging of a BMW 1600 or 2002. The Mk 1 variant of the Lotus Cortina was produced from 1963-1966, with about 3000 built. Most of them were white with a green stripe running along the flanks and tail, with minimal Lotus badging and a businesslike attitude. Today they are prized by vintage racing enthusiasts and collectors alike, and many of them have been “cloned” out of standard spec Cortinas.
I couldn’t do a deep enough dive on this particular example to verify it to be a genuine, factory-built Lotus-engined model or not, but it certainly appeared the part, with a tough and ready stance, the correct wheels, hubcaps, paint, and Lotus badges. No matter, it looked great and was dressed the part — especially with the period correct Dan Gurney for President sticker on the bumper.
Ignore my Olds 4 4 2 on the right; that’s Daniel Edward Newton’s ’72 510 on the left. Mine was faster but his handled better and certainly got better gas mileage.
Parked just to the right of the Cortina was another fabulously successful BMW 2002 fighter, that being a neatly raced up Datsun 510 ttwo-door sedan. The 510 was a dandy sport sedan, with willing 1.6- and 2.0-liter engines, and independent rear suspension (just like the BMW’s). It also made a torrid little race car, twice winning the SCCA under 2.5-liter Trans Am championship. The blue bomb in these photos looked the part, with a triangulated roll bar in the passenger compartment, oversized rolling stock, and an aggressive lowered stance. Back-in-The-Day (in fact back in many days) my long-time friend Dan owned a custard colored ’72 510 which was a blast to drive. I bet he wishes he still had it, and in fact, I’d enjoy having and driving it today.
Finally at right is the screaming yellow zonker of a 1965 Lotus Elan roadster — besides being a sexy and great driving roadster in its own right, you’ll notice why it was a clear inspiration for the design and packaging of the first gen Maada MX-5 Miata. In as much as the Miata has since become the world’s best-selling sports car, its clear that Colin Chapman had it “right the first time” with the original Elan, and Mazda was smart in copping its loo and general packaging when it was time to create the Japanese “transistorized” version of it. Inspiration is where you fine it.
This lovely Type 26 glowed and gleamed, its genuine wood dashboard looking warm and inviting in the Malibu sunshine. We don’t know what mods may have lived beneath the skin or bonnet, but from the outside, this car looked factory stock and in very good nick. I’d happily own and drive either of these three New Years Day finds, but among them all, the Elan is the one I’d most like to have.
So with all due respect to college football, this is what I did on my New Year’s Day. And Every Good Wish to you and yours for a wonderful 2025 –-MS