Practically Classics Forum

Hello, first posting. I am looking for a bit of advice. Near where I live there is a colony of lock up garages some of which are in use and some look like they have never seen a car for years. One of them did'nt have a lock on but it had a tree growing up near the side of the door so it could'nt be opened and it looked like no one had been in it for years. Recently, however, the area has been tidied up a bit and the tree cut down so I went and had a nosey at the garage while no one was about (It is a quiet area)

Inside is the restored, stripped shell of a 2 door Mark 2 Cortina, looks like it had just been returned from the painter then left, it is in the off white and green of a Lotus, but I cant tell if it is a Lotus or a normal Mark 2 painted to look like one. There are no plates on it so it cant be readily identified.

It looks like no one has bothered with it for years and I think it would be a great project, how do I go about finding out who it belongs to?

Could it be traced from a chassis number? where is this on a Mark 2 Cortina? Will DVLA tell me?

I cant open the bonnet yet as it is hard against the back wall of the garage and it did'nt budge when I tried to pull it slightly backwards

If the garages are council owned you are out of luck but if they are private, £35 and the land registry will tell you who owns the garage and their address. That would be where I would start.

You could also try knocking on a few near by doors - most people are quite approachable.

This happened to my day over 15 yeras ago found an austin atlantic a90 in a lockup the land was owned by council but arages were private, he wrote to the council (no emails back then) and asked who rented that plot they told him he knocked on the door they said they guy moved away long ago, as the rent hadnt been paid on the garage for years the council allowed my dad to rent the plot and the contents of it. He so gained a garage to rent and the car all this took months and alot of calls and checking legallities etc but if the cortina is that good be worth it!

Did he manage to keep the austin atlantic a90 after legalities,is it still in your family ownership?

Hi, no fraid not my dad was 29 at the time with 3 kids and a big mortgage so the atlantic went, as i remember theguy came miles to get it may even have been scotland (from essex) the money paid for a caravan and therefor years of family holidays. He did get it started and drove it tho! he has some photos somewhere il try and get one and scan it in if anyone is interested to see be cool if the guy who bought it has restored it as he planned!

outdoorjoe wrote:he has some photos somewhere il try and get one and scan it in if anyone is interested to see be cool if the guy who bought it has restored it as he planned!

Would be interesting to know if it is still around