Classic Lotus Cortina back on the road to glory

Most classic cars are labours of love - but Stephen Hill admits his stunning 43-year-old convertible is more of an "obsession".

The Wolverhampton crane driver bought his rare Lotus Cortina Mk2 Crayford at the tail end of 2006 — and has spent the past four years painstakingly restoring it.

He has spent hours sourcing parts on the internet and carried out the bulk of the work himself, apart from the respray in the Lotus racing colours of white and green.

Fewer than two dozen Lotus Cortina Mk2 Crayfords were ever made and only a handful are thought to remain in existence. Stephen bought his first Mk 2 Cortina as a teenager and has owned five since then.

"There's only been a couple of years that I haven't had one," said the father-of-two.

"This one's easily the best and I shall be keeping it."

The car dates from 1967 and was the subject of a previous restoration in the 1980s.

It was driveable but the paintwork had begun to blister and the car was showing its age. So Stephen stripped it down to the bare metal at his garage in Oxley. He admits that the restoration has dominated his life.

He said: "I used to go running but since my knees started playing up I spend all my time on the car. It's more of an obsession than a hobby."

The soft-top is taken out for a spin on summer days and he'll occasionally pick up his wife Sue after her shift at Asda — much to her annoyance.

She said: "The trouble is there's that many people wanting to know about the car, that all the frozen food in the boot starts to thaw."

Stephen's Crayford won a prize at the Lotus Cortina National event at Gaydon, which led to him being handed a wild card entry to the finals of the prestigious Meguiars Club Showcase at this weekend's Classic Motor Show at Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre.

It's a "best of the best" competition for classic car enthusiasts and Stephen's Cortina will be up against some of the most immaculate cars in the country.

He is looking forward to the competition, but he is adamant that he will not be starting another restoration project.

The 52-year-old said: "That's it for me. I am going to concentrate on maintaining this one."

The Classic Motor Show is open from 10am to 7pm on Friday, 9.30am to 7pm on Saturday, and 9.30am to 5.30pm on Sunday. Tickets start at £17.50.