Cortez Motor Homes

[salem]

Took a stroll through a neighboring RV park/camp ground yesterday and spotted six Cortez Motor Homes. I've never heard of these units. They all appeared to be fairly older models and I'm assuming the owners belonged to a club. The internet says they were made from 1963 to 1979 and just over 3,300 units were made. Any of you familiar with them? Are/were they high dollar? Just curious.

[frankdamp]

We seriously considered one as our first RV in around 1969. We didn't really care for the entry method, a center-line door in the back and no front doors. What really put us off for good was the Dodge in-line 6-cylinder engine with a four speed transmission.

By the time we got serious, Boeing had started its massive lay-off program, reducing the Seattle area workforce from 103000 people down to 3600. I got laid off in mid-1971. I'm glad I didn't have a big monthly payment for an RV.

[DSDP_Don]

I've seen several over the years and they were all tan/brown. They kind of look like an egg.

[mikegt4]

There is one near me, it has been sitting in a driveway for decades.

They were built by Clark (of forklift fame) and built like an Army tank, very heavy. Rust was a major problem. IIRC, originally were powered by a Dodge slant 6 with a manual Clark transmission, later a V8's as the brand was sold to different manufactures.

A niche RV collectors item now.

[bucky]

Cortez clicky

I do remember seeing one or two over the years but didn't know what they were.

[rockhillmanor]

Big Katuna wrote:
By definition they were not very popular; they only made 3300 units.

I was raised in Michigan and my dad was an rv aficionado for the time. He built several conversions and campers and always drooled over the Cortez units. They were built by Clark (forklift) and were very well built.

Small, lightweight , front wheel drive.

Here is a clcky to the wiki.

link

Interesting link.
Apparently there is one in a Florida museum!

Snip it...." NASA used a Cortez to shuttle astronauts to the launch pad, which now resides in a museum at Cape Canaveral."

[salem]

At least 3 of the six were the same color scheme, which was mostly tan and brown. Must have been a popular color.

[hotjag1]

A friend in central WA state had a 1972 with a 455 ci engine and front-wheel drive. Even thought the weight of the engine was over the drive axle, he said it did not do well in slippery conditions(snow).

[Big_Katuna]

By definition they were not very popular; they only made 3300 units.

I was raised in Michigan and my dad was an rv aficionado for the time. He built several conversions and campers and always drooled over the Cortez units. They were built by Clark (forklift) and were very well built.

Small, lightweight , front wheel drive.

Here is a clcky to the wiki.

link

[Homer1]

Yes at one time they were very popular. They were not a high end motorhome, but served the purpose for a lot of people.