Cortez Motor Home

Cortez Motor Home is a Class-A motor coach made in the United States between 1963 and 1979. Only 3211 of the units were built in this period. The Clark Forklift Company began making small motorhomes in 1963. The units were designed from the ground up, rather than using existing truck chassis.

A four speed manual front wheel drive transaxle was used in order to eliminate a drive train that would necessarily have either increased height or diminished interior headroom..

Early units used a Chrysler 225ci industrial slant-6 engine. In 1969 a V-8 engine was introduced, using a Ford 302ci engine but still using the 4-speed manual transaxle. In 1971, the Oldsmobile Toronado front wheel transaxle with a 455ci engine in conjunction with a GM 3-speed automatic.

In 1970, Clark Forklift sold the Motorhome division to Alco-Standard. In 1975, the company was acquired by 26 owners of Cortez coaches and production continued through 1978 when the company folded. The last units were completed by a bank in 1979.

James Krantz purchased the tooling, spare parts, and a few unfinished units around 1980 and moved operations to Lafayette, La. There under the name Cortez Inc., he sold parts, performed service, and did robust drivetrain conversions to earlier model Clark Cortez's, coverting them to the V8 automatic transaxle, similar to that found in 1970+ models. Operations ceased in Lafayette around 1990. James still sells parts for the coaches.

Cortez Motor Homes enjoy a devoted following. Aficionados prefer its all-steel body despite rust issues, its smooth ride, and its moderate size.

Categories: Recreational Vehicles