Cortez Motor Home

Cortez Motor Home, also commonly called a Clark Cortez, 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 these small motorhomes in 1963 in Battle Creek, Michigan. 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 was used.

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, converting 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.

Clark management had envisioned a variety of uses for the Cortez. They were made as mobile offices, classrooms, and ambulances; and NASA used a Cortez to shuttle astronauts to the launch pad. The NASA Cortez still sits in a museum at Cape Canaveral.

Among the early owners in 1964 was film star Vincent Price, who was a devoted fan of this early motorhome. Cortez Motor Homes still enjoy a devoted following. Aficionados prefer its all-steel body despite rust issues, its smooth ride, and its moderate size.