1965 Ford Lotus-Cortina MK I

1,558cc DOHC Inline 4-Cylinder Engine
2 Weber 40DCOE Carburetors
Approximately 170bhp at 5,400rpm
4-Speed Manual Transmission
Independent Front – Lotus Coil Spring Rear Suspension
Front Disc - Rear Drum Brakes

*Goodwood Revival, Silverstone, SPA and Monterey Historics Veteran
*Winner of the 1999 Dutch Historic Saloon Championship
*Diligently maintained and serviced
*Competitive and collectible Lotus Cortina eligible for prominent vintage racing events

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THE LOTUS CORTINA

Ford of England produced an amazing 2.6 million Cortinas between 1962 and 1982; nearly all of them for the home market, and Cortinas became Britain's best-selling automobile between 1972 and 1981. None of those little Fords, however, may be more famous than then one that dove down the Olympic bobsled run at Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, in 1963, with racing star Jimmy Clark at the wheel. That publicity stunt certainly put the Ford Lotus Cortina, to use its correct name, on the map.

This little pocket rocket came about when Lotus founder Colin Chapman began looking about for an engine to replace the venerable but expensive SOHC Coventry Climax. The solution was provided by Climax designer Harry Mundy, who came up with a neat little twin-cam head for the Ford Kent 1.5-liter four-cylinder motor. Enlarged to 1.6-Liters for the Lotus Elan, the motor so impressed Ford executive Walter Hayes that he asked Chapman if he could outfit 1000 small two-door Ford saloons with the new engine in order to homologate the model for Group 2 racing. With the addition of lightweight body panels and lighter transmission and differential cases, close-ratio gearing, Girling front disc brakes, an extensively modified suspension, the Lotus Cortina was soon dominating Group 2 competition. Soon, the Lotus Cortina was available virtually world-wide.


THE MOTORCAR OFFERED

This pedigreed and competitive Lotus Cortina Mk I was manufactured in November of 1965 as a left-hand drive European market model and finished in the classic Ermine White with Sherwood Green flash and blue vinyl seats. The car is reported to have been used as a road car in Europe until the late 1990s, at which point the owner at the time decided to use the competitive Lotus Cortina for vintage racing. The car then received the necessary track upgrades, was painted in the Red and Gold Alan Mann Racing livery it wears today, and then went on to win the 1999 Dutch Historic Saloon Championship. From 2003-2008, the Lotus Cortina participated in no less than 21 race weekends, mostly Masters Top Hat Saloon races. It ran the Goodwood Revival and Silverstone Classic in 2005, the Grand Prix de L'Age de'Or at Dijon, France, in 2006, and the Six Hours of Spa in Belgium in 2007. Simon Garrod put it on the pole at Chimay, Belgium, in 2007, and it won at Mallory Park in England in 2005. Deservedly so, this Cortina is pictured in the book "The Goodwood Revival: The First Ten Years," by Doug Nye.

The consignor - a prominent East Coast based collector of important sports and racing cars - purchased the Lotus Cortina about a decade ago and has since competed in the historic racer at many prominent North American vintage races, while maintaining the car diligently. His time in the car includes several years of participation in the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, the Coronado Speed Festival, the Lime Rock Historic Festival, the VRG New Jersey Historics, the Thompson Vintage Motorsport Festival and the Jefferson 500.

Today the car presents very well, still sporting the iconic Alan Mann Racing livery. Work performed in past years include a 2018 rebuild of the period-correct engine by Peter Marcovicci of MWE and installment of new racing seats. Importantly, the car retains the original Lotus-designed 'A-Frame' coil spring rear suspension. The Lotus Cortina is accompanied by its HMSA logbook listing the 2010-2020 races, the Historic Technical and FIA Passports, an old UK V5C registration certificate and other paraphernalia. Eligible and competitive at some of the most prominent vintage racing events around the globe, this classic Ford Lotus Cortina Mk I is ready for its next custodian.