Vehicle Description
-Ermine White with Sherwood Green striping, Black seats and Black
carpeting, 4-speed gearbox, LHD, 1,557 4-cylinder engine producing
115 bhp, Preserved in remarkably original condition, Numbers
matching, Long term West Coast collector ownerships.
The Lotus Cortina produced by Ford of Dagenham, in England is one
of the most charismatic and universally successful high-performance
cars sports sedans of its era. The Lotus-Ford Twin Cam engine was
fine tuned by Cosworth Engineering with power being driven through
a Ford 4-speed gearbox. With the help of Colin Chapman - Lotus, the
Cortina's suspension significantly uprated. This included changing
the spring and damper rates, reducing the ride height, and
utilizing coil springs at the rear. The body shell was lightened
with aluminum skins in the doors, hood and trunk lid. Aluminum was
also adopted for the clutch housing, remote gearshift extension and
differential case. Lotus badges were added externally while the
interior featured bucket front seats, pistol-grip handbrake and a
wood-rim alloy-spoked steering wheel.
Production began in February 1963. With homologation being achieved
in September 1963, Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart, Vic
Elford, Jack Sears, Sir John Whitmore, and Jacky Ickx all raced
Cortinas. Jim Clark, multiple F1 World Champion and Indy 500
winner, also won the 1964 British Saloon Car Championship in his
works version.
This left hand drive Lotus was sold new in California and spent the
majority of its life in a Northern California collection. It is an
extremely very well-preserved original that has been properly
maintained at all times having been cherished by its previous
owners. This Cortina enjoyed San Francisco-based collector
ownership for nearly three decades (1980s-2017) and a Texas based
collector ownership from (2017-2024) and until its purchase by
Autosport Designs, Inc.
This Lotus Cortina is 100% original throughout and has been
meticulously gone through to prep for preservation class concours
showing. Not only outstanding in cosmetic condition, it has been
maintained regardless of use, and has been used on several 1,000
mile vintage rallies-tours in previous ownerships. To confirm its
outstanding condition mechanically, immediately after purchasing
this Lotus Cortina Mk I, Tom Papadopoulos - Autosport Designs, Inc.
had it transported directly from its most previous ownership to
Nashville, Tennessee for the start of Two-Lane Touring rally. I
then enjoyed over 1,000 miles of trouble free motoring enjoying
many smiles and thumbs up from onlookers along the way.
Since having return from its 1,000+ miles of use and enjoyment, the
Cortina will be serviced to make ready for immediate use and
enjoyment within its next ownership.
This is a rare opportunity to acquire a 1960s sports saloon, an
incredible icon of the vintage automobile world, an unmodified,
unmolested and totally original, serviced and maintained rare late
model Mk 1 Lotus Cortina, and which must be one of the finest
original Ford Lotus Cortinas in existence.
