Vehicle Description
This�Mk1 Lotus Cortina�is non-other than the 1965 European Touring
Car Championship winning�car driven by Sir John Whitmore himself.
Built in February of 1965, KPU392C was carefully prepared by Alan
Mann Racing Ltd to full race specification while conforming to
Appendix J, Group 2 Regulations. As recorded by a contemporary
Autosport article the engine was a BRM-modified phase 2 Lotus
twin-cam unit bored out to the maximum permissible 1,595cc and
fitted with steel con rods and special pistons. The combustion
ratio was raised to 9.8:1 and power was recorded as 150b.h.p at
7,800 r.p.m. Two Weber 40DCOE carburettors were fitted to an alloy
inlet manifold and integral cylinder-head. The mechanical fuel pump
was replaced by a high pressure unit and the transmission was
improved with close ratio gearbox, limited slip differential and
carefully balanced two-piece prop shaft. The rear suspension was
the revised leaf spring arrangement, which was homologated early in
the 1965 season. The back end was softened by removing some of the
leaves and relocating the spring attachments which effectively
lowered the car. The front was stiffened with shorter stronger coil
springs and thicker anti-roll bar. Brakes were Girling discs to the
front and drums to the rear, which featured drilled back plates to
improve cooling. As with other racing Cortinas the doors, bonnet
and boot were all made of Aluminium and the gearbox extension and
differential housing were also made of alloy.
In view of the work involved it is perhaps unsurprising that
KPU392C was not ready for the first race of the European
Championship held at Monza on March 19th. For this event the Alan
Mann team used two 1964 model cars with the A-frame suspension set
up. While this proved to be a disappointing start to the season,
both cars retiring with blown engines, it was the only race that
Whitmore failed to finish and the only time he did not achieve a
class win, if not an outright victory. Round two was held at Mont
Ventoux on the 6th of June and by this time KPU392C was finally
ready. Whitmore was no hill climb expert but that didn't stop him
scoring an incredible outright Touring Car win with a time of 12
minutes, 24.6 seconds. A week later the Alan Mann Cortinas were
back for the third round, which involved a 6 hour race at the
Nurburgring where Whitmore put in the fastest lap in qualifying,
which he converted into an outright win in the race itself. At this
stage the car was still wearing the traditional white and green
colour scheme and was masquerading under the number plate of the
old 1964 car, BTW297B, but by the next event at Zolder it would be
repainted in red and gold and wear its correct registration. With
outright wins in Belgium and at the Innsbruck hill climb in
Austria, Whitmore was solidifying his dominance of the
Championship. A week later on August 8th he was in action at
Karlskoga in Sweden where he achieved yet another class win but
narrowly missed out on overall victory, coming second to one of
Alan Mann's Mustangs. Round seven was the only Championship event
in the UK, and featured a 500km race at Snetterton. This saw the
first real challenge to the Cortinas in the form of the new Alfa
GTAs, one of which led the race for a considerable distance until a
poor pit stop and hard driving by Whitmore put paid to its chances.
The outright win achieved by Sir John at Snetterton was enough to
deliver him the championship but that didn't stop him or the team
competing at the last two events of the season; the St Ursanne hill
climb in Switzerland and the Zandvoort race in Holland where he
achieved two more class wins.
With a 100% class win record and six outright victories, KPU392C
was recognised as a special car even in 1965. As such it was tested
at Goodwood by Autosport and featured in many contemporary
Motorsport press articles. In late 1965 the car sent back to Alan
Mann Racing for a re-paint and some minor rectification work ahead
of a promotional tour organised by Ford. It is likely that the car
lost its original racing limited slip differential at this time to
make it more useable on the road. The only other deviation from its
final racing form was the fitting of a steel boot lid before its
display at the Motor Show but other than that the car remained
highly original and importantly preserved its racing engine and
gearbox. Purchased by Sir John Whitmore himself in 1967 the car was
kept in his private collection for over 30 years with very sparing
use. Acquired by JD Classics in 2014 the car now presents
wonderfully in its unique preserved condition. This is an
unrepeatable opportunity to acquire a time warp example of one of
the most famous and successful racing saloon cars of all time.
Please contact us for further information, price on
application.
From its inception the Lotus Cortina was designed with Motorsport
in mind and appeared in its first race a mere nine months after its
introduction in January 1963 when it took 3rd and 4th place at the
Oulton Park Gold Cup meeting in September that year. While based on
a production two door Ford body shell, the Lotus Cortinas were far
from standard and featured uprated engines, brakes, suspension and
lightened bodies. Other visible exterior changes included the
factory colour scheme of white with a green stripe and the fitting
of front quarter bumpers and discreet Lotus badges.
Over the course of the next few years many famous drivers including
Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Peter Arundell, Jacky Ickx, Jack Sears and
Sir John Whitmore would achieve notable success driving the works
Cortinas of Team Lotus. In addition to numerous victories in
individual races, Jim Clark won the 1964 British Saloon Car
Championship outright and Jack Sears achieved a class win the
following year. �One of the greatest successes, however, was
achieved not in a works car of Team Lotus but in a Cortina of Alan
Mann Racing Ltd. In 1965 Sir John Whitmore won the European Touring
Car Championship with an incredible eight class victories and six
outright wins from nine starts. As Patrick McNally wrote in
Autosport in December of 1965: "In the European Touring Car
Challenge Sir John Whitmore was outstandingly successful, his Alan
Mann Lotus Ford Cortina proving to be both fast and reliable. The
popular racing baronet often won his races outright as well as the
class, and shattered course and circuit records everywhere he
went."
Alan Mann had started race-car preparation in the 1960s and quickly
gained a reputation for building cars that were not only as fast
and reliable as McNally reported, but also superbly turned out,
especially when wearing the striking red and gold livery of
mid-1965 onwards. His success ensured a close relationship with
Ford that lasted throughout the 60s and his cars effectively formed
the second arm of Ford's works effort, the other being Team Lotus.
The superb achievement of 1965 was not only down to the car and its
preparation but also the choice of driver. Sir John Whitmore had
started out as a rally driver but moved over to racing and quickly
demonstrated his talent by winning the British Touring Car
Championship in 1961 driving a Mini. He switched to Fords in 1964
and soon impressed Mann who described him as a quick, consistent
and natural driver. Whitmore would continue to race into 1966 for
both Alan Mann Racing and Team Lotus driving Cortinas as well as
Mustangs and GT40s before retiring at the end of the season.
UNDER OFFER.
Competition History
1965
6th June:���������
Track: ������������ Mt. Ventoux Hill Climb
Driver: ����������� Sir John Whitmore
Position:��������� 1st in class, 1st overall
13th June:���...for more information please contact the seller.
