An early 1963 Lotus Mk1 Cortina, well-known over many years on the UK rally scene Recently restored by a Lotus Cortina expert over a six-year period using new or reconditioned parts The car was re-shelled using a correct 1963 GT shell and is now in simply superb condition

Accompanied by a many invoices and a full photographic record of the restoration The Lotus Cortina came into being because of Ford's decision to step up their Motorsport involvement in the early 1960s.

Their Head of UK Public Relations, Walter Hayes, spoke to Colin Chapman, asking him to come up with a competitive saloon, using the Cortina as a base, that could be produced in sufficient numbers to satisfy the mandatory 'Group 2' homologation requirements, and with which the Blue Oval could beat all comers.

The solution was to take Ford's bullet-proof 1500 Kent engine, fit it with a twin-cam cylinder head, pop it into a stiffened Cortina shell, sort out the suspension and brakes and paint a green stripe down the sid...