Lotus Cortina

The Ford Consul Cortina developed by Lotus, colloquially known as the Lotus Cortina, is a high-performance sports sedan produced by Ford from 1963 to 1970 over two generations. Designed by Roy Brown Jr. in collaboration with Ford UK and Lotus Cars, the Cortina was based on the Cortina Mark 1, albeit fitted with a 1.6L Ford Twin-Cam inline-4 and tuned by Lotus engineers. The car itself was developed for Group 2 homologation, with Fords Walter Hayes asking Lotuss Colin Chapman if he could fit the engine to 1,000 Ford sedans, a request which Chapman accepted; it would go on to be used successfully in racing, driven by drivers such as Jim Clark and John Whitmore. The first generation was discontinued in 1966. 3,306 were produced. The initial livery of the casting is based on Jim Clarks 1964 British Saloon Car Championship-winning car.