Lot 328: Ex-Works, Ex-1966 RAC Rally and Ex-Jim Clark 1965 Ford Cortina Lotus Rally Car

In the early 1960s Ford asked Lotus founder Colin Chapman to produce a sports/racing version of its new Cortina for homologation in Group 2. Chapman also needed a new engine for the forthcoming Elan, and Harry Mundy, ex-BRM and Coventry-Climax, duly produced an alloy twin overhead camshaft cylinder head that was mated to Ford's 1,498cc block; the unit debuted in Jim Clark's Lotus 23 at the 1962 Nurburgring 1000kms. Chapman thus had a potent power unit for both the Elan and Ford's new saloon. The Lotus Cortina was born. Introduced in 1963, and assembled at Lotus, the stylish Ford Cortina Lotus (its correct title) sported white paintwork, green side flashes and discreet Lotus badges. Bonnet, bootlid and doors were alloy, as were clutch and differential housings and the gearbox tailshaft. Front suspension was standard MacPherson strut, lowered and stiffened, but the rear was radical, the leaf springs replaced by an A-bracket, coil springs and trailing arms. The result was a package that, with 105bhp via twin Weber carburettors from now 1,558cc, and close ratio gears, could top 106mph and reach 0-60mph in 10.5 seconds. For 1964 the alloy panels were replaced by steel items and in July 1965 the fragile A-bracket was replaced by Cortina GT leaf springs/radius arms; the Corsair close ratio gearbox was adopted soon afterwards. On the track the Lotus Cortina was immensely successful, its first victory coming in the Motor Six Hours at Brands Hatch, followed by Sir John Whitmore's outright honours in the 1965 European Touring Car Championship; Jackie Ickx also won the Belgian Saloon Car Championship, Bengt Soderstrom the Swedish Rally and Roger Clark the Welsh Rally while in New Zealand the car won the Gold Star Saloon Car Championship. 1966 then saw victories in the Acropolis and Swedish Rallies and Soderstrom/Gunnar Palm win the RAC. Indeed, such successes only ceased when the Lotus Cortina was replaced by the 1967 Mk 2, less than 3,000 having been built. KPU 386C was one of a batch originally built for the Ford Motor Company competitions department at Boreham, carrying the registrations KPU 380C to KPU 397C. In those days complete cars were delivered to Boreham, where they were then dismantled prior to reassembly to suit their chosen role. Records show that KPU 386C left the factory with red paintwork and was delivered to Boreham in March 1965 and registered on the 1st June the same year. It is believed this car attended rallying legend Roger Clark's wedding as part of a fleet of works cars supplied by Henry Taylor, who was in charge of the competitions department at the time, one of a line of three red Lotus Cortinas. KPU 386C was decommissioned in 1967 and was then used as a mule to develop automatic transmission for standard Cortina models under Ted Davis, chief engineer at Borg/Warner. Subsequently the car was owned by several members of the same family and an unbroken history of these owners is available, along with a copy of the green logbook. Also provided is a tax disc and MoT test certificate from 1979, the last year the car was on the road. KPU 386C has since been fully restored by Jeff Coates of Classic/Express Components in Keighley, Yorkshire, and is in very good condition. Finding the correct parts took several years to source, and the car is fitted with original gearbox with the correct period aluminium bell housing and tail shaft, original seats, and it also has the correct Lotus wooden gear knob and leather rim steering wheel. Seat belts are period red to match the trim. In addition, the car has two fuel tanks fitted for long-range use, as per original specification. Works Lotus Cortinas in Monaco Red bearing the KPU works series of registration plates are very rare, and this particular car remains very original and in possibly better condition now than when it left the factory. Supplied with the car is a copy of the homologation papers for the European series in 1965, a V5 registration document, a MoT test certificate valid until November 2008 together with a portfolio detailing its restoration. This genuine works car is 'on the button' and eligible for all manner of historic race and rally events.