Noble Sisters: Ford Cortina Lotus

At the beginning of the 1960s, the American car manufacturer Ford sought greater visibility in key European markets. The Blue Oval’s cars were seen as unsophisticated and slow family vehicles. Giving the brand a younger and sportier image was no small task, but the idea of Walter Hayes, the new head of Ford UK's public relations, proved to be spot-on: invest in motorsports. A personal friend of Colin Chapman, Hayes enlisted the brilliant British engineer, famous for his groundbreaking Formula 1 cars, to produce around 1,000 special versions of the first-generation Cortina, a mid-sized Ford sedan of the time, for participation in "Prepared Touring Car" races.

The Ford Cortina Lotus was born from Walter Hayes' idea to involve Colin Chapman in the car's development. It was a success.

Ford provided the suitably lightened body shells—Chapman was always focused on reducing weight—and handled the cars’ marketing, while Lotus concentrated on mechanical and aesthetic modifications. In 1963, the Ford Cortina Lotus debuted, equipped with the 1558cc, 105hp inline-four engine from the Lotus Elan S1 launched the previous year, paired with a 4-speed manual transmission. Even the suspension was heavily modified, leaving very little of the original Ford Cortina.

Substantial modifications to the Ford Cortina included adopting the Lotus Elan engine, a lighter body shell, and new suspension, with a total weight of just 800kg.

The result was a highly competitive car with agility stemming from its light 800kg weight. It quickly achieved numerous successes in both circuit racing and rallying. Highlights include winning the British Touring Car Championship with Jim Clark in 1964 and the Second Division of the European Touring Car Championship with Sir John Whitmore the following year. The Cortina Lotus also excelled in road races, winning the British and European Rally Championships in 1967 and the Belgian Hill Climb Championship three years in a row, from 1964 to 1966.

The Ford Cortina Lotus proved victorious in both track and rally racing, with drivers like Jim Clark, John Whitmore, and Jackie Stewart.

With the arrival of the second-generation Cortina, identified as the MkII, in 1966, the Lotus version was assembled directly by Ford. Though modern and more refined, it was never as beloved as the Mk1, even though it sold better: 3,306 units of the Mark I were sold between 1963 and 1967, compared to 4,093 units of the Mark II between 1967 and 1970. However, the true and pure Cortina Lotus always remained the first generation. Today, Mk1s fetch between €25,000 and €60,000 among collectors, while racing configurations exceed €100,000. In contrast, MkIIs in good condition range from €10,000 to €20,000.

The Cortina's story as a mid-sized sedan continued until 1982, with over 4.3 million units produced. This commercial success was undoubtedly bolstered by Walter Hayes’ genius in involving Colin Chapman, whose work profoundly changed Ford’s image in Europe.

Pictured here is the second-generation Cortina Lotus, produced from 1967 to 1970, but the true and pure version was always the Mk1.