1966 Ford Cortina Lotus. Ex-works

One of only three 'Group 5' works cars that were built by Lotus for the 1966 British Saloon Car Championship

Raced by Jim Clark, Peter Arundell, Jacky Ickx, Sir John Whitmore and Graham Hill

Converted to fuel-injection by BRM in June '66. Class winner first time out for Sir John Whitmore

Many years in Africa until purchased by Cedric Selzar, Jim Clark"s race mechanic, and repatriated to the UK

Sympathetically restored. Original bodyshell and all the period race modifications to the suspension and the engine

The history of the Lotus Cortina is probably too well known to spend time on here but briefly, in 1963 one of the great collaborations in British Motor Manufacturing took place when Lotus Cars and Ford of Britain agreed to build a highly developed version of Ford"s latest saloon. The official name for the new car was initially the “Consul Cortina Developed by Lotus” but, not surprisingly, quickly became known simply as the 'Lotus Cortina'. The partnership suited both parties as Ford were hoping to strengthen their reputation with exposure to motorsport and Lotus were keen to replace the expensive Coventry-Climax engines used in their cars with a new twin-cam engine based on the Ford Kent design. To meet homologation requirements 1,000 cars were required, and so production of the new Lotus Cortina commenced in earnest at the Lotus Cheshunt plant with Ford providing the two-door saloon body shells and Lotus undertaking the necessary mechanical and cosmetic changes.

The Lotus Cortina offered here is one of only three 'Group 5' works cars that were built by Lotus for the 1966 British Saloon Car Championship. E14 LS was constructed in March 1966, (initially registered PHK 614D) and was immediately assigned to Jim Clark for use at Oulton Park on the 2nd of April, however, the meeting was disrupted by poor weather and the car didn't get much running. The next outing was at Snetterton a week later, where fellow Formula 1 driver Peter Arundell took the car to a 2nd in class and 5th overall finish in the Archie Scott Brown Memorial Trophy. Over the course of the next month, two more 2nd-in-class results would be achieved at Goodwood and Silverstone with Arundell and Jacky Ickx driving. In May, the car was used as a spare car at Crystal Palace and in June the engine was converted to fuel injection by BRM. The first race with the new engine was the Grand Prix support race at Brands Hatch on 16th July where Sir John Whitmore won his class and finished 4th overall.

The car was back at Brands Hatch in August for the Guards International meeting and on this occasion, Peter Arundell placed 3rd overall and 2nd in class. Arundell was also the driver for the last two races of the season at Oulton Park and at Brands Hatch where he managed a class win on 30th October. The achievements of Arundell in PHK 614D were enough to secure him 3rd place in the British Saloon Car Championship and Team Lotus won the Lombank Entrants Trophy.

The first race of 1967 was to be the last works event for the PHK 614D but it finished its Team Lotus career on a high with Graham Hill delivering a 1st in class and 2nd overall result in the Race of Champions at Brands Hatch on 12th March. This was not the end of the Cortina's competition career, however, and by that summer it was back in action for A G Dean Racing Ltd driven by Brian Robinson. On 16th September Robinson finished 2nd in class at Oulton Park in the International Gold cup and bettered this with a class victory on October 22nd in the Guards Motor Show 200 at Brands Hatch. The Lotus was retained by Robinson and Dean for the 1968 season and made eight competitive appearances achieving top-three class finishes in seven of them, and as a result, Robinson finished the championship in a very respectable third place.

At the end of the '68 season, the car was sold to Peter Parnell, who appears to have driven it in the Bulawayo 3-Hour race in Rhodesia, and subsequently to Dave Hannaford who emigrated to Zambia, taking the car with him. The Lotus continued its tour of Africa with a move to South Africa with its next owner, Hannaford's friend and business partner Nevile Halberg, who kept it until 1983 when he sold it to Jannie Van Aswegan. It remained in Van Aswegan"s ownership for 14 years until being purchased by Cedric Selzar, Jim Clark"s race mechanic, and repatriated to the UK where it was sympathetically restored.

Purchased by our vendors directly from Mr Selzar in 2005, the car is today presented in race ready condition and, importantly, retains its original shell and all the period race modifications to the suspension and the engine. It's accompanied by the V5, full details of its works competition history in 1966,67 and '68, and a small number of spares. Given its exceptional rarity, competition successes, and association with two World Champions, this is a fantastic opportunity to acquire one of the most significant racing saloons of the 1960s.

Image 2. Start of Motor Show 200, Brands Hatch 30/10/66. Colin Chapman can be seen to the left just above the "S" of the LUCAS sign watching the start. Image 9. Jackie Ickx, Silverstone International Meet, 14/4/66. Both images are copyright Peter Darley.