1969 Ford Cortina Lotus Mark II ex-Fred Bushell

Following on from the enormous success of the Lotus Cortina in the hands of a plethora of star drivers including Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill, Sir John Whitmore and Frank Gardner, Ford introduced the Cortina Lotus Mark II in 1967. With the move of production from Norfolk to Dagenham, the marketing team at Ford felt more comfortable with the car being seen as a Ford product rather than a Lotus one, and the names were reversed. The famous Lotus 1600 twin-cam engine was now developing 109bhp and externally all the cars had a black front grill, steel wheels and Lotus badges on both rear wings and adjacent to the rear number plate. The gearbox ratios remained to 2000E spec, but the final drive was lengthened to 3.77 to 1 from 3.9 to 1 and comfort and handling improvements were made with a larger fuel tank and radial tyres.

This particular Cortina Lotus MKII was purchased by our vendor in June 2015, but business commitments relating to his role as chief executive of a landmark British company meant that it has languished in a private collection, far from the twisty tarmac for which the car is so eminently suitable. During our vendor's ownership a new stainless steel exhaust, manifold and a water pump have been fitted.

Sales information supplied when our vendor purchased the car, states that its first owner was the notable Fred Bushell, who was both the Chairman of Team Lotus and a director of Lotus Cars, and he owned the car until 1986. The Cortina was apparently used by Mrs Bushell as her daily drive, and naturally it was maintained by the Lotus factory. Fred Bushell was Colin Chapman's close friend, confidant and the Company Accountant and it was mainly his efforts that kept Lotus Cars alive during the industrial decline that heralded the demise of so many British car makers. After Chapman's death in 1982, it was Fred Bushell who bore the brunt of the British investigation and subsequent trial into the De Lorean-Lotus financial scandal, and according to numerous reports Fred Bushell protected Colin Chapman's legacy and reputation in the dock.

After the Bushell tenure came to an end in 1986, the car was sold to a Mr Utting who confirmed with the factory that the mileage of 36,000 at the time was genuine and matched the factory records. Complete with a comprehensive history file, which includes the original handbook, brochures, previous V5s, various bills and invoices for works carried out and crucially a letter from the Lotus Cortina Register confirming its history. Interestingly the car featured in ITV's smash hit The Grimleys, and documentation from Granada Television is also included.

Presented today with an MoT until 31st May 2016, and showing just under 47,000 miles, this fabulous British early seventies saloon offers an incredible combination of ownership history, maintenance by the Lotus factory during the time the car covered most of its miles and is a great, useable Cortina Lotus.