Beschreibung:

In 1961, Colin Chapman was commissioned by Harry Mundy to design a twin cam version of the Ford Kent engine and its first appearance was at the Nürburgring in a Lotus 23 driven by Jim Clark. Soon after, the engine appeared in the Lotus Elan. During the engine's development, Walter Hayes at Ford, asked Colin Chapman to fit the twin cam into 1,000 Ford saloons for Group 2 racing homologation. Chapman accepted the contract and the type 28, or Lotus Cortina as it became known, was born. Whilst Ford supplied the two door body shells and took care of the marketing, Lotus engineered the mechanical and cosmetic changes which included the 1558cc engine along with the Élan's close-ratio gearbox, front quarter bumpers and Lotus badges. They also made changes to the interior with a new centre console to accommodate the revised gear lever position, different seats and a later styled dashboard that incorporated a tachometer, odometer, oil pressure, water temperature and fuel gauges. A wood rimmed steering wheel was the finishing touch. This Lotus Cortina Mk. I has had the mechanics fully re-commissioned over the last few months after being in dry storage for nine years. It was purchased by the vendor about fifteen years ago from a fund management company who had the car professionally restored in the early 1980's and then put into storage as an investment. Finished in the classic Lotus Cortina colours of white with green strip and black interior, this Mk. I is supplied with a V5C registration document, a letter from the Lotus Cortina Register confirming the provenance and value, a list of all the previous owners with the first being a captain in the British army, a letter from a previous owner with some photographs from the early 1980's and some old MoT test certificates. The Lotus Cortina, quite rightly, earned an awesome reputation in its day and these models are now highly prized - this is an opportunity to acquire an iconic piece of motoring competition history.