-Ermine White with Sherwood Green striping, Black seats and Black carpeting, 4-speed gearbox, LHD, 1,557 4-cylinder engine producing 115 bhp, Preserved in remarkably original condition, Numbers matching, Long term West Coast collector ownerships.

The Lotus Cortina produced by Ford of Dagenham, in England is one of the most charismatic and universally successful high-performance cars sports sedans of its era. The Lotus-Ford Twin Cam engine was fine tuned by Cosworth Engineering with power being driven through a Ford 4-speed gearbox. With the help of Colin Chapman - Lotus, the Cortina's suspension significantly uprated. This included changing the spring and damper rates, reducing the ride height, and utilizing coil springs at the rear. The body shell was lightened with aluminum skins in the doors, hood and trunk lid. Aluminum was also adopted for the clutch housing, remote gearshift extension and differential case. Lotus badges were added externally while the interior featured bucket front seats, pistol-grip handbrake and a wood-rim alloy-spoked steering wheel.

Production began in February 1963. With homologation being achieved in September 1963, Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart, Vic Elford, Jack Sears, Sir John Whitmore, and Jacky Ickx all raced Cortinas. Jim Clark, multiple F1 World Champion and Indy 500 winner, also won the 1964 British Saloon Car Championship in his works version.

This left hand drive Lotus was sold new in California and spent the majority of its life in a Northern California collection. It is an extremely very well-preserved original that has been properly maintained at all times having been cherished by its previous owners. This Cortina enjoyed San Francisco-based collector ownership for nearly three decades (1980s-2017) and a Texas based collector ownership from (2017-2024) and until its purchase by Autosport Designs, Inc.

This Lotus Cortina is 100% original throughout and has been meticulously gone through to prep for preservation class concours showing. Not only outstanding in cosmetic condition, it has been maintained regardless of use, and has been used on several 1,000 mile vintage rallies-tours in previous ownerships. To confirm its outstanding condition mechanically, immediately after purchasing this Lotus Cortina Mk I, Tom Papadopoulos – Autosport Designs, Inc. had it transported directly from its most previous ownership to Nashville, Tennessee for the start of Two-Lane Touring rally. I then enjoyed over 1,000 miles of trouble free motoring enjoying many smiles and thumbs up from onlookers along the way.

Since having return from its 1,000+ miles of use and enjoyment, the Cortina will be serviced to make ready for immediate use and enjoyment within its next ownership.

This is a rare opportunity to acquire a 1960s sports saloon, an incredible icon of the vintage automobile world, an unmodified, unmolested and totally original, serviced and maintained rare late model Mk 1 Lotus Cortina, and which must be one of the finest original Ford Lotus Cortinas in existence.