Lotus was commissioned by Ford to turn their Cortina saloon into a winner both on the track as in rallies. Colin Chapman and his men extensively modified the Cortina. The straight 4 engine derived from the Anglia powerplant was bored out and fitted with a special crankshaft and fed by twin Weber Carburetors. The suspension was modified as well. The result was the almost unbeatable Lotus Cortina scoring many road racing victories at the hands of the greats like Jim Clark. The Lotus Cortina is still a very popular choice for historic racing as seen here at the Dutch Zandvoort track. The Cortina is a handful to handle but when driven on the limit it still is a winner.
Article by Wouter Melissen, last updated before 12 / 01 / 2004
A classic example of Lotus' expertise in tuning. Has anyone seen the kick-ass 180bhp Lada Riva they built? Also, How about a little info on the masterful Vauxhall / Lotus Carlton. Turning that lump of pig iron into a performande vehicle was a true stroke of genius.
real touring car
henk4 23-8-2002
They were in a class of their own until Alfa managed somehow to get the GTA accepted as a touring car, able to carry four fully grown passengers. What a mockery. Things got even worse when the 911 got accepted as touring car. Only the heavier BMW 1800/2000 TI/SA was able to keep up with these light and simple machines. However, having recently witnessed some of the drivers pictured above, for some the car was still too much to handle.
A classic race car
gurvar 22-8-2002
Ford Cortina Lotus, with the same engine as the Elan. They are often faster than the Minis on the track and at Goodwood Revival 2001 they placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd. They are also nice to watch in the corners with one of the front wheels in the air!
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Lotus was commissioned by Ford to turn their Cortina saloon into a winner both on the track as in rallies. Colin Chapman and his men extensively modified the Cortina. The straight 4 engine derived from the Anglia powerplant was bored out and fitted with a special crankshaft and fed by twin Weber Carburetors. The suspension was modified as well.
