The Lotus-Cortina, a two-door, rear-wheel drive high-performance coupe, was produced from 1963 to 1970 by Ford in collaboration with Lotus. Mark 1, produced from 1963 to 1966, was named Ford Lotus-Cortina. (Mark 2, based on the Ford Cortina Mk 2, was marketed by Ford as the Cortina Lotus.) Ford supplied the Cortina bodyshells and took care of all the marketing and selling of the cars, whilst Lotus did all the mechanical and cosmetic changes. Mk 1 was powered by a 1558 cc straight-4 Twin ohc engine, 106hp (78 kW) @ 5500 rpm, and it used the same close-ratio gearbox as the Lotus Elan. Lightweight alloy panels were used for doors, bonnet and boot. All the Lotus factory cars were painted white with a green stripe (although Ford built some for racing in red). The cars also received front quarter bumpers and round Lotus badges were fitted to rear wings and to the right side of the radiator panel (from the driver's position). The Lotus Cortina had by this time earned an awesome competition reputation. (wikipedia)
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(Photos from classicandperformancecar.com, commons.wikimedia.org,
coys.co.uk, flickr.com, performance-car-guide.co.uk,
nickwhalesportscarsdirect.co.uk & weilinet.com)
coys.co.uk, flickr.com, performance-car-guide.co.uk,
nickwhalesportscarsdirect.co.uk & weilinet.com)
