1963 Lotus Cortina FIA Race Car

Highlights

• Genuine early Lotus factory-built Mk 1, with lightweight alloy body panels (doors, bonnet and boot)
• Full FIA race and rally papers valid until 2031
• Rebuilt engine and gearbox with few miles covered since
• Ex-Rex Woodgate driven car with competition history at the Nürburgring and Brands Hatch
• In current ownership for over 11 years

The Appeal

The Mk1 Cortina may not be what immediately comes to mind as a competition winner, but what a competition winner it was. Taking Ford's Project Archbishop and loading it with Colin Chapman's eye for pure speed, the familiar, upright body shell was married to Lotus's legendary twin-cam and a close-ratio gearbox, all sat atop a revised suspension and wrapped in lightweight alloy panels.
The Lotus Cortina positively dominated touring car racing in the hands of drivers such as Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart, Jack Sears, Vic Elford and Jacky Ickx. It's little wonder they've become the stuff of absolute legend.
This 1963 example is a genuine early Lotus factory-built Mk1, produced before the switch from alloy to steel body panels. It carries a distinguished competition provenance, having been driven by the legendary Rex Woodgate, who served as race mechanic to a young Stirling Moss, worked with HWM and Vanwall, built Aston Martin's sports-racing cars, and managed the Elisha Walker DBR2 team. Woodgate campaigned this car at both the Nürburgring and Brands Hatch.

Now in the hands of its sixth registered keeper since December 2014, the car has been prepared for competition use. The body was seam-welded and re-sprayed in 1998, and it is fitted with a full FIA roll cage, door bars and a foam-filled aluminium-alloy fuel tank. The engine and gearbox have been rebuilt, and the car holds FIA race and rally papers valid until 2031, making it eligible for immediate competition use across a wide range of historic events.

History and Paperwork

• UK-market RHD car, first registered 22nd August 1963
• Six registered keepers from new
• Current keeper since December 2014
• Ex-Rex Woodgate-driven car, campaigned at the Nürburgring and Brands Hatch
• FIA race and rally papers valid until 2031
• Body seam-welded and re-sprayed in 1998
• Mechanical rebuild completed by the current owner in 2020
• Accompanied by a vast file of paperwork, including plenty of racing paperwork and written records

The Condition

• Lightweight alloy panels for doors, bonnet and boot (early pre-steel changeover example)
• FIA roll cage and door bars fitted
• Foam-filled aluminium-alloy fuel tank
• New interior, including seats and harness belts
• Competition electronics fitted
• Heavy-duty bushes, modified crossmember, competition springs and Leda shock absorbers all round

Beautifully finished and handsomely presented, this competition Cortina comes to us in excellent order, with its original alloy panels, badges and branding all present and correct. The two-tone livery is beautifully kept. It all really looks the part, with only gentle signs of wear and a little patina to the underside.
The stripped-back interior is very much newly fitted and well executed, too, with period-style toggle switches and Recaro seats. The carpets are equally well-presented, and we're told by the vendor that the array of racing electronics and instruments is all working as it should.

The Mechanics

• 1,558cc twin-cam petrol engine
• Close-ratio four-speed manual gearbox (as per Lotus Elan)
• Engine rebuilt with new pistons, cams, bearings, followers and clutch
• The vendor reports very few miles logged on the rebuilt engine
• Alloy bell housing Lotus Bullet gearbox rebuilt by JP Gearboxes at Silverstone
• Quaife gearbox with reportedly very few miles since rebuild
• Strengthened rear axle fitted with Salisbury limited-slip differential
• New front callipers and discs
• New brake shoes to the rear
• Aeroquip braided brake hoses throughout
• All mechanical work completed by the current owner in 2020

Fully rebuilt to a dazzling competition spec, the Cortina's no doubt going to prove capable of very high-octane performance. Everything has been focused on a period-correctness, and very few miles have been covered since the mechanical overhaul, which was completed by the current era in 2020.
It's a very impressive prospect from top to bottom, ready and waiting to impress the car's lucky new owner, whether on the road or on the track.
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