Ford has enjoyed tremendous success in many forms of motorsport over its century-plus in existence, whether that be on paved tracks or across treacherous terrain. As such, there are loads of famous Blue Oval racers that have existed over the years as well, some more recognizable than others. One of those is the Ford Lotus Cortina, a collaboration between those two entities that was produced from 1963-1970 for homologation purposes. Recently, Ford Authority was able to check out one of the most famous Ford Lotus Cortina racers in the flesh, too.
We spotted this Ford Lotus Cortina on display at the Silverstone Museum in the UK, where it’s currently on loan from Woolmer Classic Engineering. It was prepared for motorsport duties by the famous Alan Mann Racing, which was Ford’s official European factory team and became a dominant force in that realm when it came to be back in 1964. Alan Mann Racing played a key role in developing and running legendary racers including the Ford Lotus Cortina, Falcon, Escort Twin-Cam, GT40, and Ford F3L, to name just a few.
This particular Ford Lotus Cortina is known by its number plate – KPU 392C – and is finished in Alan Mann’s legendary red and gold livery. In the 1965 season, it was driven by Sir John Whitmore in the European Touring Car Championship, who quickly dominated by racking up six wins in eight races that the duo competed in, which led to him taking home the overall championship that year. Needless to say, that was more than enough to make this one of the most famous ex-works Ford Lotus Cortina racers of all time.
What’s particularly impressive about this particular car is that it’s highly original, even today – in fact, it was repainted for a promotional tour following its 1965 European Touring Car Championship win, and that paintwork is still present (and in great shape) now. It’s also still equipped with all of its original mechanicals, which isn’t exactly common in the world of vintage racers, either.
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