Ford
Lotus Cortina Mk1 (road cars)

Why it matters

The Mk1 Lotus Cortina put Lotus's twin-cam engine into a two-door Cortina so that Ford could homologate a lightweight saloon for Group 2 racing. It became one of the best-known performance saloons of the 1960s, and the Special Equipment cars are the rarest road versions.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Photos

Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.

• Ford Lotus Cortina Mk1 (road cars) (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: Jeremy from Sydney, Australia · CC BY 2.0
• Ford Lotus Cortina Mk1 (road cars) (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: Jeremy from Sydney, Australia · CC BY 2.0
• Ford Lotus Cortina Mk1 (road cars) (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: Jeremy from Sydney, Australia · CC BY 2.0

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

Colin Chapman sought a replacement for the costly Coventry Climax engine, and designer Harry Mundy supplied a twin-cam head for the Ford Kent 1.5-litre four, enlarged to 1,600 cc for the Lotus Elan. Ford executive Walter Hayes then asked Chapman to fit it to 1,000 small two-door saloons. The car added lightweight body panels, lighter transmission and differential cases, close-ratio gearing, Girling front discs and a heavily modified suspension. Jim Clark's bobsled run at Cortina d'Ampezzo in 1963 helped publicise it.

Bonhams says 2,894 Mk1 cars were produced, of which 64 were built by the factory as Special Equipment models. These had semi-race camshafts, larger valves, a larger exhaust, adjustable rear dampers and 115 bhp instead of 105 bhp.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

Special Equipment cars are marked by green cam covers, a 'Special Equipment' script badge on the rear body panel and a leather-covered Lotus wood-rim steering wheel from April 1964. They also have Irvine aircraft-specification seat belts and adjustable rear dampers. Cars are typically Ermine White with a green stripe. The cached lots show different chassis number formats: Z74D424157 on a 1964 car, BA74EK59800 on a 1965 car, and 4362065 on a 1966 car, which the Lotus Cortina Register places as the 2,065th right-hand-drive example. Rebuilds around a genuine Lotus Cortina bodyshell exist, so registry confirmation of the chassis number matters.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   Bonhams lot 373: 1965 Ford Lotus Cortina Competition Level B

   • 3306 MkI Lotus Cortinas produced

   Accessed 2026-11-12
2. 2
   Ford Cortina Level B Autozine

   • close to 3000 cars were built to satisfy demand
   • Lotus Elan's 1558cc twin-cam engine and close-ratio 4-speed gearbox
   • the Lotus version located the live axle by a pair of trailing arms
   • Lotus version located the live axle by a pair of trailing arms and an A-bracket

   Accessed 2026-11-12
3. 3
   1965 Lotus Cortina Mk I, Quail Lodge 2015 Level C Bonhams · 2015-08-14

   • twin-cam head for the Ford Kent 1.5-liter four-cylinder motor
   • 1,558cc DOHC Inline 4-Cylinder Engine
   • Girling front disc brakes

   Accessed 2026-11-12
4. 4
   1964 Ford Lotus Cortina Mk1 Special Equipment, Beaulieu 2006 Level C Bonhams · 2006-09-09

   • 115 bhp (up-rated from 105)

   Accessed 2026-11-12
5. 5
   Guide: Lotus Type 28 / Ford Cortina Mk1 Level A Supercar Nostalgia

   • Ford's standard Type 74 two-door monocoque bodyshell was much-modified

   Accessed 2026-11-12