Lot details Registration No: EHE737C Chassis No: BA74EG59526 Mot Expiry: Nov 2010
Mindful that the Harry Mundy and Keith Duckworth-developed Lotus Twin-Cam engine was based on his firm's 116E four-cylinder unit, Ford's boss of public relations Walter Hayes asked Colin Chapman to build 1,000 Lotus-powered Ford saloons for Group 2 homologation purposes. The savvy Hayes knew that winning on Sunday would sell cars on the Monday. The resultant Type 28 Lotus (or Cortina-Lotus in Ford speak) used a heavily revised suspension set-up, lightweight body panels and servo-assisted disc / drum brakes. Producing 105bhp and 108lbft, its 1558cc powerplant was allied to a close ratio four-speed manual gearbox and drove the rear wheels via an alloy-cased differential. Taking to the tracks in September 1963, its maiden outing at the Oulton Gold Cup was rewarded with third and fourth places behind two Ford 7-litre Galaxies. After the rear axle proved leak and failure-prone due to the loads put on it by the redesigned A-bracket / twin trailing arm rear suspension, the rear suspension was changed to leaf springs like Cortina GTs, the beginning of a progressive reworking in the interests of reliability and ease of maintenance that included a two-piece propshaft, steel panels, Airflow styling (complete with full-width grille), a stronger leaf-sprung rear axle and wider-spaced gear ratios. Highly sought after as a road car thanks to its class-leading performance and handling, the MkI Lotus-Cortina remained in production until 1966 by which time 3,301 are thought to have been made.
This particular August 1965-produced car is an 'Airflow' model with full-width grille, revised interior and leaf-sprung rear end. The vendor, who has owned 'EHE 737C' for more than 30 years, informs us that it retains its factory-fitted bodyshell (identified by the hand-beaten 'hump' over the differential) not to mention its original close-ratio gearbox and two-piece propshaft. Describing the car as being in "fair" condition with regard to its bodywork, paintwork, interior trim and electrical equipment, he further rates the gearbox and engine as "good". The latter - a correct type but replacement unit - is understood to have been overhauled within the last 10,000 miles all of which have been covered during the current ownership; the only stated deviation from standard being the slight clean-up overbore with +0.20 pistons. A rare chance to purchase an original and unmolested icon, that has the potential to qualify for FIA papers allowing it to contest a wealth of historic racing and rallying events in Appendix K period F (pre-'66), at a very reasonable price.
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