My third drive of the day with Car Chase Heroes was the Lotus Cortina.
The Cortina was made by Ford and launched in 1962 as a family car made to compete with Morris Oxfords and Vauxhall Victors.
During 1961, Colin Chapman of Lotus wanted to have his own Lotus engine and commissioned Harry Mundy (Designer of the Coventry Climax engine) to develop a twin cam version of the Ford Kent engine.
With the engine in development, Ford's Walter Hayes asked Colin Chapman if he can fit the engine to 1000 Cortina's for Group 2 homologation, Chapman agreed. Ford would provide a 2 door shell of the car and took care of the distribution and marketing, Lotus built the cars and sorted out the mechanical side of it.
The engine was a 1597cc twin cam that produced 105bhp and a top speed of 145mph. This was paired with the 4 speed gearbox from the Lotus Elan.
Lowered suspension and servo assisted disc brakes meant the the Lotus Cortina handled well.
Then there was the iconic colour scheme, Ermine White with a Sherwood Green Flash stripe, although Private race teams would use their own colours.
The Lotus Cortina was launched in 1963 in Monte Carlo.
Jim Clark would win the British Saloon Car Championship in a Lotus Cortina in 1964. This would enhance Clark's reputation as a driver and the Cortina's reputation as a sports car.
Inside the Lotus Cortina there is plenty of room and the leather seats are comfy.
Once strapped in I turn the key and the 1597cc twin cam comes to life.
It's at this point I would go into detail about driving round the track, but on this occasion, I'm going to let technology step in. Below is a video of my drive around Castle Combe.
To conclude, the Lotus Cortina is a must drive car for classic car enthusiasts. It's speed, steering and handling make this car easy and fun to drive. And if that's not enough, the engine noise is fantastic.
What Colin Chapman did to this humble family car may have given rise to the phrase wolf in sheep's clothing in terms of motoring. If you tried to drag race one of these in the early 1960's the chances are you lost.
Let me know in the comments how you think I did driving the Lotus Cortina around Castle Combe.
For more information about Car Chase Heroes, U Drive Cars and Castle Combe please visit
AWESOME fun Nick!!😊👍
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