Freshly restored 1966 Lotus Cortina could fetch £50,000 at auction

A stunningly restored Lotus Cortina is set to go under the hammer this summer, where it could go for £43,000.

The model was launched in 1963 and was made famous by legendary racing driver Jim Clark, who won the 1964 British Saloon Car Championship at the wheel of one.

It would continue to be a huge motorsport success, with more than 1,000 examples being homologated for various racing series.

This beautifully restored 1966 ‘mk1 Aeroflow’ model is being auctioned this summer after undergoing extensive work over a 12-month period in which ‘nothing was left untouched’.

A replacement shell has been used but keeps the original wings, with the paint job being the traditional Ermine White with Sherwood Green stripes down the side.

This particular example comes with the early Lotus gearbox with a tall first gear, only fitted to very early examples. The engine is a fully rebuilt Twin-cam, while it also gets outlets on the rear quarters because it’s the Aeroflow version.

Described as a highly collectable car, it’s going up for auction at the Classic Car Auctions (CCA) sale on June 18 at the Warwickshire Event Centre with a guide price of £40,000 to £50,000.

Another intriguing example for sale at the same auction is a 1984 Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera in Guards Red. It has had more than £8,000 spent on it in the last five years and has a guide price of up to £43,000.

Gary Dunne CCA sales manager said: “We have two iconic cars of their eras, and at some point, we have all loved a red 911, they featured on posters that nearly every lad once had on their bedroom wall, I know I did!”

“The Lotus Cortina seemed to signify the start of the whole Fast Ford era, followed by the Escorts, Capris, and the whole Cosworth franchise in later years. CCA always does well with Fast Fords, I look forward to seeing what this one does on June 18.”