Jim Clark

CHAMPION 1964

In a different age of motorsport, variety was the spice of life. When Lotus forged an alliance with Ford to create the Lotus Cortina, it created a thoroughbred racing car with the aim of showing that the humble family saloon could tear up the race tracks, and it certainly did that.

Walter Hayes was the man who commissioned Lotus to build 1000 of the

Group 2 racers, and it featured bodywork and several suspension adjustments, as well as a close-ratio gearbox among other tweaks.

The car first appeared in the hands of Jack Sears, who would go on to win the British Saloon Car title after beginning the campaign in a Ford Cortina GT, and Lotus grand prix driver Trevor Taylor at the Oulton Park Gold

Cup in September 1963. But it was when reigning F1 world champion Clark got his hands on the car in 1964 that he swept all before him: he went unbeaten throughout the season in the points-paying rounds, the same year that he finished third in the F1 world championship.

Clark made sporadic appearances after that through to 1966, and was a regular winner without ever putting together a title bid because of his other commitments. He came, saw and conquered, and left behind the iconic images of him three-wheeling through corners in his characteristic press-on style.