Ford decided that the Cortina Lotus MKII would be produced at Dagenham when launched in October 1966. Lotus were in the process of moving from Cheshunt to Hethel and it gave Ford the opportunity to have an influence over reliability and quality control. Importantly for Ford it was now known as the ‘'Ford Cortina Lotus''.

In competition it followed on from the MKI and was a worthy stopgap till the Escort arrived. In 1967/68, Ove Andersson was a contracted race and rally driver for the Ford Motor Company and this Cortina Lotus MKII was purchased by him from the factory on 14th March 1969. It still carries the famous series of works registration ‘XOO 260F' and the history file contains the original invoice showing the chassis number. It was used by Andersson in Sweden for many competition events, mainly ice racing.

It returned to the UK in 2009 and was reunited with its original registration. This significant Ford Cortina Lotus has never been restored and is in remarkably original condition with none of its history removed. Even the period driver's bucket seat is present together with the original standard item. Over the last four years the car has been serviced and maintained by renowned rally specialists BGMsport. Work has included a full engine rebuild, rear axle rebuild including the limited slip differential and the car comes with a full MoT.

This Ford Cortina Lotus represents a fantastic opportunity to own a very special Cortina carrying the famous ‘'XOO'' series of works registrations. The provenance is sound and linked to a very notable Scandinavian.