Possibly the most revered Lotus-Cortina of all time is to be sold at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
A pair of Alan Mann Racing cars – KPU 392C and KPU 90C – totally dominated the 1965 European Touring Car Championship with the racing Baronet Sir John Whitmore winning eight of the nine races and hillclimbs he contested in this car, KPU 392C.
Whitmore and 'Gentleman' Jack Sears also trounced the opposition at the Nürburgring Six Hours in the car.
When the 1965 season ended, KPU 392C was retired, resprayed and taken on a tour of Ford dealerships before being acquired by Whitmore a couple of years later.
He sold it to the current US vendor in the mid-1990s and it has since been "carefully preserved".
This famous championship-winner carries an estimate of £90-120,000, but despite its lack of Clark connections – the factor that usually sends these models stratospheric – we think it could go a lot higher than that.
The Cortina is just one of a raft of blockbuster lots that Bonhams has already consigned for the Festival of Speed auction including the ex-Fangio Mercedes W196 and a spectacular Maserati 300S.
See also Mick Walsh's blog on what Whitmore had to say about the car yesterday.
More pictures (from Bonhams):
