1965 Lotus Cortina Sells For Three Times More Than A Ferrari F430!

Depending on the model and overall condition, Lotus Cortinas usually sell from upwards of £20,000 ($24,755/€22,245) in the United Kingdom. This example, however, fetched more than 10 (!) times the amount.

When the gavel hit the table at the SilverstoneAuctions event last weekend, the 1965 Lotus Cortina sold for £218,500 ($270,437/€243,025).

So, why did it go for the massive amount? Because it’s an original European Touring Car Championship racer, prepped by Alan Mann Racing for Sir John Whitmore, which won 8 out of 9 rounds.

Also Watch: A Ferrari F430 With A Manual Gearbox Is Truly A Wonderful Thing

After the 1965 season ended, the car embarked on a promotional tour for the Ford dealer network. Two years later, it was bought by Sir John himself, who held on to it until 1995. Since then, it changed hands a few more times, until arriving at auction a few days ago.

To better understand the whopping sum it gathered, let’s take a look at other vehicles that were sold during the auction. A 1991 Ferrari Testarossa, with only 15,180 miles (24,430 km) on the clock, properly serviced and accompanied by MoTs going back to 2002, nabbed £99,000 ($122,532/€110,112). Two manual F430s, from 2005, were sold for £72,800 ($90,105/€80,971) and £122,625 ($151,773/€136,389), respectively, and a 2007 Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera changed hands for £63,000 ($77,975/€70,071). A Mercedes SLR McLaren was also sold at the event for £187,875 ($232,533/€208,963).

So, given the small fortune raised by the classic Lotus Cortina with each bid, would you have favored it over some of the supercars mentioned above? We don’t know about you, but it’s very hard to beat that F430 with a manual ‘box, that sold for a five-digit sum.