NORWEGIAN ICE RACER 

This car was imported to Norway by Ford Motor Co. in January 1965, and was one of only 51 Production Racing Mk 1 Lotus Cortinas built at Cheshunt. It is one of the earliest Aeroflow cars (only a few numbers from the first Aeroflow car), and was therefore of course right hand drive and still with the ‘A’ Frame rear suspension.

As a factory prepared race car, it was completed with all the aluminium castings and aluminium panels, together with a Cosworth engine, close ratio gearbox and race suspension. See the ‘Mk 1 Definition’ Section, and within that, ‘Mk 1 Production Racing Conversions’ for a period write-up and full specification on these, the rarest and most desirable of all the Mk 1 Lotus Cortinas.

The car was driven by Trond Schea in ice racing on frozen lakes, in hill climbs and on gravel horse tracks  with great success.

In 1967 the car was sold to Odd Moseby, and like Trond Schea, he was outstanding with this Lotus Cortina and achieved many victories

In the period from 1980 to 1985, the car was restored back to its original group 2 specification.

Here is a selection of photographs from 1965 onwards kindly supplied by Holm Jacob Matheson, the current owner. They show just how much a competition car can go through in its career, including a couple of major accidents.  But she’s alive and well and still being raced on the ice today by Holm.

This is a fascinating insight into racing (almost rallycross) that most of us outside Scandinavia will not be used to seeing.

 Trond Schea in “Kanonloppet” Sweden 1965 with a very new looking car.

Trond Schea in “Bjerkeracet” Oslo 1965

 23mm studs in the tires, extreme traction !! (Sandvika, Oslo 1965)

 Trond Schea and his mechanic Greger Strøm in Denmark 1965, and Trond with his successful Cortina

Trond Schea winning an ice race in Oslo in 1966

Pic 6

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Pic 8

Pic 9

Odd Moseby rolled the car in “Bjerkerace” in Oslo 1969

 

This is a very nice pic of Trond Schea and Odd Moseby (right) sitting on the LC in Trondheim in Norway after “Leangen Grand Cup” in 1967. Trond and Ford Norway had got the first Escort Twin Cam and Odd had taken over the LC. They raced in the same class and race and ……… Odd won in front of the new TC!

Back ice racing in 2011

Restored to perfection, 2011