This section examines the creation and development of the Escort Twincam, the successor in racing and rallying to the Lotus Cortina.
As the ‘3rd generation’ of the Lotus Twincam powered Fords in the UK, it’s interesting to see how Fords competition department took over from Lotus. This really started with rationalising the Mk1 to replace the ‘A’ Frame suspension with the more traditional (and reliable) leaf spring version early in 1964, which led to Boreham now having a car that was reliable enough to compete in the toughest International rallys.
Having succeeded with the Mk1, they were given complete responsibility for the design and development of the Mk2 Lotus Cortina, which was very successful as a fast road car and in International rallying, but with limited success on the track.
Now having gained the confidence of the Ford management, Boreham were allowed to develop the Escort Twincam, which turned out to be one of the most successful rally cars of the 1960s, with its derivatives having huge success in the 1970s as well.
