The Lotus Ford Trophies, 1967

During 1967, the Ford company approached Henri to make a model (as a trophy) of the car that they had developed with Colin Chapman's Lotus company for the seasons Grand Prix. The original order was for eight cars, one for Mr Chapman, one for each driver and others for the designer etc. This meant that Henri really had to get moving so that the order would not go stale before the end of the Grand Prix season.

 

click on images to enlarge

 

 Car no 5, Jim Clark's, the first finished of the 8 ordered. It was a great success and generated publicity galore. Henri was interviewed on Radio at 8.30 Thursday Jan 4th 1968, Also on South Today Television at 6.10 on Thursday Jan 18th 1968. All due to Fords' publicity write-up.

 

Stills from a British Pathe newsreel, (copyrights reserved) there is a video of this model

that you may preview by using this link: http://www.britishpathe.com/thumbnails.php?id=3496&searchfilm=*

I am indebted to www.ITNsource.com  for permission to use these 7 images above

one of the wheels, a superb piece of art in itself

 

Waiting at Claridges for the presentation to Colin Chapman

 

Mr. Copp of Ford, (Great Britain) admiring the trophy, click on images to enlarge

I am deeply grateful to The Ford Motor Company for the permission to use the above 4 superb photographs which were taken by Ford's Photographic Unit, (copyright Ford)

details of one of the model Ford-Cosworth engines

 

above, from the Ford Bulletin January 5th 1968

I am deeply grateful to The Ford Motor Company for the permission to use the above article: (copyright Ford)

above, Graham Hill with the full-size engine, by kind permission of the Daily Mirror

above, a cutting from the South London Advertiser, dated 5th January 1968

and above, an article from the Bournemouth Evening Echo, January 1st 1968

(copyright reserved, by kind permission from The Daily Echo, Bournemouth)

 

Author's note: Frankly, I don't know how many of this order were completed before it was finished. Can anyone lead me to this model, or any of these, models?