Ford Cortina Lotus Mk II No. 8 Miguel Rau Rally de Vila Real 1970 Trofeu 1:43

The Ford Cortina Lotus Mk II occupies a specific and well-documented place in late-1960s rally history, but its appearances in Portuguese domestic competition have been largely overlooked by mainstream die-cast producers. Trofeu addresses that gap with this 1:43 die-cast, capturing Miguel Rau's No. 8 entry at the 1970 Rally de Vila Real — an event run through the mountain stages of northern Portugal's Vila Real region. The blue and white livery marks it out immediately from the more familiar green-and-yellow works Mk I cars.

The Lotus Twin-Cam Cortina in Group 2 Specification

Produced from 1967 to 1970, the Ford Cortina Mk II with Lotus twin-cam engine differed from its Mk I predecessor in one practically important respect: it replaced the A-bracket rear suspension with a conventional coil-spring arrangement, improving reliability in demanding rally conditions. The engine itself retained the Lotus-Ford twin-cam inline-four — a cylinder head of Lotus design on a Ford Kent block — homologated for Group 2 competition and used extensively across European national rally championships through the late 1960s and into the early 1970s.

A Privateer Entry in Northern Portugal, 1970

The Rally de Vila Real was part of the Portuguese national rally calendar, characterised by the technical mountain stages of the Vila Real region. Miguel Rau was active in Portuguese domestic championships during this period, and his No. 8 entry at Vila Real in 1970 represents exactly the kind of privateer participation that sustained national-level motorsport in Iberia during the era. The blue and white colour scheme carried by the car is consistent with privateer entries of the time; it bears no relation to any works or factory livery.

Trofeu's 1:43 Die-Cast: Iberian Rally Heritage in Miniature

Trofeu is a Portuguese manufacturer whose catalogue has long concentrated on Iberian and European rally subjects that larger producers pass over. This 1:43 die-cast model replicates the No. 8 Cortina Lotus Mk II in the blue and white livery worn at Vila Real in 1970, giving collectors a documented record of an event that appears in virtually no other producer's output. For anyone focused on classic rally machinery or on the Portuguese championship years, this is a subject with no straightforward alternative.