Formula Ford was a racing series created around the idea that the best drivers would win if they were racing essentially identical cars. The idea for this low-budget formula was created by an Englishman named Geoffrey Clarke, who had a driver’s school called Motor Racing Stables based at the Brands Hatch Circuit. Clarke received support from Ford’s competition manager, Henry Taylor, and Ford’s director of public affairs, Walter Hayes. Ford supplied their 1600-cc Cortina GT engine (otherwise known as the “Kent” engine), as well as their financial backing and name. Lotus Components built a car based on the Lotus 31 Formula 3 car, calling it the Lotus 51 Formula Ford. Ironically, this early car had a Renault gearbox. They sold for the affordable price of just under £1,000, making racing in this series very affordable, since a Formula 3 car of the day cost more than £3,000. The Royal Automobile Club, Britain’s governing body, established a full set of racing regulations for Formula Ford, and the first official race was held at Brands Hatch on July 2, 1967. From 1967 to the present, Formula Ford has provided some very exciting racing in many different makes of racing cars, all around the world, as well as producing many great drivers and future champions, among them Emerson Fittipaldi, Jody Scheckter, Ayrton Senna Michael Andretti, and Tim Schenken. Today, historic Formula Ford is an entry-level racing category, and for the purposes of this guide, covers cars from 1967 to 1972. Keep in mind that the greatest single factor in determining the value of a Formula Ford is the quality and cost of its preparation.
Make
Model
Level III
Level II
Level I
Alexis
15
$10,000
$14,000
$18,000
18, 22
$10,000
$14,000
$18,000
Bobsy
$8,000
$12,000
$18,000
Caldwell
D9, D9B
$10,000
$14,000
$18,000
Crossle
16F
$8,000
$14,000
$18,000
20F
$8,000
$15,000
$20,000
Dulon
LD4, 4B, 4C
$7,000
$10,000
$16,000
LD9
$8,000
$12,000
$18,000
Elden
PH8
$10,000
$14,000
$18,000
PH10
$10,000
$16,000
$20,000
Ginetta
G-18
$8,000
$12,000
$18,000
Hawke
DL2, 2A, 2B
$10,000
$14,000
$20,000
DL9, 9A
$12,000
$16,000
$22,000
LeGrand
Mk 10
$8,000
$12,000
$17,000
Lola
T200
$10,000
$16,000
$20,000
T202
$10,000
$18,000
$22,000
T204
$12,000
$18,000
$24,000
Lotus
51 A,B,C
$16,000
$22,000
$26,000
61M, MX
$12,000
$16,000
$22,000
69
$26,000
$32,000
$38,000
Macon
MR 7B
$8,000
$12,000
$17,000
MR8, 8B
$8,000
$12,000
$17,000
March
709, 719, 729
$14,000
$18,000
$22,000
Merlyn
MK11, 11A
$18,000
$22,000
$26,000
MK17, 17A
$14,000
$17,000
$22,000
MK20, 20A
$14,000
$18,000
$24,000
Royale
RP2
$8,000
$14,000
$18,000
RP3, 3A
$10,000
$16,000
$21,000
Tecno
FF
$10,000
$15,000
$20,000
Titan
MK 6,6A,6B,6C
$16,000
$22,000
$26,000
Winkelman
WDF1,2,3,4
$10,000
$15,000
$20,000
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