Formula Ford was a specification racing series created on the idea that the best drivers would win if they were racing identical cars. The idea for this low-budget formula was created by an Englishman named Geoffrey Clarke, who had a drivers 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 its 1600-cc Cortina GT “Kent” engine, as well as its 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 over £3,000. The Royal Automobile Club, Britain’s governing body, established a set of racing regulations. The first official race was held at Brands Hatch on July 2, 1967. From 1967 to the present, the Formula Ford series has produced some very exciting racing in many different makes of racing cars, as well as some great drivers and future champions, including Michael Andretti, Emerson Fittipaldi, Tim Schenken, Jody Scheckter and Ayrton Senna. 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 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 |
1972 Dulon LD9
Formula Ford started from humble beginnings with individual chassis designs by their new creators. In 1967, however, Dulon founders Andrew Duncan and Bill Longley (DUncan + LONgley = Dulon) took an ex-Tim Parnell Lotus 24 Formula One car and converted it to Formula Ford specification, creating the Dulon LD3 FF prototype. Now there is an idea and a piece of history. Their next car, the LD4 of which only one was made, was completely their own design as was the 1968 LD4B and LD4C. This little upstart company in Didcot, Berkshire was up and running in the racecar industry. All of the Dulon Formula Fords were built and sold by Maximum Performance Engineering Company or “Maxperenco.” Dulon was becoming a success. By 1972 Ian Taylor had won the inaugural Formula Ford Festival in an LD9. A young teenager named Eddie Cheever was starting his career 1973 in an MP15, and Derek Lawrence won the Formula Ford Festival in 1973 in an MP15. At that time a Dulon was one of the cars to have in the British FF Series.
1972 Lola T202
By 1970, Eric Broadley’s Lola Cars of Huntington, Cambridgeshire was already known for its fantastic sports racing cars and sports prototypes such as the Can-Am-winning T70, when Lola entered the Formula Ford market. Its first car was the short-wheelbase T200. Designer Bob Marston, formerly of Surtees and Cooper, came on board and penned the evolutionary T202 for the 1971 season. Sales were brisk in England. In America, sales were handled by Lola importer Carl Haas of Chicago. These cars were well designed and constructed. It is interesting that a manufacturer with the success of Lola Cars ventured into the smaller Formula Ford category. Not every manufacturer was tiny in Formula Ford. Today classes run in England and America for Historic Formula Fords. Eligible cars are generally from 1967 to 1972, although new classes are starting to emerge. One can still see the Lola T202 racing today.
Criteria Used For Assessing Valuations for this Guide:
- Degree of Originality
- Overall Condition, Restoration
- Technology, Design, Coachbuilder
- Production Numbers/Rarity
- Competition History
- Ownership History, Documentation
- Modern Event Eligibility
Regional Variances
The prices stated in this guide are based on U.S. values. The values of historic racing cars can vary as much as 25%-35% in other countries, depending on local market appeal, currency rates, import duties, and VAT. Most of the time, we are able to document known sales or closed escrows, as they say in real estate. When this is not possible, a logical estimate of the car’s value is given, based on its sales history and relationship to cars of its type.
The prices stated in this guide are based on U.S. values. The values of historic racing cars can vary as much as 25%-35% in other countries, depending on local market appeal, currency rates, import duties, and VAT.
LEVEL | VALUATION CATEGORIES |
|---|---|
I | The best combination of all criteria. |
II | Satisfies mid-range of criteria. |
III | In need of restoration. Meets only a few points of criteria |
