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Top shot, isn't it? Myles H. Kitchen is the man getting air time in his Mk.I Lotus-Cortina racer. To tell the story of Myles and his Lotus-Cortina (#128), we'll go to an excerpt from his 'fact sheet'... "This particular Lotus Cortina was manufactured in October of 1965 as one of approximately 1,000 built that year. Of course, it carried the characteristic Ermine White with Green Flash color scheme that all Lotus Cortina's wore upon leaving the factory at Hethel. This car was one of the Mark 1, Series 2 "airflow" models with left-hand drive destined for the North American Market. It is believed that this car was first sold in Florida, then spent time in Texas and San Diego before being purchased by Mr. Kitchen. As one of the later examples in the first series, this particular car did not carry the alloy body panels, nor the troublesome "A"-frame rear suspension components of some of the earlier, European models. The car was advertised for sale in the summer of 1987 in The Wheel, the publication of the San Francisco region of the SCCA. It was offered for only $2500, had an awful two-tone brown paint scheme, and had the original weber head replaced by the Stromberg version (The original Weber head was found in the trunk, sans the 40DCOE's). The car was purchased sight unseen as a good candidate for vintage racing, since nearly everything would need to be restored and refurbished for racing anyway. Myles flew to San Diego to drive the car home, but barely made it past San Clemente when the Strombergs decided to stop mixing old dinosaurs with the ocean mist. This became a regular occurrence during the trip to the Bay Area, which took something like 12 hours. A stop in Santa Barbara was mandatory in order to pay a visit to Dave Bean Engineering (a Lotus parts supplier) to stock up on just about everything they had that fit the Cortina. Immediately upon getting #128 home, it came apart....literally every nut and bolt. Upon inspection, it needed major help. The right side was wavy from a previous heavy impact and lots of subsequent bondo, the wiring harness had complete sections melted down, the steering had about 180 degrees of free-play, the transmission sounded like rolling down a hill in a 55 gallon drum full of rocks, and the English electrics offered only two modes, dim and flicker. While Myles did a great deal of the restoration work himself, he did enlist the assistance of Al Burtoni of V-12 Engineering in Gilroy, California to do the engine and paint work. The restoration was completed in January, 1993, and the car was campaigned in the Bay Area at a CSRG race at Sears Point. It has the distinction of winning its first two races after restoration, and since has won a number of vintage venues. It also placed third among closed-wheel racing cars at the prestigious 1993 Hillsborough Concours D'Elegance in Hillsborough, California, was awarded a Second in Class at the 1993 International Lotus Convention Concours held in conjunction with the Norm Thomson Historic Races at Portland in July, 1993. It also won third place in the race car class at the SCCA Concours, held in Lafayette, California, August, 1993.
Since then, Myles actively campaigned #128 at numerous vintage venues, including Sears Point, Willow Springs, Crows Landing, Phoenix International, Seattle International, Portland International, Palm Springs, Thunderhill Park, Steamboat Springs, and the Ferrari Club of America Hillclimb at Virginia City, consistently finishing near the front. Myles entered the USRRC Seniors Tour, a race series recreating the United States Road Race Championship of the 60's, and has the distinction of being the only 3 time champion, leading the points championship in the under 2.0 liter GT class in 1994, 1995, and 1996, against such formidable competition as Porsche, Alfa Romeo, and Volvo." Here's the stats on #128:
"Other interesting cars he has owned included several Shelby Mustangs, a Ferrari 308 GTS, an Audi Quattro, 2 Lotus Cortinas, and a Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4. Between his business and his hobby, Myles is a very active "car guy" and is, or has been, a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG), Vintage Auto Racing Association (VARA), Rocky Mountain Vintage Racing Ltd. (RMVR), Society of Vintage Racing Enthusiasts (SOVREN), the Shelby American Automobile Club (SAAC), the Golden Gate Lotus Club, the Quattro Club, and is a past President and Chairman of the Bay Area Chapter of the Ferrari Owner's Club, and the Ferrari Club of America. Myles also has the distinction of being the only driver to ever race a Lamborghini Countach in an officially sanctioned event in North America, when he drove Al Burtoni’s V-12 Engineering, Bonneville record holding Countach in the 1996 Chrysler Vintage Grand Prix of Palm Springs." Want to know more? Email Myles at MHKitchen@aol.com
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