The collaboration between Ford and Lotus that produced over 3,000 MK 1 Ford Lotus Cortina's in the late 1960s was a result of the need to homologate the Cortina for touring car racing. The official racing cars were incredibly successful in touring car championships in both Europe and the USA, helping the Cortina become regarded as one of the best platforms for this type of racing. After their success in official touring car championships, the Lotus Cortina platform has been continuously used for historic racing, as it provides a very competitive option in many modern historic racing championships around the world.