
Ford Cortina Lotus #31 J. Ickx / G. Staepelaere Marathon de la Route 1966 MCG 1:18

Specifications
- Year
- 1966
- Era
- 1960s
- Body Type
- Touring Models
- Vehicle Class
- Endurance Racing Specials
- Openable Parts
- No
- Packaging Condition
- New
- Model Type
- Race Models
- EAN / GTIN
- 4052176823958
About the Ford Cortina Lotus #31 J. Ickx / G. Staepelaere Marathon de la Route 1966 MCG 1:18
TL;DR: MCG's 1:18 diecast Ford Cortina Lotus reproduces the #31 car of Jacky Ickx and Gustave Staepelaere from the grueling 1966 Marathon de la Route at the Nürburgring. Diecast construction captures the endurance-spec livery, a specific piece for collectors of 1960s touring car racing.
The Marathon de la Route ran 84 hours around the full Nürburgring circuit, and entering a Cortina Lotus into that event tested the car far beyond typical rallying.
Capturing an Endurance Livery in Diecast
MCG renders this Cortina with the added lighting and reinforcement details endurance racing demanded, cast directly into the body tooling rather than applied as separate parts. The zinc alloy build gives real heft in hand, and the livery's number and sponsor placement carries crisp edges under close inspection, a sign of careful tampo application rather than lower-resolution decal work. Panel lines stay tight and consistent across the body, holding up well against scrutiny at typical display distance.
Jacky Ickx and the Marathon de la Route
Long before his sports car and Formula 1 fame, Jacky Ickx competed in grueling endurance formats like this one, and pairing him with Gustave Staepelaere in a Cortina Lotus for an 84-hour Nürburgring test speaks to how demanding period touring car racing actually was. It's a lesser-known chapter of Ickx's career, which makes a documented replica genuinely useful for collectors tracing his early motorsport résumé rather than just his later grand prix highlights.
A Niche Addition Worth the Search
This isn't a headline subject, and that's exactly its appeal: a specific, well-researched race entry rather than a generic period livery. At 1:18, it sits comfortably alongside other Cortina variants or early Ickx-driven subjects, rewarding collectors who value depth of research over broad recognition. For a 1960s touring car shelf, this piece adds a genuinely distinct story most displays won't already have covered.















