GET THE PICTURE
Take one two-door Mk3 Cortina, a classic camera film livery, three engines... and you’ve rewritten history with this London To Sydney marathon tribute.
Question: What do you do if your ideal classic Ford is actually three cars, but you only have the money to buy one? Answer: Build an endurance rally replica, that will be quick and fun enough for some motorsport, but also capable of taking on some continental trips. Jayne Gilmour from Monmouthshire would ideally have a Cortina for track days and racing, another built especially for dragging at Santa Pod and another that she can visit friends in places as far-flung as Austria, Spain and Norway. When her Mk3 project is finished, she will have created a car that can carry out all these duties in one.
Taking her inspiration from a book written by one of the competitors on the 1977 London to Sydney Rally, Jayne’s work so far has seen her spend nearly four years metalworking her rare two-door Mk3 shell. Alongside the bodywork, she’s built up and readied all the mechanics for a fast-road Pinto-powered spec, but is also ahead of the game with future plans with a supercharged Pinto on the way and an even more radical power upgrade waiting in the wings.
The Cortina’s Kodak race livery is straight out of Jayne’s imagination too, as there were no cars sponsored by the camera film company back in the ’70s that she knows of. But when the bright yellow paintwork is laid on and the decals applied, we think there’ll be some old Kodak marketing men out there who’ll realise they missed a trick or two back in the day…
What got you in to classic Fords?
I was in to classic bikes and started on classic cars with a totally unreliable Rover SD1. Then, while laid up for a few months with a bad leg, someone bought me a copy of Classic Ford and I had one of those lightbulb moments. I realised old Fords had a good parts back up, there were lots of forums and clubs for help and advice and I knew I could work on every aspect of the cars myself.
Any reason for choosing a Cortina?
Both my dad and grandad had Mk3 Cortinas so it was a nostalgic choice. So far I’ve had three Mk3s plus my daily driver is a very tidy, one-owner Mk5.
Where did this two-door project come from?
A friend had bought the 1974-model to build up as a strip car for Santa Pod, but then gone for a later Cortina, so I jumped right in as the two-door shell was perfect for my plans for an endurance rally replica.
Endurance rally replica?
I have a fascinating book on the Singapore Airlines 1977 London to Sydney Rally, which in terms of competitors and cars taking part, plus lots of mess ups and disasters along the way must be one of the best race stories ever. The book inspired me to build something that would be a homage to those cars and drivers.
How much bodywork did the Cortina need?
“TWO DOORS ARE RARE AND THOUGH THIS WAS THE BEST I COULD FIND, IT’S NEEDED 22 PANELS AND LOTS OF PATCHES”
Plenty! Two-door shells are rare, and although this was probably the best I could have found, it’s still taken a lot of work to get into a rot-free condition. The final count is 22 new panels plus lots of patches.
Have you done it all yourself?
I’m a qualified motorcycle mechanic, but most of the car knowledge and bodywork skill are self-taught. I’ve welded most of the shell up, replaced the majority of the panels and fabricated some of the rally extras, like the big-header radiator (Mk2Transit) mount, modified dash for additional gauges and a timer, and centre console. In really complicated areas, like some of the work on the inner wings, making the rear bulkhead and fabricating the cage, I’ve been helped by Bob Dowen Rally Services in Cwmbran, and my local mechanic, Derek Saunders.
What’s the plan for the running gear?
I have a staged approach to this, and for the initial build will be going for a 2.1 Pinto, with Kent FR30 cam, big-valve ported head, a single 45 DCOE Weber on a Lynx manifold, with custom exhaust. This is all build up and ready to fit along with a Type-9 five speed, standard axle and some uprated suspension and brakes.
Initial build?There’s more to come?
Oh yes, that spec is just to get the car back on the road and to put a few miles on it. I’m already halfway through building a second Pinto with an Aussie-spec MR2 supercharger. To go along with the extra power that will give I also have a Fostek Atlas axle with Quaife ATB diff to bolt on. And then there’s the Focus ST225 motor.
Focus ST225 engine, you say?
Yes, I didn’t really mean to own this but a friend had it up for grabs so… it had to be bought. Figuring out the mechanics and fitting it is, realistically, several years away from happening though.
Where did the Kodak idea come from?
I like all the colourful race colours right through from the ’60s, but a lot of the classic ones seemed to be to do with tobacco firms, which I didn’t want to go for. So I thought about other colourful brands from the past and Kodak came to mind. I don’t think Kodak sponsored any cars back in the Cortina and Escort era, but there have been some in American motorsport in the ’90s and 2000s, so my imaginary scheme isn’t so crazy.
Is the interior going full-rally?
There will be Corbeau period race seats, Schroth harnesses and a fully-equipped rally dash. With the cage the rear seats won’t fit, but I will go for a bit of comfort/ noise reduction with carpets and door cards. With several long trips planned I don’t want the car to be too uncomfortable or to deafen me.
And outside?
Some Minilite wheels have already been bought and fitted with Dunlop 185/65R14 SP Sports, and there will, of course, be Hella Spotlamps, a rear spot fitted as a reverse lamp, and I’ll be carrying a spare on the bootlid in endurance rally-style, though I’m going to cheat with a space saver for weight saving!
Who would you like to thank?
My partner, Andria for her help on the project plus friends, Macca, Mark and Joe, plus everyone on www. buysellcortina.co.uk for excellent advice and encouragement. Bob Dowen Rally Services (01633 838738), DMB Graphics (www.dmb.uk.com) for creating the livery stickers from my designs, Rapier Cars in Shropshire for engineering work on the supercharger project, and my local mechanic, Derek Saunders for his aid throughout.