OCTOBER 1985 FORD CORTINA 1600E

Even before punk pioneer Tom Robinson enviously sang ‘Grey Cortina’, the 1600E was pretty much a legend of Brit car culture. Ford made around 60,000 ‘Executive’ Cortinas with Rostyle steel wheels, dash timber and the 66kW Mark 2 GT engine. None were sold new in Australia – we got instead a chintzy-looking ‘440L’ – and most UK cars went rusty or were wrecked. Private imports like this will echo local Mark 2 GT values but could be worth more if shipped back to ‘Blighty’.

SINCETHEN: Britainisthe best place to start looking for a classic Cor tina and even then it’ s going to be tough convincing an owner to sell. Values there will better the prices available locally for GT Mark2s.