Cooltina

Just reading this column and Morley’s comments on the GT500 Cortina. Saw t his one at Deloraine car show last couple of weeks. Note t he t win f iller necks and welded-up f uel f iller at rear. Not sure if genuine, but soo coool (and I am not a Ford guy.) Looks like a rea l rocket. Wish it was in my garage.

Andrew Taylor, Email

YEAH, THERE’S something about those early Cortinas isn’t there? I’m not sure whether the genuine GT500 had the original fuel filler welded up or not. Some I’ve seen look to have had a small plate screwed on to cover the hole where the cooking model Cortina’s fuel-neck once poked. Maybe somebody from a Ford club can help out.

Thing is, I’m like you Andrew, I couldn’t pick a real GT500 from a fake if my life depended on it. And that’s all the more so these days as the copies get closer and closer to the real thing. But I will say this: I couldn’t give a damn whether the car you spotted is a real GT500 or not. It’s – as you say – coool and I’d make space for it at the Melbourne Bloke Centre in a heartbeat. Actually, maybe a copy or replica (call it what you will) is the smart GT500 to have. At least then you could use it and not worry about it getting a bump here or a scrape there. I mean, have you seen the prices being asked for genuine cars lately?

The other freedom having a replica would provide would be the opportunity to hot it up even further without ruining its authenticity. I got the chance to drive a true GT500 a few years back when UC tackled the great Australia-versus-the-world debate and I have to say it was a genuine hoot. But how much better would it have been with something like the engines the Group N racers use in Cortinas? As in, about 180 horsepower and the ability to rev to 7500rpm or so. Throw in a five-speed and you’d be king of the kids.