CLASSIC PERFORMANCE

Not every ‘performance’ car is about big-power RBs, JZs, and 4G63s. Nope, oldschool performance is alive and well, and the likes of Evan Rockliffe and his father are proving it with their Mk3 Cortina. Starting out as a cheap father-and-son-style build project, having paid a cool $300, a washing machine, and an old wooden trailer worth roughly $600 total for the rolling body, the pair got caught up in the ‘well, if I’m here doing this, I may as well fix that too’ mentality, which has gone from getting it going for $1K to an eight-year-and-counting better-than-new resto.

It all started with a touch of rust repair that morphed into a full panel and paint, which then led Evan to get his hands on a two-litre Pinto and five-speed combo out of a Ford Sierra. With the new heart in hand, it has received new twin 45mm Weber side-draught carbs, with the head receiving a port and polish, fresh valves, a 1mm skim, and being bench flowed, all in anticipation of a cam from Kelfords with Crow Cams rockers and high-comp springs. The bottom end has been crammed with new rings and bearings, while the block itself has been skimmed, bringing compression up to 10.5:1 — a true ringer. Down back, Evan has opted to run a strong solid-axle diff out of a V6 Cortina, while rebuilding the front cross member with new bushes and pairing it up with Gaz adjustable shocks and Cobra springs. Inside the cabin, all the original interior is there, and they intend to stick with the factory steering wheel and manual steering for nostalgia. The to-do list is narrowing down now, with it mostly comprising reassembly and a couple of small fabrication tasks once the running gear is back in.