A fabulous old Ford Cortina
The fussy owner of this 53-yearold Ford Cortina once refused to drive it on wet roads.
It is no surprise then that car, to be auctioned on August 20 in the UK, is considered one of the finest and most original Mk 1 Cortina’s remaining today.
Cortina’s were prominent on New Zealand roads in the ‘60s and ‘70s. This one was first registered on July 4, 1963, and the 1500 GT model, has averaged just one mile a day since it left the Dagenham factory.
Fitted with a tuned 1498cc engine, the 1500 GT was the top specification model of the day, producting 78bhp which was sufficient to propel the svelte four-door to 95mph (153kmh), with a 0-60mph (96.5kmh) acceleration time of just 14 seconds … leaving the Morris Oxford of the day some five seconds in its wake.
Those performance numbers aren’t huge for today, but it should be pointed out that a Cortina Mk 1 GT won Australia’s famous Bathurst race in 1963 and 1964 when it was known as the Armstrong 500.
A Cortina Mk 1 GT500 completed the treble in winning in 1965 as well.
Despite its performance, when it first appeared in the Ford showroom in the UK at a princely £748 price, it would have played second fiddle on the attention stakes to the fleet of Mk 1’s that starred in the ‘‘Carry on Cabby’’ film that screened at the time, helping to secure valuable awareness for Ford’s new model.
The car has had two fastidious owners – the last acquiring the car 27 years ago.
The garage owner who has conducted the majority of the warrant tests recalled a time when one of the owners refused to drive the car home after the test as it was raining, choosing to walk instead.
He collected the car three days later ... when the roads were dry.
With that time dedication to the car’s condition, it is no surprise that the scene under the bonnet and under the car itself is sublime while the jack and tools are spotless and polished.
It is a multiple concours show winner and features Goodwood Green coachwork.
The interior sparkles in showroom condition with the dashboard, featuring the early strip speedometer and pod-mounted rev counter, having no age-related blemishes while the seating, trim and and original carpets are unmarked.
The car is currently fitted with a period Les Leston Grand Prix steering wheel but the original will also be sold with the car.
Auctioneers, Historics at Brooklands, expect the car to fetch NZ$44,000-NZ$52,000.