Dagenham’s finest!

The last Ford Cortina may have rolled off the production line 35 years ago, but it’s still popular today. We mark this milestone by looking back on the highlights of each year of production

35 years since the last Ford Cortina

The Ford Cortina is still a household name 35 years after production ended, because it is a multifaceted classic. Some of us will associate the name with Alexei Sayle-like sales reps (’ Ullo, John! Gotta New Motor?) in a 1600XL MkIII, others with Jim Clark’s green and white Lotus Cortinas or the ‘Glamcabs’ in Carry On Cabby. Most

CCW readers would have driven one to the office, on summer holidays or simply craved the magnificence that is the 1600E version of the MkII.

One of the Ford Cortina’s many strong points is the sheer variety of models it offered; whether your automotive interests run to early 1980s nostalgia or the Brylcreemed era of a Super MkI, there is a model to suit your tastes. Be warned, though – driving any Cortina means being approached by people whose opening gambit will be ‘My dad had one of those…’