HERITAGE: Cortina Deluxe
Early Mk2 that’s still showroom fresh.
Ayoung girl sits on the grass, perched in front of a Mk2 Cortina. The image is small, a greyscale square rimmed with a curling white border, but its significance couldn’t be greater: it’s a record of the first meeting between the car and its current keeper.
Originally owned by her great uncle, today this 1300 Deluxe is the proud property of Diane Hawkins and her husband Steve — 52 years after it rolled off the Dagenham production line, this Ford is still a family affair.
After a decade with Bill James, the car’s first owner, the 1300 Deluxe found its way to Charlie James, Bill’s brother and Diane’s
grandfather, in 1977. Wearing barely 8000 miles, the decade-old saloon was still pristine. It left a pronounced impression on Diane. “I always saw the Cortina with my Grandad,” she recalls. “It always looked like a very big, very shiny car to me back then, plus it had that wonderful smell of an older car. You could hear it coming too, with that distinctive horn. That’s what I remember.”
Seven years later, Diane received an offer from her Grandad. She’d passed her test just a year, he was giving up driving and the Cortina was ready to change hands. “He offered it to me. He didn’t just want anybody to have it and
“IT HELPS BRING BACK MEMORIES WHEN PEOPLE SEE IT, AND THAT MEANS A LOT”
that meant a lot. The family ties and sentimental values prompted me to buy it too. It had nothing to do with it being a classic. I’d always seen it — and I’d always loved the colour — but it was my Grandad’s car. That was the most important thing.”
Period perfect
Sale secured, the Ford entered life as the teenager’s only car, a role it fulfilled until 1990. Along the way, Diane was also keen to share the Cortina with its previous custodians. “I loved being able to drive my Nan and Grandad around in it,” she continues, “I really appreciated being able to take them on trips, and just around from A to B.”
Steve mirrors Diane’s love of the Cortina and he’s equally certain that it won’t be going anywhere. After all, the Deluxe is where the couple first met. “I’ve known the car ever since,” he says, “and it’s just something you keep.” Following their 1990 wedding, the couple also trusted the Ford to carry them into their happy ever after. A ‘My Cortina is Ace’ window sticker survives from their honeymoon roadtrip, the car’s own long-lived wedding present.
It’s far from the only marker of the car’s rich life story. Crack open the history file and we catch a glimpse of the original owners’ manual, service manual and a pair of period model brochures. The MoT records are even more impressive: Diane has kept every certificate
throughout her ownership, tucked alongside some documentation from the Cortina’s very early days. Back in the boot, the Deluxe has also benefited from a period picnic hamper. Acquired at a local classic event, it’s a welcome nostalgia burst that has served the Hawkins family through many a great British summer.
Family excursions also imbued the Cortina with its long-held nickname. Say hello to Betsy. “Everyone calls her that,” says Diane, “it’s just something that my husband called the Cortina one day. The car got a bit juddery, he said ‘Come on Betsy, do a bit more!’ and my daughter clung onto it. It’s stuck ever since!”
Staying clean
Thanks to garage storage and a commitment to avoiding winter driving, the Cortina has retained far more than its charming moniker. Most of the car, including the suspension, brakes, transmission and even the green rubber floor mats, is all-original and the tachometer wears under 47,000 miles. “It still sails through the MoT,” Diane confirms, “and Betsy gets wiped down and cleaned every time she’s put away. Sometimes the car gets more attention than me!”
“THE CORTINA’S SO SIMPLE TO WORK ON IT DOESN’T TAKE HOURS TO DO A JOB”
Mechanical concerns have been rare and fleeting. A recent incident has prompted Steve to rebuild the original radiator, while a stainless-steel exhaust had to be fitted when a new-old stock original couldn’t be found, but we have to travel back a quarter century to note any serious restoration work. That’s when Steve carried out a preventative engine rebuild, equipping the inline-four with fresh shells, piston rings and gaskets. “The Cortina is so simple to work on and it’s in such good condition,” Steve says, “you don’t have to spend hours and hours working on her.” The car has been a dependable partner ever since.
Cosmetically, the 1300 Deluxe has also asked for little. Steve used to polish the vinyl seats — sending their children, Dean and Kelly skidding around on the rear bench — but only the exterior paintwork has required corrective work. “The colour itself went dull,” Diane explains, “Steve is a professional panelbeater and sprayer and even he couldn’t polish it up.” A partial respray in original Spruce Green followed, bringing the car to its current lustre, though the roof remains untouched.
Ford family
More than a half century after it entered the James household, there’s no risk of the Cortina leaving home. Kelly and Dean, the next generation of the Hawkins family, share their parents’ love of the 1300 and both featured the Ford prominently at their weddings.
“It’s our car, it’s a family car,” Diane smiles, “they both love it as much as we do and they’ve grown up with the car. That’s the story of the Cortina: it’s part of the family.”