WHEELS AND TYRES
There’s a fair amount of room under those arches and as standard the Cortina came with as big as 5.5x13 wheels, which were fitted to the Lotus and 1600E models. Wheel choice isn’t limited and you can choose pretty much what you want from the Ford range or anything else aftermarket that takes your fancy as fitment is standard across the board.
As for sizes, as long as you get the offset right you can easily get away with a 7 inch wheel fitted with a 185/60 series tyre, although the lip can be trimmed on the inner arch to allow an 8 to squeeze in — a mod already carried out as standard on the 1600E and Lotus.
To allow bigger brakes, 15s will go straight on and with the right offset up to an 8 inch with a 195 or 205/50 tyre to match shouldn’t be a problem. This can be a good look but make sure you choose a wheel in keeping with the style of the boxy shape of the Mk2. We’ve seen bigger rims than that fitted too and it can work well as long as it sits right and suits the car.