FORD CORTINA MK1/ MK2

BY 1965 FORD HAD COMMITTED TO BUILD 500 IDENTICAL GT500 CORTINAS WITH BLUEPRINTED ENGINES AND IMPROVED BRAKES

Devised by Ford UK, the Cortina was intended to fill the gap between the 105E Anglia and Consul Classic. When Classic sales bombed, the conservatively-shaped Cortina very easily took its place. Using box-section techniques developed in Detroit, the British devised a two or four-door, medium-sized car with 1.2-litres as standard, class leading interior space and boot capacity.

The Consul Cortina was released in October 1962 and appeared here a few months later. Early cars came with two doors and minimal equipment but the range expanded to include a four-door sedan with front bench seat and a 1498cc engine.

A GT version with two or four doors was introduced in June 1963 with a dual-throat Weber carburettor, modified cylinder head and exhaust. These changes combined to boost power by 14kW over the stock 1500.

Extra instruments were initially mounted above the central console but from 1965 moved to the dash-top. Other features included disc front brakes, stiffer springs and obligatory GT badges.

Performance from 1.5 and later 1.6-litre cars certainly wasn't shabby. A basic Mark 1 GT tested in 1965 hit 151km/h and accelerated from 0-80km/h in less than 10 seconds.

In 1963, the annual Armstrong 500 endurance race moved from Phillip Island to Bathurst's Mt Panorama and gave Ford an opportunity to emphasise the toughness and pace of its Cortina. Harry Firth and Bob Jane combined to win the 1963 Armstrong 500 by a lap from the only EH Holden not to suffer problems. Cortina GTs also filled third and fourth places.

By 1965 Ford had committed to build 500 identical ‘GT500' Cortinas with twin fuel fillers, blue-printed engines and improved brakes. They won that year's Bathurst endurance race at a canter where their principal rivals were V8-engined Studebakers.

A revised Mark 1 appeared in 1965 with a new grille and ‘Air Flow' ventilation. The dash changed to include ‘eyeball' vents and there were chromed extractor vents on the rear pillars. ‘Consul' finally disappeared from the designation and ‘Cortina' was spelled in block letters across the bonnet. An automatic transmission was introduced.

The Mark 2 Cortina appeared on UK roads in late 1966 and came to Australia a few months later. The shape was modern but with fewer distinctive details than the Mark 1; wrap-around tail-lights replacing round ones, inset front indicators and a full-width grille to emphasise its width. Interior and boot room remained excellent but Australia was denied the station wagon that had been selling in the UK sales since 1962.

Later Mark 2 GTs sold here from 1969-71 had Lotus-inspired split front bumpers, black-out bonnet panels and driving lights. These GTs delivered 66kW and 153km/h. Local Mark 1 and 2 Cortinas will have spent 50 or more years on the road and been renovated at least once. Examples of both models have surged in price and it's almost impossible to find a decent base-model for less than $5000. GT versions are the most coveted and costly and almost all of the available cars cost $20,000 or more. Authentic or carefully restored Mark 1 cars will exceed $30,000 with ‘replicas' worth 50 per cent less than a genuine GT. Mark 2 GTs are extremely rare yet still cost less than Mark 1 cars.