A mint Cortina straight out of the ‘60s
IN THE days when the likes of Gtis and STS were probably nothing more than the incoherent unpenned dreams of some sparkly eyed enthusiast, the Ford marque ruled our local streets with an iron fist.
Ronnie Chetty, 64, is the proud owner of this week’s formidable 1966 Mk1 Ford Cortina GT. Chetty, a panel beater by profession, hails from Effingham Heights, north of Durban. His hobbies and interests include working on cars and attending car shows.
His gorgeous example of one of yesteryear’s most iconic sedans features a V6 carburettor-fed power plant fitted some 30 years ago, mated to one of Ford’s famous super-slick four-speed gearboxes. A very tone-worthy Powerflow performance exhaust system was also fitted to further augment power delivery.
As far as the car’s ride was concerned, Chetty opted for enhancements in the braking system, as well as the suspension. His fantastic Ford also sports the form and functional merits of a set of 15-inch Racinghart mag wheels, mated to a tetrad of Nankang 195/50 15 rubbers.
The car’s exterior boasts a slightly customised version of its factory original red paint job, bonded to a mostly original body shell, while also boasting sets of new lenses and lights.
The interior of this Cortina flaunts a refurbished to “close to original” specification interior, which included replacement of both the front seats.
As with most classic cars, emphasis on “sound” is often not a priority. This one is no different and features a standard but nonetheless impressive sound set-up of a JVC MP3 player and a set of 8-inch limpids .
It is also worth noting that this fantastic Ford was built up and maintained by Chetty, who has had a passion for cars since his childhood.