A 1600E should also feature Lotus-type strengthening plates and metal dashboard panel.Įxamine the front valance, bonnet, wings, doors, rear wheelarches and bootlid/tailgate, bearing in mind replacement panels – whether secondhand or reproduction – can cost four-figure sums. If you’re inspecting a Mk1 GT or a 1600E, ensure the factory-welded radius rod brackets are present under the rear floor. Rust can be anywhere, but it’s most important to check the inner wings and strut tops, bulkhead, scuttle panel, A-pillars, sills, jacking points, floorpan, rear chassis rails, spring hangers, spare wheel well and boot floor – all of which can be tricky to repair. Rot is the Cortina’s eternal enemy, and serious structural corrosion – along with the price of panels – can make a base-model Mk1 or Mk2 uneconomical to repair. Today, as Blue Oval fashions favour sporting Escorts, the first two generations of Cortina remain much-loved and increasingly affordable classics. After a midlife revamp in 1968, the Mk2 Cortina continued to sell relentlessly, with 1,024,869 built by the time it was replaced by the Mk3 in October 1970. Meanwhile, the Lotus had been continued into Mk2 form as a less-specialised package. From September 1967, both were replaced by Ford’s new 1.3- or 1.6-litre Crossflow, giving rise to the dramatic Cortina 1600E executive express. But Ford couldn’t afford to be complacent a new fascia came in 1963, followed by Aeroflow ventilation in autumn 1964.Ī second-generation Cortina arrived in October 1966, with a smart (albeit anonymous) reskin, wider track and 1298cc powerplant alongside the previous 1.5-litre models. Keen pricing helped the Cortina to top the sales charts, with 1,013,391 assembled worldwide in just four years. To save cash, it stuck with a traditional rear-wheel drive three-box layout, adding tail fins and peace symbol-like back lights to form an effortlessly stylish design.Īt first named the Consul Cortina and available with just one engine (1198cc), the range of two- and four-door saloons grew to include a 1498cc version, plus the sporty GT with Cosworth-tuned 78bhp powerplant and the glorious Lotus Cortina, raced to legendary status by the likes of Jim Clark – naturally not included within this buying guide. The Ford Cortina Mk1 & Mk2 have long been seen as stylish, usable classics – and with values tailing off, now’s your chance to own oneįord introduced the conventionally engineered Cortina in September 1962 as a medium-sized machine that could compete on costs with BMC’s Mini.
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