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Happy Birthday to the .......Ford Cortina!!

Redmidland
Redmidland Posts: 44,700
edited September 2012 in Not Sports Related
The Ford Cortina is 50 years old today.....designed by a young british engineer (David Roberts/Robins??) it went on to become one of the most popular cars ever to be sold in the UK......it replaced the Ford Classic and then was replaced itself by the Sierra!! Still see a few knocking around and can remeber my old dad having one in the mid 60's......also remember the Lotus Cortina...never had one though...anyway Happy Birtday to a British Icon!!!
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Comments

  • Henry Irving
    Henry Irving Posts: 85,242
    I had a love affair with Nina........
  • Macronate
    Macronate Posts: 12,897
    my Grandad had a burgundy one.

    remember taking many trips to the caravan at Jaywick in it.

  • soapy_jones
    soapy_jones Posts: 21,360
    edited September 2012
    Better than porn... (work safe)

    http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=pictures+of+ford+cortina&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=rhy&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=vhNcUL_jO4qq0AXdxYHICw&ved=0CCEQsAQ&biw=1423&bih=854
  • EGAddick
    EGAddick Posts: 532
    Went to an auction a couple of weeks ago where a Lotus Cortina fetched £42k!
  • DaveMehmet
    DaveMehmet Posts: 21,607
    My old man had a 2.0 Ghia mark 4 estate. Was the nuts.
  • mistrollingin
    mistrollingin Posts: 3,868
    I had a Mark 2 Cortina Estate TYO 530F never forget the reg. 1968 model from 1971 to 1978. 1300 engine absolute beauty, used it every day, never ever let me down.
  • Hastingsaddick
    Hastingsaddick Posts: 4,079
    Ex brother in law drove a Mk2....with the lotus engine...proper car that was.
  • Lincsaddick
    Lincsaddick Posts: 32,362
    I had a few Cortinas.. a Mk2 GT that was the English equivalent (almost) of a mustang and went like a rocket until I hit a bus in Ladywell and that was that .. and a Mk 3 or two .. good solid cars at a decent price .. Henry Ford, the man who put the working man on wheels
  • Lincsaddick
    Lincsaddick Posts: 32,362
    EGAddick said:

    Went to an auction a couple of weeks ago where a Lotus Cortina fetched £42k!

    I worked at Dagenham in the foundry core shop for a while. Every so often the Lotus technicians would come and do thier manufacturing processes for the Lotus engine ... each engine was hand crafted from scratch
  • guinnessaddick
    guinnessaddick Posts: 28,671
    Had a Mk4, VLW 944S & Mk 5 LUL 248X great cars, which you could work on.
    Lost count the number of times I changed the void bushes.

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  • DaveMehmet
    DaveMehmet Posts: 21,607
    guinnessaddick said:

    Had a Mk4, VLW 944S & Mk 5 LUL 248X great cars, which you could work on.
    Lost count the number of times I changed the void bushes.

    The first number plate would probably be worth a few quid to a Porsche enthusiast.
  • tangoflash
    tangoflash Posts: 10,785
    I used to be the proud owner of a 1968 MKII 1600 ghia. Absolutely loved that car. Unfortunately, so did someone else who promptly had it away, never to be seen again. Found the log book and keys in a box the other week.

    It was the one car I truly fell in love with.

    Also owned a rare 2-door MKIII for around a year.
  • soapy_jones
    soapy_jones Posts: 21,360
    Had a Mk4 back in the day, it was my pride and joy for 2 weeks! After taking out a 2 year loan with Barclays Wank to buy it, I was bombing down Dunkery Rd at 03:00 one Sunday morning, just by the dip next to the woods, when some twat pulled out at the crossroads and the rest is history. Broke me heart.
  • soapy_jones
    soapy_jones Posts: 21,360
    Had a Mk4 back in the day, it was my pride and joy for 2 weeks! After taking out a 2 year loan with Barclays Wank to buy it, I was bombing down Dunkery Rd at 03:00 one Sunday morning, just by the dip next to the woods, when some twat pulled out at the crossroads and the rest is history. Broke me heart.
  • soapy_jones
    soapy_jones Posts: 21,360
    Twice
  • DaveMehmet
    DaveMehmet Posts: 21,607
    Was at the Goodwood Revival over the weekend and saw several Mk 1's & 2's. There was a lovely MK1 Gt, white with a red stripe (like the lotus)

    Took a photo of a MK1 estate but the camera slipped somehow and you can only see the back of it on the left.

  • Greenie
    Greenie Posts: 9,172
    Henry Irving said:

    I had a love affair with Nina........

    in the back of my cortina - dontcha love Dury.....brilliant lyrics...
  • Macronate
    Macronate Posts: 12,897
    *camera slipped=reached down to unbutton flies*
  • Saga Lout
    Saga Lout Posts: 6,845
    Apologies for the anorak, but the Cortina didn't replace the Classic, the Corsair did. The Classic and the Cortina were both in production at the same time for a short time before the Classic was discontinued.

    I owned a rare 2-door standard Classic and a Consul Capri - the coupe version of the Classic.
  • TelMc32
    TelMc32 Posts: 9,056
    Good to see a few others remembering the reg numbers! Dad had a chocholate brown Mk III - TWT 616L. Absolutely loved that car!!

    I also had the joy of being knocked down by one on the way back from Saturday morning pictures when I was about 7 (1973/4). Broken leg, plaster from foot to top of the thigh for 6 weeks. Dark green with a black vinyl roof...driver drove off...g!t!!! ;-)

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  • EGAddick
    EGAddick Posts: 532
    Lincsaddick said:

    EGAddick said:

    Went to an auction a couple of weeks ago where a Lotus Cortina fetched £42k!

    I worked at Dagenham in the foundry core shop for a while. Every so often the Lotus technicians would come and do thier manufacturing processes for the Lotus engine ... each engine was hand crafted from scratch
    Have you seen the BBC documentary on the Dagenham plant? It came out a couple of years ago but was re-run recently.

    http://www.stmarkstube.co.uk/pages/watch_video.php?video_id=609

    http://www.stmarkstube.co.uk/pages/watch_video.php?video_id=610

  • Lincsaddick
    Lincsaddick Posts: 32,362
    edited September 2012
    I've seen them, albeit a while ago .. such a pity Ford @ Dagenhem is virtually closed .. it gave work for 1000s of men who weren't particularly scholastic .. good pay for a good job, jobs gone forever and never to be replaced .. the equivalent now is a job in Burger King, McD, KFC Tesco, dealing drugs and/or mugging .. Dagenham is now a ghost town, mini Detroit, the rust belt, all the businesses that closed with the demise of the Ford plants ... but I digress from 'the Cortina' story
  • quintusboss
    quintusboss Posts: 66
    Had a Mk1 1500cc pre X-flow engine, 789 GLU registration. That reg would probably be worth a few bob now, if I had kept it. I remember wheel spacers to fit wide wheels (165x13, if I remember correctly!!!!), a 4 to 2 to 1 exhaust, tinting the windows, a twin choke webber and pancake air filter. Then I customised the inside with extra guages, a centre console made from plywood and sticky back leatherette, fitted a remote gear lever for quick gear changes and a small steering wheel. Me and my mates loved to customise our cars back then. My brother had a proper gold MkII 1600E with vinyl roof and wooden dash. A real beauty.
  • jaire
    jaire Posts: 432
    I had a silver MK ll GT - YNO 854F - one of the nicest cars that I ever owned.
  • tangoflash
    tangoflash Posts: 10,785
    Saga Lout said:

    Apologies for the anorak, but the Cortina didn't replace the Classic, the Corsair did. The Classic and the Cortina were both in production at the same time for a short time before the Classic was discontinued.

    I owned a rare 2-door standard Classic and a Consul Capri - the coupe version of the Classic.

    A mate of mine had one of these about 15 years ago. Beautiful motor............
  • Saga Lout
    Saga Lout Posts: 6,845
    tangoflash said:

    Saga Lout said:

    Apologies for the anorak, but the Cortina didn't replace the Classic, the Corsair did. The Classic and the Cortina were both in production at the same time for a short time before the Classic was discontinued.

    I owned a rare 2-door standard Classic and a Consul Capri - the coupe version of the Classic.

    A mate of mine had one of these about 15 years ago. Beautiful motor............
    Absolutely - to my mind the most beautiful car ever built apart from maybe the E-Type Jag, but I could never afford one of them! Had mine for a few years about 15 years ago as well funnily enough (unless you are a mate of mind and we haven't realised it!) and it was in fantastic condition, having been restored by the previous owner about a decade before I got my hands on it. Reg was COO 646.
  • creepyaddick
    creepyaddick Posts: 6,152
    I had a gold 1600E (Mk2) a blue mk3 a brown mk4 and a green mk 5 and when I worked in the garage my guvnor had a white with green flashes mk1 lotus that he used to do the rac rally in
  • TEL
    TEL Posts: 10,100
    tangoflash said:

    I used to be the proud owner of a 1968 MKII 1600 ghia. Absolutely loved that car. Unfortunately, so did someone else who promptly had it away, never to be seen again. Found the log book and keys in a box the other week.

    It was the one car I truly fell in love with.

    Also owned a rare 2-door MKIII for around a year.

    Think you had a MK3 if it was a Ghia...or possibly you meant a Mk2 1600E?

  • TEL
    TEL Posts: 10,100
    Plenty of Mk3 and Mk4 Cortinas over here......but....they have a 4 litre lump!
    Cant imagine what they must handle like....the Mk3 was a wallow mobile at best.

    I had a 2 door 68 1300 automatic for a short while.....dead easy to work on I have to say.....that was back in 1976!
  • Stig
    Stig Posts: 29,038
    Still remember my dad's Mk1, DOO 695 B. The only car we've ever had with a bench seat at the front, absolutely perfect for a family of three. Later, I learned to drive in one of his Mk3s. Wonderful cars.

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