26 replies to this topic

[MScotts]

Many may realise that this year celebrates the 50th year since the launch of the Ford Cortina...

http://www.classicfo...f-the-week-552/

What association have you had with this car, have you owned any or did one feature as your family car in your youth?

[nilagin]

My Dad had a C reg MK1 1200 Deluxe from new when I was a kid. He had it all the way up to 1976. Only mechanical failure was it stripped the gear off the end of the starter motor. Front wings rusted through behind the headlight bezels. But all said it was a great car, shame he sold it to a workmate a few years before I was old enough to drive, I'd have loved to have had it for a first car. My Uncle had a Mk3 2000 GLX same colour as the one in the photo above. After the Mk1 my dad had a Capri then bought a Mk5 Cortina 1.3 4dr base model, had a few driving lessons in that before my driving test. My first car was a 1974 mk3 1600L, then I moved onto a Mk3 2000 XL facelift. Great car and sounded brilliant with a K&N pancake filter on the twin choke webber. Went through void bushes like no-ones business in those, only used to last around 3 months, resulting in the propshaft whipping. Managed to shear the UJ on the prop on the 2000 XL. Also for around 6 months I had a silver Mk4 2.0S great car but inner sills were rotten right through. That was the end of Cortinas in my life. Would still love a Mk1 though, if only I had somewhere to keep one.

[SheffSean]

My first car was a 1972 mk3 two door Cortina 1600 x-flow with twin choke Webber carb, after a short spell with a mk2 Capri I bought another mk3 Cortina, a 1975 four door 1600 pinto with twin choke Webber carb, after that I bought a 1985 mk5 which was the worst Ford i`ve ever had and the second most expensive car i`ve ever had too, after that I bought another 1985 mk5 which cost me £50 from a mate and a none runner, but after I stripped the previous mk5 I used all the parts to get it through the MOT, I had it 3 years and never had any trouble with break downs or MOT`s.

Sean.

[stevegtuk]

My dad had a mk3 then two mk5s all estates. Loved them all

[siruncle]

dad had a mk2 1.6 '69 estate when i was little, then my mate and his missus had a mk3 and 4, he had the mk4 written off for him and invested in a mk5. I used to go out with my mate in his and his missus' til they replaced them with sierras. I ended up fitting a mk5 tina 2.0 motor into my 1st sierra to replace the 1.6 that had "died" as a result of my heavy footedness...
With the twinpot webers the engines in the cortinas and sierras used to go pretty well.

happy birthday cortina!

[nilagin]

Forgot, the bloke who lived across the road to me when I was a kid had a gorgeous red 2dr Mk1 Cortina 1500 GT.

[THEBIGYIN]

My first car was a mk2 1600e loved it then i had a mk4 & mk5 the good old days LOL

[MScotts]

I grew up with Ford's in the family; mainly through the 70s which sticks with me today...
My dad had a Mk2 1600E but much preferred the Capri, so went on to own a few flavours of that marque over the years.
My uncles had a brace of Mk1 Lotus Cortinas at one point during the 70s, replacing those with the Escort Linnet & Harrier and onto RS2000s.
In the v-early 80s my second car was a '78 2.0L Mk4 Cortina; with cars-various since, inc a RS1600i and a S1 Audi quattro RR...
The 'Ford' theme is with the currnet cars in my Family; including a V6 ST200 Saloon, Zetec-S (30th Anniversary) Fiesta, S-Max derv 2.2 tit, and a 6 Berth Transit Kentucky Estro5 motorhome (used predominantly for Motocross events).

[siruncle]

THEBIGYIN, on 11 February 2012 - 03:32 PM, said:

My first car was a mk2 1600e loved it then i had a mk4 & mk5 the good old days LOL

there was a lovely one in dark blue we saw a while back, absolutely gorgeous, still up for grabs i believe... http://www.ebay.co.u...#ht_1239wt_1270

[THEBIGYIN]

If i had the cash i would buy one anyday

[raynkar]

When I was younger my dad had a proper Lotus MK1, and later an ordinary MK1 in lotus colours
In between other Fords my brother also had a MK1, but then we didn't have another cortina until we got a late model MK4 (was that a MK5?). I drove that not too long after passing my test and at the time it felt rock solid..........

I'd hate to go back to heavy leaf springed cars again for a day to day car now though.

The only cortina now is a MK1 shell on my mums drive that my brother put there to restore......then promptly forgot..........It is sitting behind the Ford Ka I've left there too lol.

[raynkar]

As an add on, and also thread drift.

I used to love the granadas that were the same shape as the MK4 cortinas, but also used to see a wider/bigger version of the same granada shape. Did Ford make that or was it coach built privately.

[THEBIGYIN]

I had a granada for a short time good car but gready on fuel

[Baldrick]

My grandad had a white Mk4 Cortina when I was a kid, my uncle drove it more then he did. I remember being chauffeur driven in the back of it. All being well they should be a good turn out of them at this years Classic Ford show then, always had a soft spot for a nice Tina.

[siruncle]

my first driving experience was in my dads mk2 '69 tina. forgot that!

[siruncle]

raynkar, on 11 February 2012 - 06:23 PM, said:

When I was younger my dad had a proper Lotus MK1, and later an ordinary MK1 in lotus colours
In between other Fords my brother also had a MK1, but then we didn't have another cortina until we got a late model MK4 (was that a MK5?). I drove that not too long after passing my test and at the time it felt rock solid..........

I'd hate to go back to heavy leaf springed cars again for a day to day car now though.

The only cortina now is a MK1 shell on my mums drive that my brother put there to restore......then promptly forgot..........It is sitting behind the Ford Ka I've left there too lol.

why not take it on raynkar, and put the ka in its place, when your brother asks where his tina is, you could say "its evolved"

[nilagin]

raynkar, on 11 February 2012 - 06:26 PM, said:

As an add on, and also thread drift.

I used to love the granadas that were the same shape as the MK4 cortinas, but also used to see a wider/bigger version of the same granada shape. Did Ford make that or was it coach built privately.

The only larger Granada I'm aware of is the coach built Colman Milne Granada stretched Limo, used by mayors or funeral directors or in white for weddings. Don't think there was ever a wider version though. In America they had the LTD which for a short while looked a little like the Granada's bigger brother.

[mex1600]

I had a mk2 1600 super 1968 F reg    
fitted it with lotus steels and a twin weber..
Also owned a mk4 1600L 1978  S reg neither car ever let me down.l

[azcolin]

my mk 5 is hibernating in the garage, it does not get used in bad weather,
thats what my £500 mondy is for !!!

[SheffSean]

That brings back memories, an engine bay where you can actually work on the engine without stripping out half of the other stuff before doing any work, mmmm, distributor, points, condensors and Twin choke Webbers god I feel old.

   Sean.