Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Ellis]

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Yes, I have. Mine was a 1976 (one of the first) Mk 4 Ford Cortina 2.0 Ghia in Jupiter red with a black vinyl roof with a Webasto, MCC 96R. It was three years old when I bought it in September 1979 and I travelled the country, north to south, east to west in it, in comfort with complete reliability. The only downsides were a rather heavy fuel consumption (28mpg average) and a tendency for the rear axle to "tramp" under accelerertion.

I am old enough, sadly, to remember the Mark 1 - the Consul Cortina - being introduced and the first one in this village was a grey two door in November 1962, bought by a CEGB engineer. It had a chrome front grille so it cannot have been a "base". I think the number was 5446 UN.
I was to be a passenger in many including a 1965 Cortina Lotus which was owned a friend of my parents. He was the Town Clerk here and bought it new in June 1965 - DUN 4?C.

The Mark 2 has a variant - the 1600E - which I admire intensely and still have a hankering for.

I had the pleasure of being a passenger in a new Mark 3 - a bronze metallic 2000GXL in August 1971 when a friend's father bought it new. I don't remember the number plate - unusual for me.

In 1976/77 there was a six month waiting list for a Mark 4 and the first one in Betws y Coed was a yellow 1600 GL - POG ***R and the second was a rare variant now, a 2.0 S in silver which was bought by a mining engineer who worked at a then new hydro electric generating station being built in Llanberis.

My then girlfriend's father bought one the first Mark 5s in November 1979, a dark blue 1.6 GL 4 door which he changed for a new Crusader when he retired in June 1982. There are still two or three Crusaders in use locally.

The last TV adverts for Mark 5 described the car "...as solid as a rock. as reliable as time.........".

I have an admiration for all types of Cortina.

What did you think of yours or of the car in general?[/img]
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Starting Handle Expert

1964 Jaguar Mark 2 3.4 litre
1962 Land Rover Series 2a 88"
2002 BMW M3 E46 Cabriolet

[kevin2306]

never had the pleasure but my best friend in school's dad bought a brand new 1972 metallic blue 2000gxl...it was truly awesome. funnily enough we were only chatting about it last weekend at the Llangollen downhill racing

kev

[Uncle Alec]

I have. Several. Mk I, Mk II, Mk III. Great value.

[COMMAD]

Yes a Mk2 1600 in 1976, unfortunately a bit of a lemon, traded it on a FD Victor, great little car, started me on GM products, Followed by HG Holden, HQ Holden, UC Holden Torana ,VK Holden Royale, then back to a 1986 Ford Fairmont XF. etc

[websnail]

Too expensive for me, had a lot of fun in Mk1 Escorts though.

[kismet]

Mk3 estate for me. Pretty good car from what I remember and completely corrosion free.

[Churchill Johnson]

Yes i got a MK3 1976 1600cc facelift model saloon white a write-off, 3 yr's old done 36k with the usual cam rattle, it had hit a pole in centre of front so put on all secondhand part's except the grille £60 the dearest part, on holiday after i had just put it on the road the cambelt snapped, no damage as would have been the case if it had been a 2l, i fitted a new belt with a pair of grip's all i had with me, kept it for a few year's never did paint the used panel's and exchanged it for a fiat 850 van.

[ChrisD]

Does the running gear (engine, gearbox, brakes, axle) count?!
Mk1 GT fitted to my AH Sprite - very quick but it drinks fuel as you say. Twin 40's don't help mind you!

[Rootes75]

My father had Mk4's and 5's when I was younger and we still have his very early silver fox 1600E that he's owned for 40+ years sat under sheeting at our yard. She'll get done one day

[peppiB]

Not owned one but a mate had a mk1 which I used to drive regularly and it was always spot on.
We did however have a mk2 as our 'factory' car in 1970. It was 'iffy' The general manager used to take me to work in it every morning, and home on an evening (40 miles each way) and the thing was reluctant to get a move on and build quality wasn't great. Works manager wrapped it around a tree so head office sent us a replacement - same model and year and this one was spot on. On closer inspection the replacement car had one major difference - the plate under the bonnet read 'Made in West Germany'

[Minxy]

As a young lad I had a Mk1 Consul Cortina.....and rolled it

Some years on I had a Mk11 1600E lovely car would love another but £s

Had a Mk111 2000E for a short time could not take to it at all

[JC T ONE]

My first car was a MK I Cortina.

It was painted in Team Lotus Gold Leaf colour,s.

Red, with a Black roof, and Gold stripes down the side, where the GT & Lotus also were painted.

Ended its days, on a winter day = Black ice

It was a great shame, as it was a really nice car, with remote gearshift.
Only a few days earlier, had I been to the scrapyard, and bought a pair of split front bumpers, to give it GT/Twincam look.
The car I bought the bumpers off, also had a genuine Ford tacho, but this was gone, next time I paid a visit.
It turned out that the owner had removed it, so it wouldnt be stolen.
I found it 25 years later, when I helped clearout the place.


Jens Christian
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[poodge]

I owned 6 or 7 back in the 70s-80s.
The best one of the lot was a 1964 1500 4-door,the worst a 1967 1200 2-door.mk3 and 4 ok,but nothing special.

[Landy Des]

My first car was a Mk1 Consul Cortina, two door, column change - pale blue. I paid £80 for it and absolutely loved it.

Didn't drive a column change again until I got the Pilot earlier this year, some 40 year gap!

Also had two Mk2 1600E's and my favourite of the Mk2's a GT which got written off but the number plate is still around - 999 KPE

I've often thought of getting another 1600E but there are some sky high prices out there now for 70's fords

[Inglewood]

I have driven many but 'owned' just one - a Mk1 Airflow 1200