The Ford Cortina was introduced in the UK in September 1962, and over time it became the UK’s best -selling car – usurping the ADO16 – and stayed that way for several years. It became the mainstay of many a corporate fleet, not least in part because of its clear model hierarchy which enabled companies to allocate Cortina’s according to their engine size and trim level in a thoroughly logical and practical way, with base level models for junior staff, going up to almost executive level with the likes of the 2.3 V6 Ghia.
The Cortina – named after the Italian ski resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo to lend it an aspirational and glamorous image – was initially a fairly traditional family car, and not the sales rep’s road warrior that later models became, but with each iteration that followed, it increasingly became the car for everyman.
The first four versions of the Cortina were each quite different, starting with the Mark 1 with its round tail lights and modest proportions. The Cortina was designed by Roy Brown Jr. creator of the Ford Edsel, one of America’s most famous flops, but the Cortina was the exact opposite – a great success, and in the Lotus Cortina, gave us what was to become an iconic track car and future classic.
Four years later came the boxier Mark II, and the first Executive version of the Cortina– the 1600E, now much sought after, as is the Lotus-badged version.
Launched in 1970, the Mark III was an altogether different looking car, with its now famous “coke-bottle” curves. It was also the first UK-built Ford that shared a platform with Ford of Germany, in this case, with the Taunus. By this time the high-performance specials had been dropped, and the range now ran from base 1.3 to 2.0-litres in GT and GXL trim, although much bigger engines – up to 4.1-litres – were offered in South Africa and Australia.
The Mark IV was a return to more conservative rectilinear styling, and by now (1976) the Cortina was a firm fleet favourite. Essentially a substantially rebodied Mark III but now available with engines up to the Cologne 2.3-litre V6 and for the first time, with Ghia trim levels at the top of the range, and the Mark IV was Britain’s best-selling car throughout its lifespan.
1979 saw the arrival of the final version of the Cortina, the Mark V, which was really not much more than a facelifted Mark IV rather than a completely new car and was to have a short production run of just three years between its introduction and 1982, basically acting as a bridge between the conventional Cortina and its replacement, the controversial – initially at least – Sierra, as the Cortina’s place in the hearts of fleet buyers was being increasingly challenged by Vauxhall’s Cavalier, particular in J-car form.
Visually distinguishable from the Mark IV by a different grille, larger headlights with integrated indicator lenses, a lowered roofline, slatted tail-lights and not a great deal more, as the Mark V neared the end of its life, Ford launched a few special editions and our Prime Find is one of those, a Carousel – a slightly odd name for a car in my view, but whatever…
The Carousel was basically a 1.3L or 1.6L saloon or estate with – according to Ford – 18 trim upgrades and one of three two-tone colour schemes in green, grey/silver or brown. Only 6,000 were built between 1981 and ’82, and according to howmanyleft.com, fewer than ten of these remain on UK roads, so our Prime Find is now one of a very special group indeed.
Our car is a 1981 saloon in the smart two-tone combination of Forest Green over Crystal Green, it goes under the hammer with Anglia Car Auctions as part of their classic car sale over the weekend of August 20th and 21st and based on the photographs we have borrowed from the auctioneer’s website, it looks to be an excellent example of this run-out special limited edition.
There doesn’t appear to be much history with the car, which is a pity, but it is known to have been with a single owner until 2021 and has been off the road for the last 16 years, although it was driven to the auction site.
This Carousel comes with the 1.6-litre in-line engine and it’s thought – though not warranted – that the car has covered just 34,335 miles. If that’s correct, it’s not surprising that the interior – which reflects the exterior in its two-tone colour scheme – also looks to be in pristine condition. The seats are in a smart grey cloth that looks barely worn and the instruments are set in a neat wood veneer surround.
Power output is a relatively modest 73bhp but this was enough to give the car a top speed of 93mph and a 0-60mph time of 13 seconds back in the day and should be sufficient to keep up with most modern traffic conditions.
The auctioneers have given this very smart special edition Cortina an estimate range of £8,000 to £10,000, which for a Mark V or IV is strong money but this is not a regular Mark V and it seems to be in exceptional shape, making it a good candidate for the Festival of the Unexceptional.
You can see the full lot entry here, and as usual, if this particular Cortina is tempting you to consider a bid, we recommend arranging prior inspection if possible.
With our Saturday instalment of Prime Find of the Week, we’re offering our services to the classic car community, by passing on our favourite classic car for sale from the week that passed. This top-tip might help a first-time-buyer to own his first classic, or it could even be the perfect motivation for a multiple-classic-car-owner to expand his garage with something different. We’ll let us be inspired by anything from a cheap project to a stunning concours exotic, and hope that you will do the same.
Just remember – Any Classic is Better than No Classic! We obviously invite our readers to help prospective buyers with your views and maybe even experiences of any given model we feature. Further to that, if you stumble across a classic which you feel we ought to feature as Prime Find of the Week, then please send us a link to primefindoftheweek@viaretro.co.uk