A few weeks back we celebrated the 60th birthday of the Ford Cortina and the 40th of its successor, the Sierra, with a brief run through of those models’ histories.
This weekend – but a day early to give you time to register potential interest – we have as our Prime Find a fine example of the second-generation Cortina, or Mark II, which goes under the hammer tomorrow with Historics auctioneers at their Mercedes-Benz World sale, near Weybridge, Surrey, so let’s take a closer look at that particular version of one of the UK’s most popular cars.
The Mark I Cortina had been a great success, launched in 1962 and almost a million were sold by the time it was replaced by the Mark II, code-named internally as Project Archbishop. Mechanically, the Mark II was very similar to its predecessor, sharing the same engines – although the original 1.2-litre was enlarged to 1.3-litre – and much of the floorpan was the same as before, although with a wider track and softer suspension. The body, however, was entirely new, and very different to its predecessor.
Mark I……………………………………………………..Mark II
Where the Mark I had design flourishes aplenty – the round “peace” tail-lights, the body-length side scallops, and the lowered bootlid between subtle fins – the Mark II was a more rectilinear design, almost boxy but for a very subtle dip in the waistline at the B-post, which added interest to the overall shape. The fins were gone, and the Mark II looked clean and modern. It was also more spacious, quicker, and better equipped.
Some of the Mark II’s contemporary rivals
As with the earlier model, the Mark II was offered as a 2-and-4 door saloon as well as an estate, and besides the 1.3-litre engine, a 1.5-litre unit was also available, and trim levels were Base, Deluxe, Super and GT, at least to begin with.
The 1500 was not the largest engine to be offered in the Mark II, however, as Ford pushed the Cortina further upmarket in performance terms via the Lotus Cortina – which followed the pattern set by the Mark I version – and what became the most aspirational Cortina, the 1600E, introduced in 1967 and came with Rostyles, more instruments, front foglights, wood trim and more. There aren’t so many 1600E’s around, and prices are moving up, though short of the Lotus Cortina, particularly the Mark I version.
The Mark II was – like the original Cortina – a sales success for Ford, selling in similar numbers to the Mark I during its years on sale between 1966 and 1970 before itself being replaced by the “coke-bottle” Mark III; indeed, in 1967 it was the UK’s most popular car, pushing the BMC 1100/1300 range out of first spot.
Our Prime Find is a Mark II Cortina 1500 Super, finished in white with a black interior, and it has an exceptional history. Acquired by it’s first owner for £965 on January 2nd 1967 (the original bill of sale is with the car), it was driven for a couple of years and then put into a dry garage – for 50 years! – remaining in the same ownership until the vendor bought the car in 2020.
What makes this Cortina of particular interest, especially to collectors, is the fact that the odometer reads just 6,238 miles, almost all of them driven before it was hidden away in 1969. Unsurprisingly, given the car’s sheltered life, the body is very straight, and though there are some slight signs of corrosion, they are few. All the chrome looks good, and according to the auctioneers, the interior is “in superb order, with no rips, holes, or other damage to the upholstery”
The car sits on its original steel wheels and even the original cross-ply tyres – while these contribute to the car’s originality, they would be better replaced with more modern tyres to improve ride and roadholding. It has the 1498cc engine carried over from the Mark I, which pushed out 60bhp, endowing the Mark II with a maximum speed of 81mph (131kmh) and could cover the 0-60mph sprint in just under fifteen second.
Having not moved an inch for so long, this Cortina obviously needed some recommissioning, which has included a full engine rebuild, new brakes and a relined fuel tank, but otherwise the car is completely original.
Besides the bill of sale, other documentation with the car includes the original owner’s manual and buff logbook, though this will need to be sent in to the DVLA and replaced with a modern V5C – that’s how long this car has been off the road.
It’s hard to be sure how many Mark II’s remain, but there is unlikely to be another with such a low mileage and in such original condition. It’s to be hoped that the successful bidder will not simply hide the car away again as a museum piece, but with much of its value in the low mileage, I have a feeling it won’t get used much – I hope I’m wrong.
It’s not a car for me, but for the Ford collector, surely something to check out? You can see the full lot entry here – normally, should you be interested in a car featured in our Prime Find slot, we recommend you arrange a prior inspection if possible, but as this goes on sale tomorrow, you might need to trust your instincts and be quick about it. It’s expensive for a standard Mark II, with an estimate range of £18,000 to £23,000, but an opportunity to acquire such a low-mileage example is unlikely to come up again.
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