My late father had one of the first MK 4 Cortina's. I drove past his house and saw this fantastic looking car on his driveway! I drove it a couple of times and everywhere I went and parked--people came around to look at the car! Brilliant!
As an 18-year old kid, I had a '76 2.0 XL automatic, NPW 983P, loved it to bits. With a mate, we went on a 1600 mile road trip from Surrey up to Loch Ness and back via Glen Coe, Loch Lomond, the Lake District and back down the M6, M1 and the recently opened M25. These days, an adventure for an 18-year old is sadly somewhat different.
M Ali The Cortina behaved impeccably on that trip, using a pint of water and half a litre of oil the whole journey . That glorious summer of 1985 gave me a love of travelling that I still enjoy today. I’ve driven across one end of Europe to the other and back again, explored 21 countries and now live in Bulgaria. Last summer we brought a ‘99 T reg Suzuki Vitara soft-top from Nottingham back here with a list of potential defects as long as your arm, no breakdown insurance and drove 900 miles to Toulon, got the ferry to Sardinia, over to Naples and Pompeii, then across to Brindisi and a final ferry to Igoumenitsa in Greece and 500 more miles or so back home. The venerable old motor never put a wheel wrong and is still going strong. Fantastic road trip among countless others, but I still have the fondest memories of that blue Cortina mk 3, ZZ Top blaring out on the Panasonic tape deck and fifteen quid for a full tank of four star petrol. Sheer, unadulterated bliss, and to think, some scientists now claim that young people don't achieve adulthood till they reach 25. WTF??
Barry Sim It was! The Cortina behaved faultlessly, using barely a litre of oil and a pint or two of water. Pretty good considering some of the terrain we encountered. I live abroad now and still enjoy incredible road trips around Europe. That summer escape of 1985 set the benchmark for me and my fondness of the Mk 3 Cortina will never diminish!
My Dad went from having a 2000E in beautiful orange to a beige Mk 1 Cavalier 1600GL. Guess he must have pissed someone off in higher management or it was the good old days of austerity in fleet car purchases.
I had a Mk5, my mate had a Mk4. His was rusty, mine wasn't. It was a 2.0l GL but I went to work putting Capri alloys on it, a Granada Ghia dash (and got all the dials to work), a few engine mods and red interior "mood lighting". Oh yeah, I loved that car. Not bad for a young man of 20 years old at the time. I named it 'the beast' and it had quite an effect on pulling the ladies. Top video, great memories.
Think we all had fun in our Ford Cortina's ...quite spacious in the back....always tried to chat up petite girls and that bonnet got used? Great cars...lived my 2.3 Ghia in Crystal Green
I remember growing up right through each Cortina transition. I loved them they were everywhere and it was like growing up in a giant sweet shop! Fantastic video very interesting from start to finish. Proper cars❤️
In South Africa we LOVED the Cortina! In óur own family, my Mom had a 1.6L station wagon, Dad had the 2.0GL sedan, his oldest brother had the 3.0GLS and his youngest brother had an AWESOME XR6! With Grandad rounding it all off in his 3.0GLE Granada : thís all happened in 1979 - 1983.
Yes Jan, we had two Mk 3s, a 2l V4 and a Big Six, and LOVED them. I find it strange that the XR6, 3.0s and Big Six are not mentioned, neither is the motorsport popularity of these cars. Surely it could not have only been in South Africa.
@Edward Gross sadly hardly any of our 'super rhino' fairmont gt's still reside in SA. most have been sold to eager aussie buyers with stronger currency behind them.
Thanks for the memories. I bought one in 1972 in Malawi, drove it from Blantyre-Limbe to Nairobi and back with a few side trips, about 5200 miles. Had Tanzanian police point their guns at us, got chased by a momma elephant. It is still one of my favorite cars.
You make such no-nonsense programmes. I really enjoy listening to what you say, because of the way you say it. I came across this channel by accident, but have become a big fan.
I was stationed in England (RAF Bentwaters) in 1980, had a 66 Cortina , Reg P00604D. my mechanic called her POO. Loved that car. Didn't pass the MOT so got a 68 Cortina. failed the next MOT and got a 72 Cortina
Another good informative vlog the Ford cortina was a great car Ford really were in tune with the times from the mk1 to the mk5 for me they were a country mile ahead in terms of styling from rival manufacturers keep the vlogs coming 👍👍
Apart from the Mk3. I thought that was horrible then and I still do now. A car designed to be a minicab that was too heavy, too slow and handled like a pig! The Mk1, Mk2 and Mk4 were all beautiful cars. Then they made the dreadful jelly mold and that was that for me. I got a five year old BMW 320 (E21). It was like a race car compared to a new Sierra.
As a South African, and a diehard Ford Fanatic, I am very appreciative that you always mention our local versions of Hot Fords. Thank you, the world needs to know about South African car culture! But worth mentioning, mk3 came in a XLE, known as the Big Six, a cult classic. Mk4 came in 30S, a sporty 3.0 V6 and MK5 came as XR6 also a 3.0 V6, but there were a few really special editions, like XOCET, Interceptor (which Andre Stander used for his heists, was also a special for the police, which Stander was one of), Magnum, and TF (for Team Ford)
I had two Ford cortinas Mark 3' 2000 gxl and a 2000 E both were brilliant car's of the time...also had a cortina Mark 2, 1600 E.these ones were top cars back in the 70' s...
Thanks for another great video! Much appreciated. I am a proud Patreon supporter of the channel and urge everyone who can to contribute to help Andy keep the channel going so strong.
The Cortina was also produced in Azambuja, Portugal. My great grandfather worked at the assembly line there until an accident involving a Cortina bonnet put him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Back then, that Ford plant wasn't a very safe place to work and accidents where somewhat common
People often complain about how modern Health & Safety procedures in the workplace and obstructive guarding on machinery & extensive power trip systems , slow you down & are a pain in the ass . All that crap is there to prevent what was commonplace back then unfortunately in many industries.
A great video as always, that brings memories. I learnt to drive on a 1972 1.6 Cortina Mk3, and at the same time, my grandfather had the Taunus equivalent, also made in 1972 . Both had the "L" finish, but the Taunus seemed more refined: The shape was more elegant, the interior finish looked of better quality, the engine was a refined OHC (despite being the underpowered 1.3 version), and not the crude Kent engine, and - attention to detail - the transmission shaft was split, to attenuate vibrations.
Thanks for covering the South African Cortina derivatives. We sure love our bakkies (pickups) and even today you see the odd 3L Cortina bakkie on the road. The word is derived from the "bak" (load bed) the vehicle has. Directly translated "bak" means bowl.
Saw one here in the UK in the 80s when I was a teen,, I thought it had been converted somehow till someone pointed out its south African bloodline, a handsome beast
I’m from Malaysia. My grandfather and my uncle owned the Cortina MkI back in the early 70s; which I can still recalled the strip design and the iconic tail lamp. Just flipped through my very old photos album; I see my late mother, my sister and I had a few photographs surrounding the car ...
You know it, I had to quickly part exchange my 62 Hillman Minx as it was a disaster for humping in 🤣then I wore out the seat ratchet on my fiat 131 with a KAREN 🤣
As a then 22 year old (in 1988) with a 1966 restored (did it myself ) Cortina Mk1 DeLuxe with fixed seats, I know exactly what you mean!! And that "direct into the g/box" gearstick too!
my dad bought an immaculate 2nd hand cherry red black vinyl mk 3 gxl and we all loved it. it was the fanciest car we had ever owned. fond memories. thank you!
He was right when he said they added a little power. It was only a little in the case of the 3.3 and all that weight in the front made the 2 litre a much better handler.
@@deaddoll1361 I think the idea was to increase local content by using Australian, rather than European, engines. Mildly unfortunate that the Australian engine was relatively long and heavy.
SOOOO Happy you mentioned Basil Green and the South African Perana! Most of the rest of the world never do.. Lots of history in that PERANA name. Uncle Basil is still around.
For me the best car Ford has ever made, hate all the modern shite, owned many and would sell my soul to own an other but sadly no garage to store properly
It would be lovely to have some of these cars back with modern underpinnings for reliability and modern corrosion treatment so they didn't rust in front of your eyes.
My family had a 1969 Ford Cortina two-door with stick shift when I was growing up. It was a nicely built car with plenty of chromed metal bits like door handles and window cranks. I learned how to drive by taking it on nearby mountain passes. It was very easy to maintain and I learned how to repair vehicles by starting on this car. The 1.3L four banger was simple and reliable. I miss that car, and if we still had it I'd be fully restoring it.
Stumbled across this video whilst explaining the Cortina to my son, we live in the US so he never had heard of one before. I appreciate your attention to details as well as the breadth of information regarding these fine little cars. Subscribed!
Mk 3 and mk4 were great cars for every day use and cheap to fix. I once installed a 3litre Essex engine in a mk2 1600E. Not fast compared to cars now, but still pretty impressive, especially the noise. My kit car uses cortina mk3-5 parts. Great video and channel.
It was the mark 3 Cortina that really got me into classic cars. An "I forgot all about those!" moment. I'd love to own a mid 70s 2000E. My parents owned asignal red 1974 (m) XL estate with RoStyle wheels. I was probably brought home from the maternity ward in it.
My Dad had Cortina's Mk 2, 3, and 5 while I was growing up. The mk2 had 4 dials in a row at the top middle of the dash. It got stolen before I had a chance of going in it. The mk3 was an E with auto box. Very plush car for the time. My first car was a chocolate brown mk 5. My next was a mk4 Escort. I love Cortina's and Escorts. It is part of my youth. I loved the Ford range from that period. Thankyou for these videos.
My father bought a Ford Taunus 12 M for 5.555,00 Guilders in the Netherlands. 4 speed on the steering colum and for me the car I leurned in to drive. Wow nice program. Losts of memories.Thanks.
Repeat after me: "Ang lee ah" :D My father owned a Mk1 (and the Anglia) & I learned to drive in a Mk2 1600E. Seeing so many Lotus Cortina's still racing is testament to the great design.
My father owned a 1982 1.6 white cortina, in Portugal was a big car at the time, he keeps this car until the end so when i get my drivers license was the first car i legaly drove. :-)
I thought about giving this vid a thumbs up,and why not?Also, hands up everyone who wants a brand new mk1 lotus cortina in white with the green stripe.brum brum yeah.
The small 1200cc Kent engine wasn't still being used in the fiesta up until 2002. The 1300cc ohv old ford engine was, and was still being used in the ford ka up until around 2005 or so
I'd love to find a 67 2dr here in the states. I think it's a stunning looking car that with a little bit of a American muscle would be a great performer and a heck of a sleeper. Ford of America really dropped the ball because they should have sold it along with the Pinto which would have really hurt Chevrolet Vega and AMC Gremlin/Hornet sales. Thank you for a great video about a car not really known in the states. Your facts and humor are spot on and I always look forward to seeing your next video.
My dad had a Mk5 which was yellow with a brown vinyl roof. It wasn't long before we discovered it was a cut and shut job which was slightly bent and didn't stop in a straight line.... we basically went around in a banana. The front end used to be blue... given away by blue paint showing through in the engine bay! Great video. I really enjoy the channel.
Always loved the 1600E, and the German looking "hippy" styling of the Mk4. Never liked the Sierra-Butt Ugly, or the deep inset of the Mk 3 dash cluster. Great review!
Had MK2, MK3, MK4 and MK5, loved them, did all my own maintenance and probably did every possible diy repair at one time or other. My favourite was the Mark 3 Ghia bright orange with black vinyl roof.
I still think that the 1958 Ford Edsel is a beautiful car rather than a failure. It's horse collar grille is really unique. Awesome video of the Cortina. ☺️🐯♥️
Ah, the "Flying Fanny" - still, not as bad as the bloke who stuck himself into a Metro without realising wifey had been out for a shopping trip... Whole new meaning to KFC.
Wonderful doc! Long overdue! In 1986 I bought a 1976 Ford Taunus/Cortina Ghia as a used jalopy, my second car after a year with a badly aging 1974 VW Passat 1.3 liter wagon (which I loved!!!), and to this day, that Taunus, and the VW Passat wagon ("Kombi" in German) are the cars I drive when I sleep and dream! I think that the Cortina should have been your first car story, because in the years after WW2, it was one of the top stories in European cars, which were sold to the general working public and to fleets (like taxi companies): VW Beatle, Fiat 500 Bambino, Ford Cortina/Taunus, Fiat 128, VW Golf, Citroen 2CV, Renault 4, Fiat 131, Mercedes-Benz 190 (W120/W121), Peugeot 504, Citroen DS and design derived models (CX, BX, etc.). Between these models, and their closest relatives, the rest wasn't seen much on roads in Europe. Yes, sadly enough, British cars, with the exception of British/German Fords, were always rare exotics on "Continental" European roads ....
It's nice to see videos where the narrator doesn't keep repeating himself, your videos flow nicely. I've never been a Ford fan, but I had an "Angular", Dad had Mk2 & Mk3 Cortinas and I had a Mk4 Cortina estate and Escort company cars. The Morris Marinas I had were much worse though!
Basil Green - w000t. I have seen a Perana driving around my neighborhood, its black with a silver stripe. South Africa is good at making things "better", if you ever do one about the Sierra you have to include the XR8, which was a 5L V8 version of the Sierra. You could even dedicate a whole video to the crazy things South Africa did, like Ford XR8, the Capri Perana, the Cortina Interceptor, and the Cortina Bakkie (pick up truck), the BMW 333i, the Datsun 160Z, the Opel Kadette GSi SuperBoss and the Alfa 3L GTV6 and a bunch of others too.
@Rachael Lee Yep...I'd love to see Big Car do a dedicated video to special cars ZA made. Love to see videos of Australian specific cars too. I'm in the USA and unfortunately many times the European designed cars Ford and GM sold were better then the home grown equiv we could buy in the USA.
Hi, at 10:57 you show a mk1 Capri. I used to have one exactly the same. The Mk3 Cortina was my favorite although I could never find a nice one and so I had 2 mk4 Cortinas and a Granada all were the Ghia version. Lovely cars and beautifully styled. Thanks for the video.
I was a young mechanic in a large firm in the 70's. When they came out, they replaced all the company mark 3's for mark 4's. Within a year all the bloody lot had had the over head camshaft replaced. It was easier to take out the engine than remove the head which was the only way to get it out. They had a problem with oil not getting through. I can't remember how this was resolved though.
I remember this was a problem with my Mk2 1600 Capri. It was to do with the oil feeder pipe ( the Gallery?) not having enough ports to allow oil onto the camshaft. As you said it was easier to replace the engine with a factory-fitted modified gallery than attempt to retrofit a fleet of vehicles. My Capri sounded like a diesel towards the end. When I part-exchanged it I drove it to the dealer with a cold engine and two cans of STP in the sump to keep it quiet!
Ah, the lovely mk4. I recall putting my foot down, looking in the rear view mirror and only seeing a white cloud behind me where a bunch of cyclists used to be. Whilst the cloud was impressive, they weren't impressed (and they were my cow-orkers, so they told me so when they got in) Those pinto engines weren't exactly ford's pinnacle of reliability
@@MorgoUK Not quite. I knew the designer of that engine. The problem was oil ashing/fouling. Use it in the lab, good quality oil and the right changes - and it was bearable. Drive it like the average rep - the oil would get overheated, ash or sludge, block the feeder port and cheesed cam (like creamed but lasts longer). They did it again with later engines.
@@rosiehawtrey Exactly. I worked for AE, the component supplier at the time, and it was a maintenance issue pure and simple (though the design of the oil feed bar had been heavily worked over by Ford's cost accountants and could have been a lot better). We sold a lot of cam kits to replace the clacking top ends of OHC Fords through that period!
Good Times !! My well off friends dad had a MK1 lotus cortina . I went on to own a MK1super, it had double chrome mouldings along the side. But favourite was the 1600e what a car! Deffo the vehicle to aspire too. Nowadays I drive a BMW320d whilst it’s a nice car. I think modern cars are pretty soulless
You are joking 😳 A please-push-me-the-hill-up Taunus with 4 people was hunting the Lotus Esprit? How have they done that? Removed 3 spark plugs at the Esprit? I had always tears in my eyes when I saw a hill coming in my Taunus MK3 und MK4. I would like a MK3 again. But racing with it? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🙈
My 1st car 32 years ago was a 1977 R Reg Ford Cortina Mk4 2.0GL. I absolutely loved it, no matter what the weather it always started 3rd time, it was smooth, powerful, comfortable and the girls loved it 💟
When my brother finished with university in England, he bought a CORTINA when he came back to JAMAICA BWI, wife, & son, I drove that CORTINA, 4 SPD MANUAL RHD, loved the close ratio gearbox, cross flow engine, well that car really went, I only drove it when I visited on holidays, , from the US. . After the CORTINA, he drove a FIAT 125, , then PEUGEOT505, manual,,then later 505 automatic, Cheers from NJ, USA. 🇬🇧🏴🇺🇸
The Cortina set the standard for other makers to try and catch upto. I learned to dive in my uncles 1600E, wood and leather interior gave it an upmarket image. The first one i could afford was a mk3 GXL in Bronze mettalic, i kept patching up the rust until i could afford a Mk5 Ghia. Great cars that were a pleasure to drive compared to the competition.
Hello! Love the videos! Bit surprised when it came to product placement you didn't mention the Sweeney or the professionals loved seeing the Cortina in the Sweeney!
Brilliant cars... my first mk 1 had a column gear change and front bench seat.. then had a conventional 4 on the floor job.also had mk2 's a mk3 and a mk4...Happy days.enjoyed this presentation with a sense of nostalgia
a little-dicki told me that I have already subscribed. I remember all you used to see was Ford and Vauxhalls. well that's what it seemed like. they where the day's. happy memories. it probably wasn't like that it just seemed like it. another cool video big car.👍👍
Fun fact; an XA Falcon like yours was used as one of the cop cars in the opening car chase of original Mad Max film. IIRC it was a 4.1L (250ci) I6. The rest were XBs (1974) with 4.9L (302ci) V8s. Max Rockatansky's Interceptor was an XB Falcon coupe, done up to look like a Fairmont at the front. It ran a supercharged 5.8L (351ci) V8.
@@bury_the_elite65294 yes sir, The March Hare was a XA sedan. , Big Bopper and Max' Yellow Interceptor were XB sedans . The Black on Black is a XB GT coupe but it wasn't done as a Fairmont. They used rectangular headlights like the XC Fairmonts , but were different from the stock units. The body kit was adapted from the Peter Arcadipane kit originally designed for a XC panel van show car. The engine in the BoB wasn't actually supercharged. It had a carb under the empty blower case and that is what allowed it to be turned on and off . You can't shut a Roots style blower off and still keep the engine running. This was all done as movie "magic" .
Looking back at my motoring history I can definitely say that my Ford Cortina MK3 200GT in metallic Blue was the best car I've ever owned and that's saying something when it was old when I bought it and it's last owner before it went to that great NCP car park in the sky. It was such a smooth ride and so reliable.
2:11 Nothing wrong with a nice Talbot Sunbeam, and they sold well for Chrysler having been based on the successful Avenger (I drive one of those myself). There were plenty of bodged up cars you might have used as an example, but the Sunbeam wasn't one of them. A Morris Marina, now that's a bodge up.
I was luck enough to briefly own both a sunbeam Lotus and and Avenger tiger back in the day bought and sold the Sunbeam for less that £1500 and the Avenger Tiger for about £1000 how I wish I still had both of them now, I see there's an Avenger Tiger on eBay and the bidding is nearly up to £20000.
Great stuff as always! Fish & Chips and Ford Cortina. It does not get more british than that! My uncle had a `66 4d. White. I loved that car! His next car was a Granada 2,3. In another Cortina vlog here on YT they say that the MK 1 sold 1 mill copies, MK 2 2 mill. MK 3 3 mill. MK 4 4 mill and MK 5 5 mill.
I remember when the Cortina came to the U.S. I liked the style of them. (I also Detailed a race version of the ‘64 GT.) This video was a bit more interesting. 📻🙂
The Australian Cortina with the 250 (4.1 l) engine was a nose-heavy brute of a car. They'd disappeared by the time I was old enough to consider buying one. Lovely cars, thank you very much for the video.
I _almost_ got a 1970 Cortina GT. I was really lusting after the US version of the GT since we had just had our second child, and stuffing two kids into the MGB was beyond the pale. I say _almost_ because I ordered one in March 1971, little knowing that the longest strike in English Ford's history was about to begin. Delivery slipped to April, then May, then my dealer called on May 20 to say it was now going to be June 10. My wife had enough and we went out looking for a car we could get now. We ended up with a Toyota Corona, a totally pedestrian car, but one I could drive away the next day. The Corona was a good, reliable car, and it helped make the Toyota reputation in the US. Unfortunately, 1970 was the last model year for a Cortina here, and the supply problems caused by the strike didn't help the rapidly deteriorating reputation of British cars in general here.
Nice one thank you. My Dad had the 1.3 Mk 2 Est years ago and we had a Mk 4 some years latter. And Ford sure did wrong foot BL with the Mk 3 . Though BL had planed a larger Marina as usual the had no money to develop it.
seem to recall that the 'Aeroflow' ventilation system used eyeball type vents on the dash, which worked well in the Australian climate. Wish modern vehicles used them.
Too true - modern vents annoy the hell out of me with their separate up/down left/right adjustment - you just cannot get the damn things to point at your face.
I remember driving to my fathers house and seeing this amazing metallic red car parked on the driveway! My father had the first Mk 4 Cortina I had ever seen! He had a deal with the local dealers and was way ahead on the sales list! I took it into town and people were 'all over' looking at it! Great car!
I've heard stories about mk4 Cortinas failing their first MOT with rotten sills. Apparently there was some production problem which meant that they didn't get rust proofed properly in that area in particular. Ford apparently paid out on warranty claims for this. Dennis Moore - Silver Fox was a mk2 colour, I doubt it was still in production by the mk4 as there were newer colours such as Stardust Silver, and anyway metallic paints had come on a way by then.
@@Billrobster ..it wasn't just British produced cars as you mentioned that had rust problems back then , nearly all cars around the globe had the same problem, some even worse! They obviously didn't use the same technique as they can use now with improved technology ( including rust proofing)
@ Silver Fox and Blue Mink were one layer metallic used by Ford in the late 60's. They were early metallic and didn't use enough UV absorber so the light was actually able to penetrate the paint film and cause "chalking" of the Epoxy primer that lay beneath causing the paint to delaminate (and then curl up). The issue was mainly overcome by using two layer metallics with a basecoat followed by a (very heavily UV absorber laden) clear layer.
I owned a 1963 Cortina GT. I loved it. And I will never forget Harry Firth's hotted up Cortina 1500 murdering the Wallacia hill climb track. It was a just awesome display of power. The Cortina's won three Bathurst 500 races in a row, '63, '64 and '65, as I recall. Wonderful car!
Sorry John Gate1, according to Wikipedia: Under: "History of Ford Motor Company": "1911: Ford opens first factory outside North America - in Manchester, England." Under: "Automotive industry in Ireland" "In 1917, Ford opened a plant in Cork, initially for tractor manufacture as Fordson, but from 1921 cars were built as well."
Oh My God my Dad did that and me and sister were both sick all squashed in a mk3 Cortina on that super hot summer of 76 going on holiday my Mum went mas at him hahahaha
Vinyl seats, a hot summer and a flatulent whale of a father whose gut flora were specifically chosen for a combination of stank and volume of gas meant the corpulent miasma percolated rearward to my tender nose in less than a second. I made a paddling pool in the other rear seat with the contents of my juvenile guts in an instant. Sure, the air got changed quickly, but it also meant the vile fug hit with full force once unleashed in its crackling fury. My mum was mad at him, he was mad at me, I was greener around the gills than a fluorescent kermit.
Brilliant thank you.My first car was a mk four.ADU 204S! Put seats in from a 2.3 which was pretty flash. Happy days and easy to set the points etc. Cheers,Len.PS I still have the front number plate!
We got these in Australia from 1962 to 1981. From the third generation on, sales began to sag due to Japanese competition and poor build quality in Australian factories. Six cylinder engines were made available which were a total mismatch and gave the car very poor roadholding. These days, you never see them, and never hear about them. They've become a forgotten motor vehicle down here.
Yes, I can't say "Ford Anglia" in this video. You only find these things out when you hear yourself back!
Big Car
It’s ok!
Your intros are getting really good and entertaining. Keep it up.
Lol - at least ya fessed up up to it :-)
Well done, and keep up the good work on these informative and interesting videos.
I assumed it was a sly dig at the late Jade Goody.
When I was a kid I always thought it was a Ford Angular 😂
My mum couldn't say Anglia, we had many happy days out in our angular.
Hey mate your mum was right it was a angular , by the way we had one too , my mum loved ours .
To be fair, it is quite angular.
Can't believe he said that!
My late nan could never say Debenhams lol. Denemans or debanans was as close as you got lol. Some people just struggle with particular words 😅
Nice place, East Angular!
My late father had one of the first MK 4 Cortina's. I drove past his house and saw this fantastic looking car on his driveway! I drove it a couple of times and everywhere I went and parked--people came around to look at the car! Brilliant!
The britisk made car had bad quality!
As an 18-year old kid, I had a '76 2.0 XL automatic, NPW 983P, loved it to bits. With a mate, we went on a 1600 mile road trip from Surrey up to Loch Ness and back via Glen Coe, Loch Lomond, the Lake District and back down the M6, M1 and the recently opened M25.
These days, an adventure for an 18-year old is sadly somewhat different.
M Ali The Cortina behaved impeccably on that trip, using a pint of water and half a litre of oil the whole journey . That glorious summer of 1985 gave me a love of travelling that I still enjoy today. I’ve driven across one end of Europe to the other and back again, explored 21 countries and now live in Bulgaria.
Last summer we brought a ‘99 T reg Suzuki Vitara soft-top from Nottingham back here with a list of potential defects as long as your arm, no breakdown insurance and drove 900 miles to Toulon, got the ferry to Sardinia, over to Naples and Pompeii, then across to Brindisi and a final ferry to Igoumenitsa in Greece and 500 more miles or so back home. The venerable old motor never put a wheel wrong and is still going strong. Fantastic road trip among countless others, but I still have the fondest memories of that blue Cortina mk 3, ZZ Top blaring out on the Panasonic tape deck and fifteen quid for a full tank of four star petrol. Sheer, unadulterated bliss, and to think, some scientists now claim that young people don't achieve adulthood till they reach 25. WTF??
@@helmethead72 I don't think most scientists ever REACH adulthood!
Sounds like a great adventure
Barry Sim It was! The Cortina behaved faultlessly, using barely a litre of oil and a pint or two of water. Pretty good considering some of the terrain we encountered.
I live abroad now and still enjoy incredible road trips around Europe. That summer escape of 1985 set the benchmark for me and my fondness of the Mk 3 Cortina will never diminish!
My old man had a Mk3 2000E auto last of the line 1976. British racing green and vinyl black roof. Looked great.
My Dad went from having a 2000E in beautiful orange to a beige Mk 1 Cavalier 1600GL. Guess he must have pissed someone off in higher management or it was the good old days of austerity in fleet car purchases.
I had a Mk5, my mate had a Mk4. His was rusty, mine wasn't. It was a 2.0l GL but I went to work putting Capri alloys on it, a Granada Ghia dash (and got all the dials to work), a few engine mods and red interior "mood lighting". Oh yeah, I loved that car. Not bad for a young man of 20 years old at the time. I named it 'the beast' and it had quite an effect on pulling the ladies.
Top video, great memories.
Think we all had fun in our Ford Cortina's ...quite spacious in the back....always tried to chat up petite girls and that bonnet got used?
Great cars...lived my 2.3 Ghia in Crystal Green
Ah. NotchNotch,....
I had a toy Ford Cortina as a kid. This video reminded me of a beloved childhood toy. Thank you for that!
I remember growing up right through each Cortina transition. I loved them they were everywhere and it was like growing up in a giant sweet shop! Fantastic video very interesting from start to finish. Proper cars❤️
In South Africa we LOVED the Cortina! In óur own family, my Mom had a 1.6L station wagon, Dad had the 2.0GL sedan, his oldest brother had the 3.0GLS and his youngest brother had an AWESOME XR6! With Grandad rounding it all off in his 3.0GLE Granada : thís all happened in 1979 - 1983.
Yes Jan, we had two Mk 3s, a 2l V4 and a Big Six, and LOVED them. I find it strange that the XR6, 3.0s and Big Six are not mentioned, neither is the motorsport popularity of these cars. Surely it could not have only been in South Africa.
@@jeffreyabrahams7440 maybe we should not mention them as our beloved few are being whisked away to the UK and Australia nowadays
SA had the XR6 interceptor as well
@Edward Gross sadly hardly any of our 'super rhino' fairmont gt's still reside in SA. most have been sold to eager aussie buyers with stronger currency behind them.
plenty of the 70s fords making their way back to the UK now due to your great weather preserving the shells.
Thanks for the memories. I bought one in 1972 in Malawi, drove it from Blantyre-Limbe to Nairobi and back with a few side trips, about 5200 miles. Had Tanzanian police point their guns at us, got chased by a momma elephant. It is still one of my favorite cars.
Sounds like a proper safari!
It’s fascinating watching how a model morphs. Very interesting and well presented. Thanks
You make such no-nonsense programmes. I really enjoy listening to what you say, because of the way you say it. I came across this channel by accident, but have become a big fan.
That's wonderful to hear!
Thanks for the very informative video. Even though I was only 4 years old, I still remember burning my legs on the vinyl seats in the summer of 1976
Everyone of a certain age remembers that. Ouch, that SMARTS! Once they became standard in cars, fabric seats were much, much better in hot weather!
I was stationed in England (RAF Bentwaters) in 1980, had a 66 Cortina , Reg P00604D. my mechanic called her POO. Loved that car. Didn't pass the MOT so got a 68 Cortina. failed the next MOT and got a 72 Cortina
Another good informative vlog the Ford cortina was a great car Ford really were in tune with the times from the mk1 to the mk5 for me they were a country mile ahead in terms of styling from rival manufacturers keep the vlogs coming 👍👍
Apart from the Mk3. I thought that was horrible then and I still do now. A car designed to be a minicab that was too heavy, too slow and handled like a pig! The Mk1, Mk2 and Mk4 were all beautiful cars. Then they made the dreadful jelly mold and that was that for me. I got a five year old BMW 320 (E21). It was like a race car compared to a new Sierra.
Excellent report on the Cortina-I owned the complete range and eventually moved over to the Sierras owning a 2.0GLSi Saphire….😊
As a South African, and a diehard Ford Fanatic, I am very appreciative that you always mention our local versions of Hot Fords. Thank you, the world needs to know about South African car culture!
But worth mentioning, mk3 came in a XLE, known as the Big Six, a cult classic. Mk4 came in 30S, a sporty 3.0 V6 and MK5 came as XR6 also a 3.0 V6, but there were a few really special editions, like XOCET, Interceptor (which Andre Stander used for his heists, was also a special for the police, which Stander was one of), Magnum, and TF (for Team Ford)
@frndscallmedsz,I love seeing all the old 70's and 80's fords that are for sale over here in gb that have come from s.africa.
@@skipraida5497 are there many from Australia as well.
@@ianmontgomery7534 no buddy. Not really saw any. Used to see them in 80's.the Taunus was one that we saw a lot of..
I had two Ford cortinas Mark 3'
2000 gxl and a 2000 E both were brilliant car's of the time...also had a cortina Mark 2, 1600 E.these ones were top cars back in the 70' s...
The Mk3 was a real looker! I remember it as a 70's hot sedan.
The police here in Israel used it and the Mk4 later.
Dude, your channel's great. I could sit and watch this all day long.
Thanks for another great video!
Much appreciated. I am a proud Patreon supporter of the channel and urge everyone who can to contribute to help Andy keep the channel going so strong.
Great video. Takes me back to my childhood as my next door neighbour had a red mark 5 cortina 1.3.
The Cortina was also produced in Azambuja, Portugal.
My great grandfather worked at the assembly line there until an accident involving a Cortina bonnet put him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Back then, that Ford plant wasn't a very safe place to work and accidents where somewhat common
People often complain about how modern Health & Safety procedures in the workplace and obstructive guarding on machinery & extensive power trip systems , slow you down & are a pain in the ass . All that crap is there to prevent what was commonplace back then unfortunately in many industries.
Crikey. I hope Ford compensated your great grandad well.
@@TheHorsebox2 Not a chance in those days.
My father had 2 Cortinas with perkins 1.8 liter diesel engines. Great car.
@@Billrobster That is shocking.
A great video as always, that brings memories.
I learnt to drive on a 1972 1.6 Cortina Mk3, and at the same time, my grandfather had the Taunus equivalent, also made in 1972 .
Both had the "L" finish, but the Taunus seemed more refined: The shape was more elegant, the interior finish looked of better quality, the engine was a refined OHC (despite being the underpowered 1.3 version), and not the crude Kent engine, and - attention to detail - the transmission shaft was split, to attenuate vibrations.
Be happy it was the Kent - not the CVT/CVH (Clattery, Vapid and Terrible/Horrible).
Thanks for covering the South African Cortina derivatives. We sure love our bakkies (pickups) and even today you see the odd 3L Cortina bakkie on the road. The word is derived from the "bak" (load bed) the vehicle has. Directly translated "bak" means bowl.
Saw one here in the UK in the 80s when I was a teen,, I thought it had been converted somehow till someone pointed out its south African bloodline, a handsome beast
They are properly called Utes .. where they were invented in Australia, by Ford Australia. (Short for Utility Truck)
Paul, thank you for the explanation - at first I thought ‘bakkie’ was a variant of back (of the vehicle).
I’m from Malaysia. My grandfather and my uncle owned the Cortina MkI back in the early 70s; which I can still recalled the strip design and the iconic tail lamp. Just flipped through my very old photos album; I see my late mother, my sister and I had a few photographs surrounding the car ...
I had a mark 3 cortina, first car I had with reclining seats, absolute Godsend when you’re courting.😉
You know it, I had to quickly part exchange my 62 Hillman Minx as it was a disaster for humping in 🤣then I wore out the seat ratchet on my fiat 131 with a KAREN 🤣
Fanny magnets
As a then 22 year old (in 1988) with a 1966 restored (did it myself ) Cortina Mk1 DeLuxe with fixed seats, I know exactly what you mean!! And that "direct into the g/box" gearstick too!
@@andyroid7339 : A 1966 restored ... You? Or the car?
Pity the heaters were naf
my dad bought an immaculate 2nd hand cherry red black vinyl mk 3 gxl and we all loved it. it was the fanciest car we had ever owned. fond memories. thank you!
Yes! Thank you for mentioning the Australian 200 and 250 Cortina! Huge fan of your videos keep up the great work 😀
He was right when he said they added a little power. It was only a little in the case of the 3.3 and all that weight in the front made the 2 litre a much better handler.
@@deaddoll1361 I think the idea was to increase local content by using Australian, rather than European, engines. Mildly unfortunate that the Australian engine was relatively long and heavy.
SOOOO Happy you mentioned Basil Green and the South African Perana! Most of the rest of the world never do.. Lots of history in that PERANA name. Uncle Basil is still around.
For me the best car Ford has ever made, hate all the modern shite, owned many and would sell my soul to own an other but sadly no garage to store properly
Bonn, I hear back! Had a MK3 back in the day and 2 mk2's bit later. Would give anything to have the MK3 again. It's a rock n roll damnation⚡
A nice car, yes, and I had one. But the best? Small one, perhaps. But the best in my view was the Granada, especially the MKII.
The “modern shite” I drive starts first time, every time, and only needs servicing once every 12 months.
@@lawrencedoliveiro9104: So you could do, let's say, 1,000 miles a week, and it would still only need servicing the one time during the year?
It would be lovely to have some of these cars back with modern underpinnings for reliability and modern corrosion treatment so they didn't rust in front of your eyes.
My family had a 1969 Ford Cortina two-door with stick shift when I was growing up. It was a nicely built car with plenty of chromed metal bits like door handles and window cranks. I learned how to drive by taking it on nearby mountain passes. It was very easy to maintain and I learned how to repair vehicles by starting on this car. The 1.3L four banger was simple and reliable. I miss that car, and if we still had it I'd be fully restoring it.
Mark 2 Cortina was a great looking car..my dad had a maroon 1.6 E . Great interior as well.
Stumbled across this video whilst explaining the Cortina to my son, we live in the US so he never had heard of one before. I appreciate your attention to details as well as the breadth of information regarding these fine little cars. Subscribed!
Glad it was helpful!
Mk 3 and mk4 were great cars for every day use and cheap to fix. I once installed a 3litre Essex engine in a mk2 1600E. Not fast compared to cars now, but still pretty impressive, especially the noise. My kit car uses cortina mk3-5 parts. Great video and channel.
... And the same level of agility of the flat plane 4.0 v8 variant of the ADO17 landcrab by any chance...?
Warning to Australia 🤔
ua-cam.com/video/ewb8fwtfMfw/v-deo.html
It was the mark 3 Cortina that really got me into classic cars. An "I forgot all about those!" moment. I'd love to own a mid 70s 2000E. My parents owned asignal red 1974 (m) XL estate with RoStyle wheels. I was probably brought home from the maternity ward in it.
My first car as a seventeen year old in 1982. Long before the Mk 3 was considered a classic. It broke down constantly but I loved it.
My brother had a Mk3 2.0 GXL in brown. damn fast for its time
My Dad had Cortina's Mk 2, 3, and 5 while I was growing up.
The mk2 had 4 dials in a row at the top middle of the dash. It got stolen before I had a chance of going in it.
The mk3 was an E with auto box. Very plush car for the time.
My first car was a chocolate brown mk 5. My next was a mk4 Escort.
I love Cortina's and Escorts. It is part of my youth. I loved the Ford range from that period.
Thankyou for these videos.
Fantastic historical summary of a car that so many remember fondly.
I had a mk 5 2.3 Ghia at the age of 20 in the early '80s... Happy days!
My father bought a Ford Taunus 12 M for 5.555,00 Guilders in the Netherlands. 4 speed on the steering colum and for me the car I leurned in to drive. Wow nice program. Losts of memories.Thanks.
Repeat after me: "Ang lee ah" :D
My father owned a Mk1 (and the Anglia) & I learned to drive in a Mk2 1600E. Seeing so many Lotus Cortina's still racing is testament to the great design.
"Ang uuu laa".
Another great vídeo! Thanks. Funny the reference to the Ford Angulah
I bet he says newkiller instead of nuclear too. I'm not allowed to be unkind to my wife so I'm unkind to random people on the internet instead. 😁
Big Car argh! All together now an glee ah. As in the county. Steps off soap box...
Yes Angila.. haha, nearly fell off my chair.
My father owned a 1982 1.6 white cortina, in Portugal was a big car at the time, he keeps this car until the end so when i get my drivers license was the first car i legaly drove. :-)
I thought about giving this vid a thumbs up,and why not?Also, hands up everyone who wants a brand new mk1 lotus cortina in white with the green stripe.brum brum yeah.
I had a Mkiii 2000E estate and loved it. Drove out to Switzerland in for skiing holiday, it never missed a beat.
Now we're talking! Love these things :D
What I like these videos is specific, historical details and superb story telling.
The small 1200cc Kent engine wasn't still being used in the fiesta up until 2002.
The 1300cc ohv old ford engine was, and was still being used in the ford ka up until around 2005 or so
Agentinnen
Your videos are well researched, informative and the editing is top notch. Always interesting whatever the car is. Thank you very much.
I'd love to find a 67 2dr here in the states. I think it's a stunning looking car that with a little bit of a American muscle would be a great performer and a heck of a sleeper. Ford of America really dropped the ball because they should have sold it along with the Pinto which would have really hurt Chevrolet Vega and AMC Gremlin/Hornet sales. Thank you for a great video about a car not really known in the states. Your facts and humor are spot on and I always look forward to seeing your next video.
Did you notice the Cortina in the scene in Stephen King's Christine? Near the end in the lockup garage.
@@dungareesareforfools yep..and it ended up in a bad way when Christine side smashed it..☠
My dad had a Mk5 which was yellow with a brown vinyl roof. It wasn't long before we discovered it was a cut and shut job which was slightly bent and didn't stop in a straight line.... we basically went around in a banana. The front end used to be blue... given away by blue paint showing through in the engine bay!
Great video. I really enjoy the channel.
Always loved the 1600E, and the German looking "hippy" styling of the Mk4. Never liked the Sierra-Butt Ugly, or the deep inset of the Mk 3 dash cluster. Great review!
Had MK2, MK3, MK4 and MK5, loved them, did all my own maintenance and probably did every possible diy repair at one time or other. My favourite was the Mark 3 Ghia bright orange with black vinyl roof.
I still think that the 1958 Ford Edsel is a beautiful car rather than a failure. It's horse collar grille is really unique. Awesome video of the Cortina. ☺️🐯♥️
Problem was, the 'horse collar' grille just looked too much like a fanny for the comfort of buyers.
@@TheManFrayBentos I agree that the grille was a bit weird lol! ☺️
Probably why that middle bit of the grill disappeared by 1960...
@@stevedickson5853 True.
Ah, the "Flying Fanny" - still, not as bad as the bloke who stuck himself into a Metro without realising wifey had been out for a shopping trip... Whole new meaning to KFC.
I owned a '78 MK4 1600L for a couple of years in the early 90's . Metallic maroon above swage line / silver below . Reliable car and comfortable .
Great story ... Especially the Edsel connection.:)
Wonderful doc! Long overdue! In 1986 I bought a 1976 Ford Taunus/Cortina Ghia as a used jalopy, my second car after a year with a badly aging 1974 VW Passat 1.3 liter wagon (which I loved!!!), and to this day, that Taunus, and the VW Passat wagon ("Kombi" in German) are the cars I drive when I sleep and dream! I think that the Cortina should have been your first car story, because in the years after WW2, it was one of the top stories in European cars, which were sold to the general working public and to fleets (like taxi companies): VW Beatle, Fiat 500 Bambino, Ford Cortina/Taunus, Fiat 128, VW Golf, Citroen 2CV, Renault 4, Fiat 131, Mercedes-Benz 190 (W120/W121), Peugeot 504, Citroen DS and design derived models (CX, BX, etc.). Between these models, and their closest relatives, the rest wasn't seen much on roads in Europe. Yes, sadly enough, British cars, with the exception of British/German Fords, were always rare exotics on "Continental" European roads ....
Insightful and most entertaining as always.
This was fantastic and well done. Wow. A car that here in North America is boring, you managed to make so interesting. Impressive.
My father had an old V6 Cortina bakkie at some point. That was before my time though...
It's nice to see videos where the narrator doesn't keep repeating himself, your videos flow nicely. I've never been a Ford fan, but I had an "Angular", Dad had Mk2 & Mk3 Cortinas and I had a Mk4 Cortina estate and Escort company cars. The Morris Marinas I had were much worse though!
Basil Green - w000t. I have seen a Perana driving around my neighborhood, its black with a silver stripe.
South Africa is good at making things "better", if you ever do one about the Sierra you have to include the XR8, which was a 5L V8 version of the Sierra. You could even dedicate a whole video to the crazy things South Africa did, like Ford XR8, the Capri Perana, the Cortina Interceptor, and the Cortina Bakkie (pick up truck), the BMW 333i, the Datsun 160Z, the Opel Kadette GSi SuperBoss and the Alfa 3L GTV6 and a bunch of others too.
@Rachael Lee
Yep...I'd love to see Big Car do a dedicated video to special cars ZA made.
Love to see videos of Australian specific cars too. I'm in the USA and unfortunately many times the European designed cars Ford and GM sold were better then the home grown equiv we could buy in the USA.
The only car I new was made here in South Africa was the BMW 325is and the 333i and the Kadett Superboss didn't know about the rest
Rachael, these sound very interesting!
Hi, at 10:57 you show a mk1 Capri. I used to have one exactly the same. The Mk3 Cortina was my favorite although I could never find a nice one and so I had 2 mk4 Cortinas and a Granada all were the Ghia version. Lovely cars and beautifully styled. Thanks for the video.
I was a young mechanic in a large firm in the 70's. When they came out, they replaced all the company
mark 3's for mark 4's. Within a year all the bloody lot had had the over head camshaft replaced.
It was easier to take out the engine than remove the head which was the only way to get it out.
They had a problem with oil not getting through. I can't remember how this was resolved though.
I remember this was a problem with my Mk2 1600 Capri. It was to do with the oil feeder pipe ( the Gallery?) not having enough ports to allow oil onto the camshaft. As you said it was easier to replace the engine with a factory-fitted modified gallery than attempt to retrofit a fleet of vehicles. My Capri sounded like a diesel towards the end. When I part-exchanged it I drove it to the dealer with a cold engine and two cans of STP in the sump to keep it quiet!
Ah, the lovely mk4. I recall putting my foot down, looking in the rear view mirror and only seeing a white cloud behind me where a bunch of cyclists used to be.
Whilst the cloud was impressive, they weren't impressed (and they were my cow-orkers, so they told me so when they got in)
Those pinto engines weren't exactly ford's pinnacle of reliability
Meh, they were pretty decent once they got the kinks worked out, but yeah, serviceability wasn't all there.
@@MorgoUK Not quite. I knew the designer of that engine. The problem was oil ashing/fouling. Use it in the lab, good quality oil and the right changes - and it was bearable. Drive it like the average rep - the oil would get overheated, ash or sludge, block the feeder port and cheesed cam (like creamed but lasts longer). They did it again with later engines.
@@rosiehawtrey Exactly. I worked for AE, the component supplier at the time, and it was a maintenance issue pure and simple (though the design of the oil feed bar had been heavily worked over by Ford's cost accountants and could have been a lot better). We sold a lot of cam kits to replace the clacking top ends of OHC Fords through that period!
Good Times !! My well off friends dad had a MK1 lotus cortina . I went on to own a MK1super, it had double chrome mouldings along the side. But favourite was the 1600e what a car! Deffo the vehicle to aspire too. Nowadays I drive a BMW320d whilst it’s a nice car. I think modern cars are pretty soulless
16:15 The "Cortina" in The Spy Who Loved Me was actually a "Taunus".
Their always has to be one ☝️ person.....
@@alanwayte432 There
But definitely a boggo 'L' mk4 eventually upside down in Never Say Never Again!
You are joking 😳
A please-push-me-the-hill-up Taunus with 4 people was hunting the Lotus Esprit?
How have they done that?
Removed 3 spark plugs at the Esprit?
I had always tears in my eyes when I saw a hill coming in my Taunus MK3 und MK4.
I would like a MK3 again.
But racing with it?
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🙈
@@peterwarden7471 DIDNT JAWS GET OUT OF THE TAUNUS THAT CRASHED INTO AN ITALIAN VILLAGERS HOME...?
My 1st car 32 years ago was a 1977 R Reg Ford Cortina Mk4 2.0GL. I absolutely loved it, no matter what the weather it always started 3rd time, it was smooth, powerful, comfortable and the girls loved it 💟
Big Car, one of the few cars that I regret selling was a 1972 Ford Cortina 2000GT 2 door. I truly miss that car.
20k now
Had a red one with black roof, CTV821L , loved it
@@jameslatimer1432 wow ! British pounds ?
@@peterhunt2723 HAC538K
Had a 1974 purple one after red one M reg
When my brother finished with university in England, he bought a CORTINA when he came back to JAMAICA BWI, wife, & son, I drove that CORTINA, 4 SPD MANUAL RHD, loved the close ratio gearbox, cross flow engine, well that car really went, I only drove it when I visited on holidays, , from the US. . After the CORTINA, he drove a FIAT 125, , then PEUGEOT505, manual,,then later 505 automatic, Cheers from NJ, USA. 🇬🇧🏴🇺🇸
Another excellent video! This is what UA-cam is all about. Excellent content such as yours. 👍👍👍👌
The intro had me wondering if i had poked on an unintended video. But soon i realised it was the best introduction... in the world.
Yet another really enjoyable video, bravo, love your show, keep them coming 🤗
The Cortina set the standard for other makers to try and catch upto.
I learned to dive in my uncles 1600E, wood and leather interior gave it
an upmarket image.
The first one i could afford was a mk3 GXL in Bronze mettalic, i kept patching
up the rust until i could afford a Mk5 Ghia.
Great cars that were a pleasure to drive compared to the competition.
Hello! Love the videos! Bit surprised when it came to product placement you didn't mention the Sweeney or the professionals loved seeing the Cortina in the Sweeney!
To be honest I forgot! Ah well, I did a big Sweeney shout out with the Granada, so I'd be repeating myself anyway.
Indeed Ford were right into product placement Leyland much less so....
Brilliant cars... my first mk 1 had a column gear change and front bench seat.. then had a conventional 4 on the floor job.also had mk2 's a mk3 and a mk4...Happy days.enjoyed this presentation with a sense of nostalgia
Nice One and Fond Memories - Cheers
One of the most popular cars in Greece throughout the 1960s & the 1970s. Many of them on the road even in the early 90s.
a little-dicki told me that I have already subscribed. I remember all you used to see was Ford and Vauxhalls. well that's what it seemed like. they where the day's. happy memories. it probably wasn't like that it just seemed like it. another cool video big car.👍👍
Love this story!
My grandfather had an MK1 Cortina. Lovely lovely machine. I'm actually looking to buy two. One to restore and keep fresh and one for classic racing.
As a Yank I'd love to have a Mk III Cortina and a Mk II Escort. they' d go well with my 1972 XA Aussie Falcon. Love those right hook Ford's.
Fun fact; an XA Falcon like yours was used as one of the cop cars in the opening car chase of original Mad Max film. IIRC it was a 4.1L (250ci) I6. The rest were XBs (1974) with 4.9L (302ci) V8s. Max Rockatansky's Interceptor was an XB Falcon coupe, done up to look like a Fairmont at the front. It ran a supercharged 5.8L (351ci) V8.
@@bury_the_elite65294 yes sir, The March Hare was a XA sedan. , Big Bopper and Max' Yellow Interceptor were XB sedans . The Black on Black is a XB GT coupe but it wasn't done as a Fairmont. They used rectangular headlights like the XC Fairmonts , but were different from the stock units. The body kit was adapted from the Peter Arcadipane kit originally designed for a XC panel van show car. The engine in the BoB wasn't actually supercharged. It had a carb under the empty blower case and that is what allowed it to be turned on and off . You can't shut a Roots style blower off and still keep the engine running. This was all done as movie "magic" .
Looking back at my motoring history I can definitely say that my Ford Cortina MK3 200GT in metallic Blue was the best car I've ever owned and that's saying something when it was old when I bought it and it's last owner before it went to that great NCP car park in the sky. It was such a smooth ride and so reliable.
2:11 Nothing wrong with a nice Talbot Sunbeam, and they sold well for Chrysler having been based on the successful Avenger (I drive one of those myself). There were plenty of bodged up cars you might have used as an example, but the Sunbeam wasn't one of them. A Morris Marina, now that's a bodge up.
Always liked the Avenger. Especially the early version.
@@TheHorsebox2 See mine at the start of this video about old video cassette formats: ua-cam.com/video/wC_CLEQnM8w/v-deo.html
I was luck enough to briefly own both a sunbeam Lotus and and Avenger tiger back in the day bought and sold the Sunbeam for less that £1500 and the Avenger Tiger for about £1000 how I wish I still had both of them now, I see there's an Avenger Tiger on eBay and the bidding is nearly up to £20000.
Great stuff as always! Fish & Chips and Ford Cortina. It does not get more british than that! My uncle had a `66 4d. White. I loved that car! His next car was a Granada 2,3. In another Cortina vlog here on YT they say that the MK 1 sold 1 mill copies, MK 2 2 mill. MK 3 3 mill. MK 4 4 mill and MK 5 5 mill.
I remember when the Cortina came to the U.S. I liked the style of them.
(I also Detailed a race version of the ‘64 GT.)
This video was a bit more interesting.
📻🙂
The Australian Cortina with the 250 (4.1 l) engine was a nose-heavy brute of a car. They'd disappeared by the time I was old enough to consider buying one.
Lovely cars, thank you very much for the video.
Biggest we got in UK was the 2.3 cologne V6, I had a gold Mk5 2.3gls manual, with a 2.8 V6 dropped in. Lovely driving car
But in a straight line they really moved, pity they were rubbish going around corners. .
I _almost_ got a 1970 Cortina GT. I was really lusting after the US version of the GT since we had just had our second child, and stuffing two kids into the MGB was beyond the pale. I say _almost_ because I ordered one in March 1971, little knowing that the longest strike in English Ford's history was about to begin. Delivery slipped to April, then May, then my dealer called on May 20 to say it was now going to be June 10. My wife had enough and we went out looking for a car we could get now. We ended up with a Toyota Corona, a totally pedestrian car, but one I could drive away the next day. The Corona was a good, reliable car, and it helped make the Toyota reputation in the US. Unfortunately, 1970 was the last model year for a Cortina here, and the supply problems caused by the strike didn't help the rapidly deteriorating reputation of British cars in general here.
Nothing wrong with the reputation of the cars. The issue was with trade union leaders!
Nice one thank you.
My Dad had the 1.3 Mk 2 Est years ago and we had a Mk 4 some years latter. And Ford sure did wrong foot BL with the Mk 3 . Though BL had planed a larger Marina as usual the had no money to develop it.
seem to recall that the 'Aeroflow' ventilation system used eyeball type vents on the dash, which worked well in the Australian climate. Wish modern vehicles used them.
Too true - modern vents annoy the hell out of me with their separate up/down left/right adjustment - you just cannot get the damn things to point at your face.
I remember driving to my fathers house and seeing this amazing metallic red car parked on the driveway! My father had the first Mk 4 Cortina I had ever seen! He had a deal with the local dealers and was way ahead on the sales list! I took it into town and people were 'all over' looking at it! Great car!
"Ford Angular" : A specialist Ford car, built in the Jade Goody East Angular factory?
Same with Porsche. These days people only say Posh...
@@frankrault3190 some say Porsche some say Porsch, but there’s only one Ford Angular. 😂
@@Rialas You mean Hawwy Podda's Angular?
East angular? I thought that was foreign?
@@frankrault3190 Actually it is the Weasley family’s car, the Fabulous Flying Ford Angular.
Another fantastic synopsis! Thank you again Big Car!
Fact: Jeremy Clarkson’s and James May’s dads used to have Ford Cortinas when Clarkson and May were kids.
I enjoyed that episode... Poor Hammond.
*“It doesn’t even have four doors!”*
_- Richard Hammond on his dad’s Allegro Estate, The Grand Tour (S3 E14)_
And then there was Hammond's dad...
@12 Volts "The curse of Birmingham in the 1970's." lol
Yeh & the one james may drives in the program belongs to pete c check out his channel he own's four mk3 2.0 gxl's & a base estate
another great video with brilliant information in detail love it, thank you big car for the view to the past good old days
I remember when a teacher at my school got a brand new Mk4, and was complaining about early signs of rust when it was just a month or two old.
i had a few mk 3s 4s and 5s didnt they rust bad my Dad had some and at 3 yrs old they were really falling apart
@@tonystoakley5816 People laugh at the Marina and the Allegro, but in reality ALL of the manufacturers had serious faults in their output.
I've heard stories about mk4 Cortinas failing their first MOT with rotten sills. Apparently there was some production problem which meant that they didn't get rust proofed properly in that area in particular. Ford apparently paid out on warranty claims for this.
Dennis Moore - Silver Fox was a mk2 colour, I doubt it was still in production by the mk4 as there were newer colours such as Stardust Silver, and anyway metallic paints had come on a way by then.
@@Billrobster ..it wasn't just British produced cars as you mentioned that had rust problems back then , nearly all cars around the globe had the same problem, some even worse! They obviously didn't use the same technique as they can use now with improved technology ( including rust proofing)
@ Silver Fox and Blue Mink were one layer metallic used by Ford in the late 60's. They were early metallic and didn't use enough UV absorber so the light was actually able to penetrate the paint film and cause "chalking" of the Epoxy primer that lay beneath causing the paint to delaminate (and then curl up). The issue was mainly overcome by using two layer metallics with a basecoat followed by a (very heavily UV absorber laden) clear layer.
I owned a 1963 Cortina GT. I loved it. And I will never forget Harry Firth's hotted up Cortina 1500 murdering the Wallacia hill climb track. It was a just awesome display of power. The Cortina's won three Bathurst 500 races in a row, '63, '64 and '65, as I recall. Wonderful car!
No mention that the Ford Cortina was built in Cork Ireland. Henry Ford's first car plant in Europe.
Mate not everything is about Ireland that’s a really small detail calm down
Sorry John Gate1, according to Wikipedia:
Under: "History of Ford Motor Company":
"1911: Ford opens first factory outside North America - in Manchester, England."
Under: "Automotive industry in Ireland"
"In 1917, Ford opened a plant in Cork, initially for tractor manufacture as Fordson, but from 1921 cars were built as well."
I like the intro-an audacious, serious contrast to the humble, informative body of the video
The "Areoflow" system was also useful for those occasions when your Dad decided to drop his guts and you were sat in the back seats.
Oh My God my Dad did that and me and sister were both sick all squashed in a mk3 Cortina on that super hot summer of 76 going on holiday my Mum went mas at him hahahaha
Vinyl seats, a hot summer and a flatulent whale of a father whose gut flora were specifically chosen for a combination of stank and volume of gas meant the corpulent miasma percolated rearward to my tender nose in less than a second. I made a paddling pool in the other rear seat with the contents of my juvenile guts in an instant. Sure, the air got changed quickly, but it also meant the vile fug hit with full force once unleashed in its crackling fury.
My mum was mad at him, he was mad at me, I was greener around the gills than a fluorescent kermit.
Just what did they eat back then those evil parents of ours?
@@charliemansonUK Tripe and onions.
Brilliant thank you.My first car was a mk four.ADU 204S! Put seats in from a 2.3 which was pretty flash. Happy days and easy to set the points etc. Cheers,Len.PS I still have the front number plate!
We got these in Australia from 1962 to 1981. From the third generation on, sales began to sag due to Japanese competition and poor build quality in Australian factories. Six cylinder engines were made available which were a total mismatch and gave the car very poor roadholding.
These days, you never see them, and never hear about them. They've become a forgotten motor vehicle down here.