On the heels of this Lotus Cortina, reviewed a few days ago, here comes its sibling, a Ford Cortina Mk I. The two cars couldn’t be more different in terms of condition, with the Ford version about as tidy as one could want and the Lotus looking the worse for wear ‘n tear. It would be easy to dismiss the Ford as grandpa’s car – an economy pick – while the Lotus raced all over the world. But this Cortina has a surprise under the hood, making it worth investigation – and maybe a bid. It’s listed here on eBay; the seller is asking $13,950 to start the auction. The car is located in Blaine, Washington, just shy of the border with Canada.
A solid cosmetic presence is augmented by a professionally rebuilt engine. The listing claims a 1600 cc displacement from a 116E four-cylinder; to my knowledge, the 116E had a 1500 cc displacement at the height of its development. The car is fitted with a pre-crossflow, big valve, double-spring’d Stage III head attributed to “Richardson”. The Burton catalog included in the documents photo is probably the source of the head, kinda like this one Burton sells for a 1.6 liter Ford four-cylinder. Twin Webers handle the fuel/air mix, exhausting through a Ford GT header. Internally, the con rods and camshaft are Cosworth, and it has a lightweight flywheel. The seller claims 145 hp, which would stomp a factory Lotus Cortina. Meanwhile, the transmission is a four-speed Borg Warner manual fitted with overdrive. I’d love to test drive this car (hey! Blaine isn’t that far away!) – any other fans of this build out there?
The front seating has been replaced by twin leather buckets, but the factory rear bench was retained. That steering wheel is from a Lotus. The headliner is new and it has an aftermarket stereo. An auxiliary gauge is hung off the dash within easy sightline of the driver. The trunk is as clean as they come, and the car retains its original owner’s handbook.
The paint was applied about five years ago, and bears a few nicks and chips, none of which are visible in the photos. I appreciate that the restorer didn’t try to make this Ford look like a Lotus Cortina. The brightwork is in excellent condition, and it rides on gold Minilite wheels, sans hubcaps. The rear spotlight is a welcome addition. I’m surprised this car hasn’t seen any auction action yet; it seems like an attractive package to me. What do you think?
There’s going to be a happy, happy owner with one.
Finally, an interesting car on Barn Finds…
It looks like a nice car at what appears to a reasonable price. It ran through eBay a few weeks ago with an opening bid of $15,000 and didn’t garner any interest. Compared to some of the junk featured on this site with considerably higher asking prices this looks like a bargain.
Steve R
Would prefer 2dr but,it’s very cool
Good comment. There’s very little market for a modified 4 door Cortina Mk1.
No doubt as good as they get.
We had these down under back in the day and with this drivetrain configuration and power to weight ratio, this little car would go like stink.
What the hell is going on with the “Like” button not working. I’m not the only one here to notice this. Anybody ?
Works for me!
Others here have also complained so I know I am not crazy.
Sometimes !!
The “Like” button only works for ma about 1/2 the time. :(
I’d give that a like if I could. ;-)
Yep! It works like once a week for me. Been like that for almost a year. They’ve never explained it.
The “Like” button only works for me about 1/2 the time. :(
About the like button. I had been having the same problem. What works for me is if you click on the picture or the write up, the like button will work for me. If I click on the comments link it will not let me like a comment. This works about 90 percent of the time for me. At least thats how I was finally able to get it to work for me.
Tried it to no avail. Best we can do is hope admin see this and passes it on to the coders. Hey Admin, the hand appears over the button but clicking does nada. I’m using Firefox on Windows. Let them know the platform you are using. Cheers
Twice the HP of a 1965 Ford Cortina GT! I hope they upgraded the front disc brakes.
BTW, some of us PREFER a 4 door sedan to a deuce as a Sport Sedan!
As the driver I HATE 2 door cars no matter whether it’s English or American. The only 2 door cars I have owned were sports cars, which I loved, and a two door Ford Cortina, which was the worst car I ever owned !
My first car as an 18 yr old was a Mk1 GT. I then sold that car a few years later to purchase a RHD Mk1 Lotus Cortina. I now own a 68 Mk2 Deluxe which has had a few upgrades. I’m not sure why this isn’t selling as it is clean and I’m sure its pretty quick. If I was in the market for a Cortina, I’d definitely give this a long look.
I’d have to do a transplant, looks like a lovely choice to go in a Consul Capri GT! A little wacky like the Cortina, but enough like a Galaxie Starliner I could love it!
https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIP.N-jEmCSffzddzdaPQwV0wwHaDt?rs=1&pid=ImgDetMain
I usually drool when i read BF every day. I really like this car today. I had a matchbox Ford Cortina when i was young. Would be way cool to have this car now. I have never been to Washington the state in my life but i would go and drive this home. I live in Kentucky so id say it is a pretty fair piece up there. I Like this alot!!! Thanks to the BF staff for all they do and a shout out to the people that send them tips. 21 degrees here in Kentucky today and we are not used to this crap. I bet its cold where this car is …..WOW. Thanks.
Musta been no interest at $13,500 starting bid. The guy closed the auction when i just went to ebay.
He’d be better off listing it with a set price, then looking at offers than run another auction.
If you want it contact the seller, see if you can strike a deal.
Steve R