1. Hij was developed by an engineer Ford America was banned
Roy Brown Jr. was an American-Canadian engineer best known for building the Etzel. Unfortunately, the Edsel turned out to be a huge failure…and seemed to be the end of Brown’s career, especially since Ford USA sent its engineer to Ford Britain after this failure. It was on the island that he created a small miracle that restored his reputation: Cortina! The technically more classic model (Ford Germany opted for its Tannus front-wheel drive, while the Cortina relied on traditional rear-wheel drive) was beautiful, strong, fun to drive and, above all, cheap! It’s an amazing success…
2. Project ‘Archbishop’!
Codenamed “Archbishop”, this new model was introduced in 1962 as the ‘Consul Cortina’. Until 1964, after a facelift, the name was shortened to ‘Cortina’.
3. Various designs
The Ford Cortina MK1 was soon available in several very impressive (for the time) versions: 2- or 4-door saloon, station wagon, 1.2 liter or 1.5 liter engine, standard, deluxe, super or GT finish and Lotus. … There was a Cortina for every taste and budget! The same principle was applied to later developments, much to the delight of buyers who wanted to stand out from the crowd!
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4. Legendary game versions
We can’t talk about the Cortina without mentioning the Lotus version, whose 1.6-litre twin-cam engine comes straight from the Lotus Elan. Its racing record is quite extensive. 1.5 liter engine with almost 80 HP is the pride of sports dads! In its second evolution, the Cortina was produced by the South African importer with a 3 liter V6 Essex engine as a ferocious beast!
5. A more rational life decision
In the late 1960s, Ford decided to merge its British and German subsidiaries. No more questions about creating two completely different salons on the same continent! It was time for reason and the third-generation Cortina closely resembled the German Danus. After the fourth generation, aimed at corporate fleets, the Tannus saw its last life with the MK5, whose life ended in 1982.
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About the author: Christian Jean-Francois
Jean-François Christiaens has been a motoring journalist since 2005. He loves everything that drives, from electric cars to hypercars.
But his heart beats especially fast from the hot chicks of the GTI era. Although a comfortable interval did not leave him unmoved.
Is it getting old?
