We couldn’t have a ‘60s British Saloon Week without a small contribution from Dagenham, could we? Behold, the Cortina GT, a true legend in its own time and, short of finding the famous Lotus variant, the coolest and sportiest of the species. However, we are now encountering a difficulty that is not uncommon on CC: the unimprovable long-form post.
By which I mean that our Right Honourable CColleague from the Land of Albion, Roger Carr, who is far more familiar with these that I’ll ever be, wrote pretty much all that one could say on the subject in his authoritative piece.
So that leaves yours truly with a bunch of photos of a beautiful (if a tiny bit modded) early example of one of the greatest nameplates Ford ever produced and little to really say about it. So here goes nothing. Or not very much, in any case…
Just briefly, in case you’re in a rush and need some quick Cortina facts: this car was launched in 1962 after a pretty brief development program. They kept it simple: MacPherson struts in front, live axle and leaf springs at the back, a 1.2 litre engine to get moving and styling courtesy of Roy Brown, who was far more inspired that day than when he penned the Edsel. Two- and four-door body styles were available.
Soon a Super arrived with a 1.5 (59hp) – a far better proposition. This was topped in April 1963 by the GT, good for 78hp. And then Lotus got involved and pushed it to over 100hp, but that’s another story.
For MY 1965, the Cortina gained vents on its C-pillar and a revised grille, and by the end of 1966, it was gone, replaced by a new generation. And so it went on until 1982, keeping Dagenham busy and Ford at the top of the sales chart throughout the ‘70s.
You know what surprised me most about this car? The interior and how perfect it is. None of the boring BMC linearity, nor any of the affectations one might expect from a mid-century British-made saloon: no fussy wood veneer in sight – just a battery of circular gauges set in a simple display and lots of black, save for a touch of chrome and the steering wheel rim. Well done, Ford – this is Mustang-level genius.
Same at the back – nothing fancy, just a clean early ‘60s ambiance. Loads more room than the Riley we just saw (admittedly a ‘50s design), plus a lot more style and all for less money. Once the Cortina came out, BMC were toast in this segment.
They clung on to the small car segment, what with the Mini and the Minor and the 1100, but above that, BMC lost the battle in the early ‘60s, way before it turned into the dreaded British Leyland.
And probably no one were more surprised at this outcome than Ford. They hadn’t really set out to dominate the mid-range family car market with the “Consul Cortina,” as they pompously called it initially. They wisely refused to go Köln’s way and adopt the FWD Cardinal, choosing to fashion the cheap and cheerful Archbishop instead. The market said amen to that.
So there we have it. Nothing much to report. Just the best British Ford ever made passing by, that’s all.
Related posts:
Curbside Classic: 1963 Ford Cortina Mk1 – Ford Takes On BMC, And Wins, by Roger Carr
Curbside Outtakes: Ford Cortina Mark I- Practicing My Rolling Photography Technique, by David Skinner
Cohort Outtake: Ford Consul Cortina Mk1- The Beginning Of The Cortina Era, by PN
Vintage PR Shot: Ford Cortina Estate Car – Why Not A “Squire”, by PN
Beautiful in an early 1960’s way without the bulk.
Nice mods too, I like the widened steel rims. Great find.
We never had a four door GT sold in the US, Mk1 or Mk2 (we never got the Mk3 unlike Canada) … is this a real GT?
The 4-door GT wasn’t offered in the US, presumably because American buyers who wanted a sporty sedan didn’t want a four door (see BMW 02). it wasn’t going to be the family hauler here.
But it was different in Europe where cars like a Cortina GT were also needed to be the family chariot. Google “Cortina GT Mk1 4-door” and there’s quite a few out there, mostly in the UK.
Yes, in the UK (and some other markets, I assume) the GT was available with both 2 and 4 doors.
Another very enjoyable, and informative post. You work is a highlight at this site.
Great pics, of a lovely Cortina.
I’ve never been a big fan of the additional bodyside sheetmetal sculpting, seen on many early and mid ’60’s designs. I find it will unnecessarily date, a car’s looks. Styling would often be cleaner, and more modern, without it.
If that centre console storage bin is factory, it was quite up to date. I was commenting the other day to my Mrs. about how the centre console bin in our DD is useful, yet inconvenient at the same time. You must contort yourself in order to use it while driving, and if you use the bottom portion, it requires removal of a bin to access there. Also the little sliding tray constantly gets in the way of closure of the lid. And I still bemoan how it doesn’t have a storage drawer below the passenger seat. But I digress.
Imagine driving around and seeing a classic such as this pull out of a driveway to eat up some pavement. What a wonderful view. The mini batwings on this draw one’s attention. The side view mirror way out there on the front fender leads me to wonder to its usefulness.
Excellent find and addition of just the right words to accompany!
The console and bin are original. And quite clearly influenced by the ones Ford was putting in some of their US market cars.
The centre console is original equipment on the GT, but not on the other trim levels (standard, de luxe and super). The cubby, doubling up as an armrest was a long term feature of many ’70s Fords over here.
That was a great read (and a nice magazine review). I didn’t see too many of them in the U.S. back then (Wiki gives some sales figures), but perhaps if I’d been a little older it might have been my first new car.
1966 ad here—I hadn’t realized that the Lotus’s price premium was *that* much (and I’d forgotten about the wagon):
That is exactly what every MK 1 Cortinny looked like when I was a teen and these were popular they almost all got fat feet and and many mods as the owner could get, those Ford 4 bangers were great for souping up and that was a must because performance when stock wasnt much.
The Australian GT500 Cortina won at Bathurst, but that wasnt the same as the British version,
They were light and ideally suited to being driven hard by mad teenagers, survivors are prized now and strangely valueable especially genuine GTs which are rare, not as rare as a stock 1200 version though, they got cloned into faux GTs a long time ago.
Only one I have ever seen and surprised the heck out of me as it came up and by several years ago.
The only way to make it better, ie faster, is let Lotus have a go at it.
How `bout those inverted Mercedes Benz symbols over the tail lights? Cool!
oooh, so pretty