The Lotus Cortina Q-ship looms large over the entire Mark One Cortina range, and as a result the GT variant seems to live in its shadows. I captured these one wondrous Sunday recently; burbling at the traffic light and awaiting the green. Originally powered by a 78 bhp 1498cc pushrod “Kent” four, a quick chat (or, more accurately, shout) with the driver of the white example suggested these now sported a twin-cam arrangement.
The GT came in two and four-door form, and apparently a wagon was available to the Kenyan Police Force. I believe these featured GTs are the genuine (albeit modded) articles. Lovely to see. And hear.
Further Reading
Ford Consul Cortina Outtake by Paul Niedermeyer
Very nice picture. The GT versions have become quite expensive now, the twin-cams through the roof. Even just getting a twinnie motor to fit in a GT would be no small investment. Btw, pretty sure the original engine was the (non-crossflow) pushrod jobbie, with a few hot bits.
Ford produced a car technically far behind the BMC 1100, but your photo shows perhaps the main reason why one maker lived on and the other faded out (reliability issues aside, let alone profit margins): Ford simply made some really good-looking cars right through the ’60’s and ’70’s. Sell the sizzle, boys.
I will agree. Even though Cortinas proved to be on the brittle side by American standards, they were always very attractive little cars.
Yep, 1498cc ohv non crossflow. The Ford Kent engine.
They added a Weber 32/36 twin choke carb, 4 branch exhaust manifold, a hotter cam and better head porting to up the power. All simple old school stuff really, but Ford really hit the mark.
To say that this engine, and the post ’67 1598cc crossflow, is a legendary basis for many rally and racing cars would be an real understatement. The cast list is long indeed.
It wasn’t just the more flamboyant styling that led to their sales triumph, it was as much to do with the perceived value for money compared to the BMC ADO16 – the Austin / Morris 1100 – technically advanced though it was, the simpler Cortina was just physically bigger.
And it drove well – that always helps.
In Great Britain – as in the U.S. – over the long run, mass-market customers favored reliability and conventional good looks over troublesome advanced engineering and off-beat styling.
Bigger valves for the 1500 in GT models and a different camshaft, Bathurst winner in its day not as straight line fast as the S4 EH Holdens but lighter and disc brakes meant they ran all day and stopped and steered, very sought after cars now.
Thanks for the engine correction Justy. Me and mechanical knowledge don’t really get on.
I have the same issue, but mine is with knowledge generally.
Unimportant trivia, however, there I have deep and fetid reserves.
Love these. One of the few small sedans that takes the early 1960s styling and makes it look so right on a small package.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen one on the street, but I’ve seen a few vintage racing and they seem to defy physics.
Yep, that famous three-wheeled stance in the hands of Jim Clark. Lotus prepared a one-off IRS version as a feasibility study and Jim purloined it as his daily driver.
Is a Zetec a tight fit for these? The “hot ticket” upgrade for gen 2 Cortinas is the Zetec…or the Pinto 2 liter.
The only gen 1 GT I have ever seen in the metal was a scruffy looking example that was always parked on the same street, in the same spot, in Palo Alto in the early 80s.
I don’t think there is much difference between the engine bay from Mark 1 to Mark 2.
Interesting that both cars are also on what look like 15″ Minilites, leaving a too low a profile tyre for my liking.
ps – Mark 1 Don, not series 1!
Corrected. That would make these a Mark 1 Series 2 then. I’ve also captured a Mark 1 Series 1 Consul…
Just need a blue one to complete the set.
Not quite the right hue, but…
still nice. I prefer the later grille on these, but having built the Airfix 1:32nd model as a child might have had some influence there!
As a 16 yr old boy in 1976 norcal, driving Dad’s 64 GMC p/u was great, but I spent every day dreaming of cruising in my own first car. Would it be a muscle car, like so many of my friends, family and neighbors, or a true sports car like my uncle Don’s beautiful 356? Reality and economics brought both of those dreams to a screaching hault, but a friend of a friend came to the rescue with the 3 Cortinas in his front yard. A wagon, a 4 door sedan and a red 2 door GT. I could have any of them, free! Just pick one and haul it away. I hooked the GT up to the back of the Jimmy and the Cortina was in our driveway when the old man got home from work. “Of course it runs, Dad, just needs a battery” I proudly proclaimed. “And it was FREE”! “Let me see the title” he said, his usual straight down to business personality shining through. As I explained that the owner was looking for the title he cut my off–“HOW DO YOU KNOW IT’S NOT STOLEN??”— I studdered and stammered for a second and he finished with “you’ve got ONE week to come up with it!” 8 days later, on a cold Saturday morning, he woke me up with a loving “get dressed and meet me out front”. There was my beloved first car, chained up to the Jimmys Barden bumper, ready for my ride of shame back to the friend of a friend’s house. Don’t know if he ever found that title.