Ford Cortina 1.6 GL: PH Carpool
Man maths results in ... a beige Cortina and a feelgood factor off the scale
Car: Ford Cortina MkV 1.6 GL (1981)
Owned since: March 2013
Previously owned: "VW Jetta Mk2, Mercedes C180, Volvo S80, Subaru Forester, Volvo V70 (daily driver)."
Why I bought it:
"I had paid off my previous car loan and decided that rather than buy one car, I was going to buy two; a classic and a daily driver. I'd been scanning websites for classic Cortinas for several months in advance and it came down to a choice between this beige car or a royal blue one. I went for the beige. The owner was very honest about it and wanted to see it go to a good home, so he didn't want or take any profit on it (he showed me his original receipt)."
What I wish I'd known:
"If I'd known the kind of reaction it would get, I would have bought one sooner! The car hasn't been faultless and problems with the wiring kept it off the road for almost six months (although that was traced to a poorly fitted 80s car alarm). Looking back I also might have gone for one without a dealer-fit sunroof, because the thing leaked like colander when I first took it out in the rain."
Things I love:
"I keep telling people 'any day I drive this car, is a better day' and I'm not lying. The 1.6-litre Pinto will not smoke the tyres, but it has enough grunt to keep up with modern traffic and has a beautiful exhaust note to boot.
"Everyone, it seems, has a 'Cortina story'. I've had so many people come up and say they, their parents or some member of their family had one. And, there are so few MkVs on the road, they make Ford Capris look like bicycles in Beijing.
"This particular car was meticulously cared for in the UK (before being imported to Ireland four years ago). I have a lot of history with it, including a brown hardback notebook which has details of every time the second owner went for petrol, including how much fuel he bought (in litres and in £) and what was showing on the odometer every time. I also have the original brochures from the car and all the old service bills and MoTs."
Things I hate:
"Not being able to drive it because of Ireland's horrible weather. Living on the North West coast of Ireland with its salty air, I'm also conscious of any minor spots of rust, which I will have to get treated this coming winter. If I let the car get wet, I genuinely feel like I've let it down, that I've failed it as an owner."
Costs:
"Tax and insurance are laughably cheap - 56 euros tax for the year and 240 euros for comprehensive, limited-mileage insurance - compared to my Volvo's 800 euros tax, 650 euros insurance. I will have to spend some money getting some minor rust spots treated, but none of it is structural. My mechanic, who deals with modern cars all day, loves to get his hands on this machine, so servicing is a bit cheaper than usual."
Where I've been:
"I live in a really picturesque part of Ireland, with mountains and narrow twisting roads criss-crossing the countryside. I've done one or two long trips (well, four hours one way) but mostly I just pick a direction and drive around the lakes and mountain tarmac for hours at a time."
What next?
"I won't be parting with my Cortina any time soon. I will put her into hibernation in October, but I might take the opportunity to get some work done on her. I'd like to fit an unleaded head to the engine and help it breathe better. I want to swap out the standard steel wheels for a set of wider banded ones. If the budget allows I will also get her resprayed, but that might have to wait until next year. In the meantine, I'll just enjoy her. As I say, any day I get to drive her, is a better day!"
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I recall the local taxi firm had first dibs on any that found themselves in "the big car park", such was the requirement for seats, bumpers and other consumables. A few years later it was Sierras. Then Mondeos. Nothing changes, eh?
I remember my 1.6 Cortina, my first car back in 1990.
Needed a little more go as I did quite a bit of motorway running so bought a 2.0 Capri a couple of years later... which I still have!
It too gets noticed, in a nice way.
Lovely thing though! Was Oyster Gold iirc with RS4 spokes.
Reminds me - one of our friend's moms had a 1.6 Capri... but because it had a bonnet bulge = Fastest car ever!
Many an rs turbo driver at the time had a look of confusion on there faces when she slowly edged past them on the local duel carriage way/drag racing strip on Friday and Saturday nights, she even gave a friends 2wd sapphire a run for its money up to about 90 on drag from the lights one day, "90 was the end of 3rd gear", I was in no way winning but he wasn't getting away like he thought he would. I was very smug at the time as a cossie was something special to keep up with... its 1st 3 gears were its best work, it was all out for 125mph on the speedo in 4th,
Bombproof reliable but I was forever changing void bushes and it drank a LOT of 4 star.....2 years of the most fun motoring, mostly sideways especially when wet, i will never forget that little beast....
This was always the rule! I was car mad as a kid and peering through the drivers window to see a 140mph speedo was amazing because that was how fast it went, right? At that time in the mid to late eighties for me the rover 3500vitesse was king around our way. That was the biggest engine and I'm sure the speedo went up to 150mph?
It ranks alongside walking home from school ribbing your mate he was going to die first because his birthday came before yours...just me then
This was always the rule! I was car mad as a kid and peering through the drivers window to see a 140mph speedo was amazing because that was how fast it went, right? At that time in the mid to late eighties for me the rover 3500vitesse was king around our way. That was the biggest engine and I'm sure the speedo went up to 150mph?
It ranks alongside walking home from school ribbing your mate he was going to die first because his birthday came before yours...just me then
remember looking in a Jag XJS and it saying 160 mph and my brain not comprehending that kind of speed.
In the Engine size stakes the winner was the flat brown Jag XJ at the end of our road, there was the 3.4, then the 4.2 but this said 5.3 litre on the back and had two fuel tanks, the lady that owned it managed to put it through the front of the Spar down the road somehow, and that was the end of that.
I remember next door getting a Silvia "Turbo" brand new, a 1.8 Auto and taking us for a spin to experience the awesome 130 bhp, it did feel quite fast I remember and it had pop up headlamps and a boost gauge.
Anyway, nice Cortina, get it painted blue for the full Father Ted vibe
My dad used to do all the repair work for the local taxi firm, was always these, coming in with clacking cams, he could do one in an afternoon, the Pintos inherent oil delivery design flaw provided us with holidays and Big Traks for Christmas. I used to root round in the fetid interiors looking for change, always found some as well.
Ahh... I think I've just answered my own question. I though the number of digits on the plate was too high as well (I remember them only having four digits) so I googled it and wikipedia suggests that ZV can still be issued to cars more that 30 years old in place of the new style registration system. Didn't know that.
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