Ford Cortina 3.0 S | Spotted
A retro fast Ford that doesn't cost a small fortune? Sign us up
No doubt we all thought that it would be a fleeting fad, the first time we saw an Escort or a Sierra for sale at more than £50,000. More than £30,000, perhaps. They likely had Cosworth badges on them, with huge enthusiast appeal thanks to motorsport heritage, but they were still Escorts and Sierras. (Plus RS Cossies never actually achieved much in WRC, but let’s save that discussion for another day.)
It wasn’t a passing phase, unfortunately. As recently as 2013, it was possible to buy an Escort RS Cosworth and Sierra RS equivalent for £35k (yes, really), a fascination with the classics as collectables has seen values soar over the past decade. It hasn’t just been Fords, of course, though appreciation always feels more significant with Blue Oval product as the sort of everyman performance car. What was once vaguely affordable for most folk is now on another planet entirely. Probably the general demise of attainable performance cars has driven up interest in the old school.
Whatever the case, it seems that those homologation heroes of the '80s and '90s aren’t going to become any cheaper any time soon. But there will be plenty out there who want an old fast Ford as a reminder of their youth, or simply to be part of a huge community of like-minded enthusiasts. Everyone has a fast Ford story of some kind (which is probably another reason for the Escort and Sierra appreciation). But if an RS is off the table, then it’s time to think a little differently; perhaps with a less revered model, or perhaps with a familiar Ford not actually sold in the UK at all…
This is a 3.0 S Cortina, a South African special. While we got V6 ‘tinas in the UK, they were powered by the 2.3 Cologne engine, rather than the Essex lump in the 3.0 S. Pricier and not much faster than the 2.0, there were precious few 2.3s sold here, which might explain why a few 3.0-litres have found their way to the UK over the years. We love a Cortina, we love an Essex V6, and right-hand drive makes it an easy fit for our roads. A life in a much drier climate is obviously very beneficial for 50-year-old Ford steel as well.
While not as serious a sports model as anything with a Rallye Sport badge, the S certainly looked the part with black accents. This one benefits further from the spotlights and RS-style wheels for a very tidy looking ‘tina. One very committed keeper, who bought the car from the selling dealer a few years ago, has invested in both a five-speed gearbox and respray during their time with the car. ‘It was already a very good car, but he has vastly improved it and turned it into what you see in the pics’, according to the ad. Don’t look underneath if you’ve ever owned a fast Ford that’s lived exclusively in the damp, miserable UK…
The asking price is £13,750 - good luck getting a V6-engined Capri, for example, at anything close to that money. Because it was never offered here, a 3.0S maybe doesn’t have quite the same nostalgic appeal as some other classic fast Ford, but it’s hardly like this particular apple fell very far from the tree. There’s plenty that we like about the genre, with a more palatable price. And a very fetching interior. Who wants an Escort anyway?
SPECIFICATION | FORD CORTINA 3.0 S (MkIV)
Engine: 2,994cc, V6
Transmission: 5-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 138@5,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 173@3,000rpm
CO2: N/A
MPG: N/A
Recorded mileage: 74,375
Year registered: 1979
Price new: N/A
Yours for: £13,750
Got it cheap as an ex company car from where my dad worked. Had dents in the boot lid pointing outwards from being slammed on items that were too big.
I painted the window frames to try and make it look more like the 'S' model featured here but the Sierra biege colour and pressed steel wheels did it no favours.
For anyone around at the time, this would have been a quick car.
My dad had an Escort 1100 which inconsiderately died a few days before a family holiday. He had a friend who ran a car hire company and he sorted us out with an automatic 2.3 Ghia 'tina - the first auto I'd ever been in. I was in awe of its (relative) power and self-shifting transmission, and the fact that the ignition barrel was so worn my dad could take the key out while driving and hand it to me in the back seat.
This seems decent value, to me.
Buyer beware being south African it may not have any heater matrix or plumbing fitted due to coming from a warmer climate.
Something different but not sure I would spend that much on a Cortina
I think the Escort won something like 30 championships in 1995/6 when you consider all the national, regional and Group A/N trophies it picked up. It was a massively successful rally car, even if it didn't win a WRC title.
The throttle or kick down cable ( can’t remember now) had to be replaced and the car was getting something like 3/4 throttle flat out.
Anyway it was replaced and the difference was remarkable.
The owner picked it up ( gentleman in his eighties dropped off by his daughter) and I will never forget the look on his face when he smoked the rear tyres reversing out of the parking space.
Car and owner long gone now sadly.
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