Darby’s Dagenham Dynasty

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Cortina Manual Ford used the Super model on the owners-manual coverThe Cortina was five years old at the time and had only covered 9099 miles, she was a Super 1500 model with a good spec including a full sliding Webasto sunroof. £424.00 inc road tax changed hands, not a small sum for the time but the Cortina Mk2 had been released by now and the low mileage Mk1 in excellent condition offered great value for money. Young Graham remembers the joy of the first drive home and within a few years the first time he could get behind the wheel of any car was in this Cortina. 1963 Mk1 Cortina Super 1500 modelThe Mk1 Cortina began a trilogy of Ford cars that everyone has either owned or knows someone that has, reliable and well-priced with an endless options list and every specification from the humble run-around to a race car for the road and the involvement of Lotus engineering. The International Car of the Year Award was pushed by the Ford Publicity Department and the Mk1 went global; it even sold well as far afield as Australia and New Zealand. Available with Fords 1198cc engine on the lower range and on the Super model the 4 cylinder motor was increased to 1498cc and produced a healthy 64bhp. Transmission was also right up to date, a 4 speed unit with synchromesh in all gears. At just ¾ of a ton the car was light in comparison with its competition and at 14ft long and 5ft wide four people sat in comfort. The name was inspired by the 1956 Winter Olympics bob sleigh run at the Italian resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo; later Ford never one to shy from publicity drove several cars down the same course. By the time the Mk2 arrived in 1966 an estimated 933,000 Mk1s had been sold worldwide and the Cortina range continued in many variants up until July 1982 with an incredible 2.6 million sold in the UK alone, over 4.3 worldwide. The Ford Times celebrated the arrival of the Mark 1 Cortina with a brilliant politically incorrect coverThe Darby family’s early example, named the Consul Cortina 1500 Super, has just celebrated its 51st birthday having been first registered in August 1963; extras included a single front fog light and luxury sunroof. The Webasto sunroof was fitted by a company called Allards and their workmanship has survived the test of time with only one fabric replacement in 1973. This Super model is finished in the complementary two-tone Ascot Grey over Windsor Grey with lovely bright red seating, which is in as good as new condition. Grahams father Leslie kept every invoice, book and brochure and for me a fully documented car from the 1960s is not only rare but valuable, the more history the better and this car has enough detail to keep historian David Starkey quiet for some time. Whilst ploughing through the folders of paperwork something really interesting came to light, an unused fuel rationing voucher book. Having never seen one before I was intrigued and Graham tells me they are not from WW2 but actually issued in the 1970s. The Yon Kippur, Arab-Israeli conflict in 1973 saw oil production slowed and as a precaution the vouchers were issued allowing different amounts to be purchased in different weeks of the month. The restrictions never came into being and so the vouchers were never used; I wonder how many other people kept theirs? Graham continued the document saving habit when he took over the custody of the Cortina from his father but by 1992 the car would need some serious TLC. Ford Consul Cortina Mark 1 SuperIn the middle of nowhere on the Fens near a town called Chatteris in Cambridgeshire a small out building was the home to GJH classic bodyworks, it was here the Cortina would receive another 20 years plus of life. A full body restoration and re-spray in original finish was carried out, the chrome work was in order and so refitted, the push rod driven OHV engine with five bearing crank was overhauled. A new home in West Sussex and a new millennium the Cortina is still with the Darby family.  Graham admits the car would benefit from being used more often. The drive in this 63 Ford is surprisingly good; having now covered 59000 miles the engine is quiet and happy in modern town traffic. After the initial cold start grumbling the motor settles on light choke and pulls away smoothly. Graham shows the excellent gearbox is as good as when it left the factory and we are quickly in top at just under 30mph. ‘I don’t like holding up other road users and the 1500 engine has enough power to prevent that’. The brakes are drum type (uprated in 1964 to discs) and stop the car well enough; they just require a bit more distance. Inside is a nice place to be, the bright red seats are comfortable and show little signs of wear and a dash that is unmarked after 52 years is impressive. Being an early Mark 1 this Super has the rectangular speedo unit and the indicator, headlight switch and horn button are all attached to the steering column. The steering wheel itself is quite a futuristic feature, very American straight out of a B movie or the ‘Jetson’s’; this was revised from October 1963 when the three spoke version was introduced. Chrome brackets fitted to the front seat backs were for static belts which have been replaced with a retractable type, the timepiece was installed when new and is correct twice a day at two o’clock. The exterior boasts clear front park light lenses separate from the grill and the badges are different from that of the later cars. Many thanks to Graham for his time and providing me with information about his family over the last 50 years and for the ride in the four wheeled member of the Darby clan; the Ford Consul Cortina 1500 Super.

Ford Consul Cortina Mark 1 Super Specification

  • Registered August 1963
  • Engine: 1498cc 4 cylinder 60bhp with 82lb ft @ 2300rpm
  • Gearbox: Four forward speeds with synchromesh. RWD
  • Weight: 1899lbs/ Length 14ft 1in/ Width 5ft 3in
  • Suspension FR: MacPherson Strut RR: Leaf springs and shock absorbers
  • Brakes: Hydraulic wide drums all round
  • Performance: 0-60mph 20 seconds and top speed 82mph. 34mpg