Ford Cortina History

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1964 - Cortina Super MK1Fifty years ago, on September 21, 1962, Ford’s new Cortina was launched. Costing £573 for the standard 1200 saloon, it became an instant best-seller and enjoyed a 20-year career in which 4.3 million units were produced. The last Cortina was assembled in July 1982, to be succeeded by the Sierra, by which time the entry-level model was priced at £4,515. The Cortina was so successful and so different from other cars in the industry that in Britain it inspired what became known as ‘the Cortina class’. Along with the parallel success of the Escort from 1968, this helped Ford gain market leadership in Britain, which it has maintained for 35 consecutive years. In 20 years, four generations of Cortina were launched – each selling more than a million around the world. When originally planned, Ford thought it could sell at least 100,000 Cortina models every year – yet more than 260,000 were sold in the first full sales year, 1963. Best seller The Cortina was Britain's best-selling car for 10 of the 20 years it was on sale: 1967, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1981. It was in second place for eight years and in third for the remaining two. UK sales for the Ford Cortina totalled 2,816,639 and its best-selling month of all time was 25,790 in August 1981. 1969 Cortina 1300 MK2Total Cortina production was 4,279,079, of which 3,155,161 were built at Dagenham. Cortina assembly also took place in Genk (Belgium), Amsterdam, Cork (Ireland) and at Cheshunt (Lotus-Cortina Mk I only). Ford Cortina – the first fleet car In Britain, the demand for new cars grew steadily through the 1960s and 1970s. More than 820,000 were sold in 1960, 1,126,824 in 1970 and 1,536,243 followed in 1980. Managers looking after fleets of company-owned vehicles faced many pressures. They had to buy cars appropriate to every task and in many cases they also had to match cars to the status of the staff using them. The Cortina was ideal for meeting these requirements. Compared with rivals, it was lighter, had more storage space and was simple and extremely fuel-efficient. It represented exceptional value and it built up an enviable low-cost record in high-mileage use. As Britain’s market moved steadily towards larger fleets in the 1970s, Ford’s Cortina range evolved accordingly. 1971 MK111 Cortina XL 2000When the Mk III appeared in 1970 there were no fewer than 32 different versions in a range which included a choice of four engines and no fewer than five different trim/equipment packs. This philosophy ensured the Cortina maintained its appeal to fleets. Ford Cortina in Motorsport First in rallying, then in saloon car racing, the Cortina immediately punched above its weight in motorsport. Formula 1 World Champion Jim Clark used a Lotus-Cortina to win the British Saloon Car Championship in 1964 and a team of factory-prepared Cortina GTs also dominated the world’s most demanding rally – the East African Safari – in the same year. In motor racing the 1,558cc, twin-cam Lotus-Cortina showed that the use of a powerful engine, strong but lightweight construction and driver-friendly handling could be a winning combination. Lotus Cortinas won scores of races - in Britain, Europe and North America – and on the rare occasions when they were beaten it was invariably by 4.7-litre or even 7.0-litre V8-engined cars which also carried a Ford badge. 1976 MK1V Cortina GhiaEven before the Lotus-Cortina arrived on the tracks, the Cortina GT was a race-winning car in Britain (where Jack Sears won the British Championship) and in the prestigious 12 Hour race at Marlboro in the USA. In its first full season, 1964, Jim Clark’s Team Lotus entry won the British Championship and Sir John Whitmore’s Alan Mann Racing example won five events in Europe. Ford Cortina on screen The Ford Cortina has made dozens of film and TV appearances. Carry On Cabby, released in 1963, was an early example and the Mk1 saw out the end of the black and white era in films like The Big Job, The Knack and How To Get It, in which Rita Tushingham, Michael Crawford and Donald Donally hitch a ride on a transporter-load of Cortinas. The MkII model turned up in productions as diverse as Billion Dollar Brain – driven by Michael Caine who, in reality, didn’t have a driving licence at the time – and The Benny Hill Show. Michael Caine again drove a Cortina in the iconic Get Carter in 1970. Further TV work for the Cortina was in the 1970-71 series Callan and the MkII’s sales in North America also led to the occasional role in Hollywood productions such as Alligator (1980). The Cortina was especially popular on TV shows such as Bless This House and The Sweeney, in which a 2-litre Cortina GT occasionally appears as a back-up car. 1982 Cortina Crusader VThe 1980 BBC series The Enigma Files featured a silver Cortina 1600XL and in Shoestring, Trevor Eve, drove a MkIII estate. The MkIV made a memorable appearance in The Spy Who Loved Me, Roger Moore’s third outing as James Bond, when it crash-lands onto the roof of a log cabin. The MkIV was also seen regularly on TV in The Professionals. More recently the Cortina has had a starring role in the 2006 BBC series Life on Mars while its film credentials have been brought right up to date with the 2011 British film Made in Dagenham. It was in 1982 that the Cortina inspired an hour-long BBC Arena documentary, the same year it went out of production. The Private Life of the Ford Cortina was hosted by Alexei Sayle and included an interview with former bank robber John McVicar, who endorsed the Cortina’s credentials as a getaway car.Tags:,