My grandpa had two of these. Remember it well. Went on holiday to Yorkshire s few times, remember stopping halfway on side of the road to make a cup of tea using the gas stove and cucumber sandwiches. Happy times. It feels like you can almost reach out and touch that time again, it's so close in our memories and yet so far off. I miss those times. I miss my grandpa too.
a b Knock it off. You cared enough to reply. I thought it was a nice memory to share, better than all of the miserable and inevitable “You can see this car rusting away on this video” posts.
@@ab-jp8mf Everyone cares. Some people pretend not to that's all. Hope your life gets better. Memories are important and sharing memories may seem totally irrelevant across a vast internet, but there will always be at least one person who can relate. Be happy!
Love watching these old reviews as it takes me back, it’s amazing how they did not bother cleaning them up to look gleaming and shiny like they do nowadays. Paint was so dull back then.....
The Mk 4 Cortina is my absolute favourite car of all time, I know I'm weird but when I first saw one as a child in 1977 I just thought it was the best looking car I'd ever seen.
I was a big fan of all cortina's except perhaps the Mk I - prefered the bigger Zyphr back then. Really loved the Mk III's and dreamed of owning a GXL. Later when working in a Ford dealer I had to deliver a 2000E to a cusomer living a long distance away. God that was some car and still recall that drive but all Mk III's were deadly on fuel and a bit wallowy on the road.
With the 1976 Ford Cortina, I always think of Onslow from Keeping up Appearances as played by the late Geoffrey Hughes. When he started it or stopped the engine, there was always the signature backfire.
@@speedbird737 you are thinking of it wrong, put in a reg no. it shows you the mot due date, you just asssume as it was so long ago it has been scrapped
Another classic and practical summary from Tony Bastable. I like the comment that "this one will be produced in Britain..disputes notwithstanding". Sadly very true and typical of the era. Lovely car to travel in however, much nicer place to be in than the earlier mark 3s, and one I remember fondly especially the 2 litre models.
I remember them. Most people in my street had a ford back in the lates 80s and early 90s. With the exception of a few vauxhalls and a bmw. I do recall my neighbours cortina was constantly in need of repair. He had another for parts though. I've sinced moved, but i imagine its still there. He was a hoarder.
The 2.0l sohc 'Pinto' engine was used loads of 70s and 80s Fords. It had some problems with cam oiling and oil leaks from the cam cover but it would keep going forever. I had a few Capris with that engine and a Sierra 2.0 GL estate all were reliable in the end the Sierra went to the scrap yard only because no one wanted it. 177,000 miles on it at the end.
@@nigeh5326 I can vouch for going on forever. My second car was a MK V 2.0 Ghia S "MOO 668V" I seem to remember (first car was a Mini, of course) and it was a lovely car to own, apart from the void bushes. The cam belt broke on mine and being a young inexperienced driver I kept on turning it over and over when it had conked out *cringe* I took it to the garage, they just put a new cambelt on it, and away it went. I drove it for another 2 years with no problems at all. Built like a tank, comfortable and with twin port webers, pretty quick for it's day. I sold it in the end to a guy who I thought would take care of it, he used it for demolition derby. May she R.I.P.
@@fraggit Neighbour had the same model. I remember the sad morning when I woke up and there outside his house was the 2.0 Ghia on bricks. Some tealeaf had nicked his alloys. No wheel locks in 1980 I guess.
Funny how the ford cortinas look so tinny and boxy yet i want one! Haha i might pop into my ford dealers and see what they have this afternoon haha amazing how as the decades pass cars change so much, sometimes for the better, sometimes not! I love how so detailed car shows used to be, the technical spec is far better than the crap shows of today, made me laugh how he mentions the 1.3 has only gone up £28.50! Haha
I had a MkV Cortina. Absolutely loved that car. I put a 2.0L engine, 5 speed gearbox and differential from a Capri in it. I had it for nearly three years. 😍
This version was the template for all my childhood drawings of cars - a rectangle with two circles and a smaller rectangle sitting on top. Bog standard car. Hard to believe people weren't disappointed after the beautiful MK3.
I was fascinated by this car when it was released. I was 10 years old. Loved cars. Shane they didn’t show the interior. Imagine a top of the range car for £3000 or bottom end just £1200 now! Can’t get a phone for that lower price.
Seeing the Thames logo and accompanying music, I almost expected the "Benny Hill Show" to commence. Our local public TV station in North Texas used to air Benny Hill reruns.
The Thames opening logo is synonymous to my growing up in the 1970's. Takes me back each time I hear it and at one time that was multiple times a day. Each tv company had their own catchy opening at the beginning of their own shows; Thames, LWT, Yorkshire, ATV were my personal favs.
@@TheGramophoneGirlI remember it commencing several British shows and specials on Channel 13, our local PBS station in Dallas-Fort Worth. Especially Benny Hill.
My Dad bought a T-reg GL in 1989. One owner and Ziebarted from new. Light surface rust in places but nothing that sandpaper, elbow grease and touch-up paint couldn't solve. We had it 7 years and I loved it. Very quiet and comfortable. Still in decent nick when we regrettably sold it (worth loads now). I'd have been proud to own it today. Nothing has surpassed it since. R.I.P.😢
Cars from that era were not only great looking, but you could work on them yourself.. not like cars of today, when in most cases you have to take them to a garage and get stung!
It's amazing how recently cars you can't fix yourself are though. Just last week, me and my dad fixed my 10 year old fiesta with a hammer, a set of hand wrenches and an impact wrench that really isn't needed, but dad just loves whipping a wheel off in seconds. Admittedly bushings and gaskets are probably still largely the same, but I think the real thing that's been lost is the knowledge by the average person on how to do these things since cars now are so reliable that there is no reason for the average person to know how to do even basic maintenance. The only reason I've started to learn how to do things is because I need to know them because my car is held together with cable ties courtesy of its last owner. The most advanced thing even on a car that only went out of production 3 years ago is the AC compressor.
My mum had one of these in the 80s. The Reg was VOT 43T. It was a dark brown version with a vinyl roof. Just checked and it’s been off the road since 1990. Great memories though.
I owned an identical car to the one featured a 1.6 GL same colour, only problem was it hadn’t had an easy life one of its former owners was Avis lol. The wipers only worked on the fastest setting, the sills and rear arches were eaten away by corrosion, the drivers seat was completely shagged out you’d sink half a mile downwards. Can’t remember the mileage or even the year of it but I didn’t lose any money when I sold it on and it never broke down on me, absolutely as tough as old boots
My uncle had a 2.3 V6 Ghia in white with a black vinyl roof. I still remember the wood door caps and dashboard trims, black velour seats, auto gearbox selector and the Pioneer speakers and amps!! It truly was my dream car……..until he got a Granada 2.8 i Ghia X. !
I learnt to drive in my Dad's 'T' reg Signal Amber 2 litre GL Cortina back in 84'. When I passed my test he would let me borrow it on the weekends until I bought my first car, a Capri 1.6 s. The Cortina was a lovely car, I think it drove nicer than my Capri I bought later. Great car the Cortina...
I briefly owned a 2 litre Ghia which was powerful and comfortable. It made a sort of wooden ship noise when cornering and at the garage they informed me that the floor pan was just rust ! A friend took the engine and dropped it into his mk 2 escort.
Learnt with instructor on identical car to the film. So nostalgic for me . Had 20 lessons passed first time. He had me driving in the gutter and I was not allowed out of second gear for about three lessons! I meanwhile was driving many practice miles with mum or my friend in her mini clubman.
2.0L GT Mk III - 1974 Purple Velvet Metallic with Black Vinyl Roof, High-Back seats (cloth trim). Think it was what was referred to as the "facelift model" as it had the rectangular headlights. What a car - especially being my first. If only it hadn't rusted away to sh*t in a couple of years. Still - replaced it with a a MkII "Grannie" 2.3 V6 - and that lasted a bit longer. Happy days!
My uncle had one of these in the mid-80s in Greece I was like 10 years old and only remembers how much fun the car was he would fly around everywhere with it it was bad ass it reminded me of a Dukes of Hazzard car
I had a red GLS model W Reg , it looked great ( if you didn’t notice the filler) lovely comfortable interior, gear box that was super smooth, if you painted up the wheels ,silver and black and added spots on the front it looked even better , you could open it with practically any set of cortina keys😮 and it was quite thirsty on fuel , but I felt like a king driving it
One thing I remember about being a young rear seat passenger of these Fords in the 1980s was how difficult it was to see out of the side window. The rear bench seemed really low and windows very high. My parents ran an R reg Granada 2.0 L in the early to mid 1980s. I'd love to own a Cortina or Capri for rear wheel drive shits and giggles but ultra high scene tax put that dream to bed.
My Dad bought one brand new in 1979 for my Mom - it was a diamond white 1.6L Station wagon with choc brown velvet interior - what a great car and economical too!
My late father used to sell Cortina's back in the 70's and the camshaft on some models did have a problem with oil starvation, which led to premature wear. This made the cam rattle, we called it back then "Cortina Camshaft" I seem to recall Ford issuing a kit to Dealers which improved oil distribution to the cam, to cure the problem.
@@lazycalm41 True - my Father's 1600's never developed cam clatter and he had two of them - they were quiet right up to 98,000 miles - when the rings would then suffer serious blow by and finish the engine. He was fastidious with oil changes every 6000 miles and Castrol GTX!
Yeah, if you take an old cassette tape and shake it sideways, that's what a knackered Cortina camshaft sounded like. It was known in the trade as Cortina Cam. And yes it was down to poor oil circulation around the over head cam, I seem to recall.
Takes me back to early 80s as a child. My old man had a late 70s 2.3 ghia, I loved it. I rember it taking 4 adults and 2 children with luggage hundreds of miles to the airport without ever missing a beat.
In the early 1970s, Ford still had a trademark look: The Mk3 Cortina, Maverick, Torino, LTD, Australian Falcon, even the Pinto and Mustang carried those "coke bottle lines" (though quite awkwardly, in the case of the latter 2). By the mid 1970s, Ford couldn't decide how a Ford looked; weird roof lines with front tailfins here, euro-boxiness there, then there was the U.S. Granada that was actually advertised as a fake Mercedes. The Mk4 is the look you'd get if handed a pencil and ruler to a kid and said "Draw me a car in 3 minutes."
Only this evening did I hear that there was a 1.3 litre 2-door Mk4 Cortina. In my native New Zealand, it was mostly Pinto 2 Litre, the occasional 1.6 litre, the Mk5 2.3 litre top of the range. But to top it off, Australia put their Falcon engined inline 6 cylinder engine in there assembly lined cars, along with the Pinto. That same engine from the Falcon also was put in the Aussie outback Transit RWD which was used in the rural post service. Two displacements existed, 200ci ( 3300cc ), and its larger sibling 250ci ( 4100cc ). Some of these variants made it across the Tasman, 1977-83. Incidentally, South Africa 🇿🇦 produced a native V6 with the familiar Essex. I think that makes seven different displacements from known worldwide 🌐 assembly plants. Loved your presentation, Merry Christmas 🎅 🎄 ❤ November 2nd, 2022.
Hah, these bring back memories. My aunt had one and I borrowed it while my car was getting resprayed. Was 21 at the time (early 90's) so of course some mates and I tore up a yacht club grass reserve in it one winters night. I remember a mate holding the back door open while I did about 100kph on the spot flinging mud into the car. Another mate in a Daihatsu Charade smacked into it over the rear wheel arch, while doing a handbrake skid, causing some damage. My aunt came to inspect the next day and we madly cleaned it beforehand, explaining that I had an "accident at Uni". She may have almost bought it, except for the vast quantity of mud under the car I had just hosed out, followed by her rubbing at some "spots" on the rear window that turned out to be mud - but on the INSIDE! She sold it soon after mentioning it just never ran right. Oops.
my parents hired one of these when I was 12 or so.Very similar if not the exact same model and the same colour. An orangey red. All I remember was the thing stalling lots of times on the way down to London.
1977 took delivery of one of the first. Lived in East ham, and on weekends West ham fans would queue up to look at PLB 345R, Fords were on strike,(again) so none were on sale. thanks for the memories .
Hard to believe that this was 42 years ago. Jeremy Clarkson, born 1960 was a 16 year old kid in 1976 and unable to drive when Ford replaced the curvy Mk3 Cortina with the the square rigged Mk4.
Yes - great to hear a review by a proper motoring journalist, not a celeb. I have respect for Freddie Flintoff as a cricketer - but presenter of Top Gear??? What were they thinking?
He is basically reading the press release while parked in a National Trust car park, the reality was the car (which I have driven) was in terms of handling, a dog, and scary to drive if you were used to its European Fwd competitors.
Everybody moans about no old top gear being on but yet nobody watched it, hence why it was cancelled. Same with 5th gear that was basically the exact same..
Learnt to drive one of these cortinas in Australia. It was an estate version with a 4100 cc factory engine, automatic with air conditioning in 1982 when it was 4 years old. The Australian cortinas had much bigger bumpers. 3 engines only available were 2000, 3300, and 4100 cc.
My dad owned an Oyster gold 2.0 Ghia with a black vinyl roof ANK 373S. terrific car and the auto box soldiered on for many years without a hitch as well!
I had a second hand mk 4 1600 a long time ago !! Soon after buying it the gearbox kept jumping out of gear. Solved by fitting a used one from a scrapyard. The fuel consumption was around 28 mpg average. Typical for the time. The cam belt broke on my drive, very easy to replace. The main fault ,as was the majority of cars from that era was body corrosion. Mine had to be scrapped because the body had rotted away, something rarely seen now. Compared with the equivalent car from today it was crude, and very basic, but it got me and the family around until it died from the rust bug.
I still have my 1979 Australian TE Cortina, was my first car I saved up for in 1990 when I got my licence, I really wanted a Capri, but even back then couldn't afford one. She has the 1 of 500 factory "S Pack" Scheel seats interior, sports steering wheel and dash, and factory S Pack rear spoiler. After purchase modifications include (but are not limited to) installing a V8 engine, full roll cage and ofcoures Simmons V4 wheels. Will never get rid of her, may be moving to the US in the next year or 2 and if I do she will be coming with me. Now I wonder if there are any Cortinas in the US?
I remember when I used to go camping with the Boys Brigade in the early eighties and the cook had a Mark V Cortina Ghia black X reg It was lovely,velour seats inside
RMX 475R was my Dads mark 4. Arizona Gold metallic, black cloth interior. 1.6GL. Came from Stormont Woolwich. The first owner lived in Charlton and was a Ford Dagenham worker. Dad bought it in 1981. I wrote it off in 1983. A sad site seeing it in Kings Highway Garage waiting for the insurance accessor
Great cars,mine never let me down, always ready for work with all my tools in the boot and 5 Bricklayer’s crammed in. Then weekends down the coast and holidays around the country with the missus, happy days.
My second car was a 1.6L in metallic beige. The bushes went in the rear and it had comedy handling in the corners. A great car to cruise around in, we felt like the Blues Brothers.
My uncle still has a brand new cortina special edition carousel and a fiesta ( festival ? ) squirrelled away in his barn, he was partner in a small ford dealership that went bust in 1983 and some of the cars from the inventory `found`their way into his barn. I joke that when he dies I will put them on ebay :-O
Steve Dickson : The in line six was very economical..26 mpg in mine. They carried a 2.92 or optional 2.77 axle ratio, 2300 rpm at 70 mph. Better mpg at 60 mph than my Mark 3 2.0 XL Cortina.Auto. If you didnt drive it like Clive from the episode in Neighbours about 1987, where his wife died and the mad bu99er did a "Sustained Loss of Traction" in his Mark 3 XLE 250 TD crimson red Cortina with vinal roof. Even my 2.0 auto could pop a burnout at will on its Koeran 185S13s. I experimented .The great thing about a 4.1 litre Cortina is the Borg Warner 78 axle was the same "weapons grade" diff the Aussies exported to the USA for F body Firebirds and some S10 trucks. You could incinerate one right hand side 185S13 tyre than explode it, then move on to the spare. Then onto your mothers Escort Van 175S13s...after that, the 200 mm crown wheel diff still wouldnt break. I couldn't possibly comment on how I know this.
Was wondering when this clip would be put on RUclips :)...Learnt to drive in the estate version. I particularly remember it jumping out of gear when laboured. Great memories all the same.
My family dad uncles and myself grew up on these cars from MK1 to MK5, including a very low mileage maroon coloured 1978 MK4 2.0 ghia auto think it had only 27,000 original miles and that was in 1981 , it was a ex government car and smelled brand new and was so reliable and comfortable and stylish. I have had a few too.
I owned one of these in a fetching navy blue. Really liked it. Mostly reliable but the gearstick used to have a habit of disconnecting itself from the gearbox. I got very good at putting it all back together at the side of the road😁
Thís is the car that my Dad bought my Mom brand spanking new in 1979 in station wagon guise : a diamond white 1.6L with choc brown interior : amazing performance (140km/h in a flash) with economy to boot. Excellent car!
We in Australia call that model a TE Cortina with 3 engine sizes, a 2.0litre Pinto engine and a 200 ci Cross Flow (3.3 Litre X Flow ) inline 6 cylinder and a 250 ci Cross Flow ( 4.1 litre X Flow ) Inline 6 Cylinder, we were only offered these in a 4 Door Sedan and a 5 Door Wagon from Basic Cortina L to Cortina Ghia, I think the biggest mistake with the Cortina is that they were never produced with a V8 here in Australia where our rival GM had their Torana which was the same size vehicle and they were fitted with a 4.2 Litre ( 253 ci ) and 5.0 Litre ( 308 ci ) V8's
In 1985 I bought a 2 door 2:0 GXL MK3 (K reg) with less than 50k on the clock... Daytona Yellow with Black Vinal roof. Loved it !!! Then in 1990 bought end of the run (83) MK 5 2:3 V6 Ghia in Met green, fitted it with set 205/60x13 & yeah cornered well. Now wish I kept both 😫😫😫😫 if only we all knew then what old Fords are fetching today !!!
South Africa enjoyed British built MK4 Cortina's with police specials which had the 3.0 Essex V6 in, a racier type 9 box and aggressive diff gearing as well as a unique bodykit. The South African police Interceptor's had the 5.0 Windsor V8 in a 2 door body and again with the very unique bodykit which included underspoilers and arch embellishments plus a meaty ol' boot spoiler for putting lights into. Best Britain got in engines was the 2 door 2.3S which was a bloody super towing package.
These Cortina's were great I've had a few I still like the shape of them, the 2000S was a fantastic car and the mk3 2000E at the beginning of this was a good motor too you could even work on them yourself too at the weekend.
I had a 82 1.6 MK5 estate and a 82 Mk 5 Ghia back in the late 80"s/early 90's.. I remember the Ghias engine was rooted and the auto changed like a sledgehammer. The 1.6 was a nice family car in bright yellow with black roof racks and I replaced the dodgy factory carburettor and intake with a Mk3 2L unit...absolutely transformed the car. Unfortunately the diff bearings went (twice) in a couple of years and rust was creeping in. Gearing on the 4 speed manual sucked and it was revving its nuts off at 70 mph. Still fond memories tho...I had little kids at the time and it was a great family wagon.
Lots of comments about the MK3 being better looking. At the time (no hindsight was then available) the Mk3 was seen as dated and as an old throwback to the Coke bottle profiles of try-hard Americana. This one (when new) had a much fresher, more "European" look.
I personally preferred the mk 3. Nicer shape! Each to his own I suppose. Mk3 was my very first car, Olympic blue. Loved it, I artexed the wheel arches, rusty, noisy cam, Still loved it......
I had a 2.0 Ghia S (SJN912W). Bright red with black vinyl roof and beige upholstery. It was pretty reliable, fast enough (for the time), and the handling was very, err, interesting, especially on roundabouts in the wet! Shame it started rusting on both ends of the panel in front of the windscreen. I replaced it with a 1982 2.8 Granada Ghia X, which is still probably the most comfortable car I've ever had.
I seem to remember that there was a suspension update with the similar Mark 5. My friend had a Mk 4 back in the 70's and it was a bit roly poly but he loved the gear change and engine
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
My grandpa had two of these. Remember it well. Went on holiday to Yorkshire s few times, remember stopping halfway on side of the road to make a cup of tea using the gas stove and cucumber sandwiches. Happy times. It feels like you can almost reach out and touch that time again, it's so close in our memories and yet so far off. I miss those times. I miss my grandpa too.
No one cares
a b Knock it off. You cared enough to reply. I thought it was a nice memory to share, better than all of the miserable and inevitable “You can see this car rusting away on this video” posts.
a b piss off
@@ab-jp8mf Everyone cares. Some people pretend not to that's all. Hope your life gets better. Memories are important and sharing memories may seem totally irrelevant across a vast internet, but there will always be at least one person who can relate. Be happy!
@@ab-jp8mf I think enough has been said hasnt it?
First car of my dads I can ever remember. S reg mint green with vinyl roof
BRAND NEW in the long hot summer of 1976 and sadly went to car heaven in 1991...YES CAR HEAVEN
R.I.P Old girl
U let it die!!?
Lovely car,was this the model in the Bond film The spy that loved me.Nice
@@tsomeone950 replaced by Sierra
"Made in this country..disputes permitting!!!" Classic!
Yes. How did Britain survive the 1970's?
@@hugglescake We were the 'sick man of Europe'. The eighties weren't much better if you ask me.
£17200 for the Ghia in today's prices
Was this what John Lydon and his band were ranting about?
Love watching these old reviews as it takes me back, it’s amazing how they did not bother cleaning them up to look gleaming and shiny like they do nowadays. Paint was so dull back then.....
The Mk 4 Cortina is my absolute favourite car of all time, I know I'm weird but when I first saw one as a child in 1977 I just thought it was the best looking car I'd ever seen.
Same. I was 10 and thought the boxy shape was revolutionary.
I saw the Sierra in 1982 as a 10 year old, and though that was revolutionary, the future, over the boxy Cortina/Taunus.
I was a big fan of all cortina's except perhaps the Mk I - prefered the bigger Zyphr back then. Really loved the Mk III's and dreamed of owning a GXL. Later when working in a Ford dealer I had to deliver a 2000E to a cusomer living a long distance away. God that was some car and still recall that drive but all Mk III's were deadly on fuel and a bit wallowy on the road.
With the 1976 Ford Cortina, I always think of Onslow from Keeping up Appearances as played by the late Geoffrey Hughes. When he started it or stopped the engine, there was always the signature backfire.
I was going to make that comment myself,you beat me to it! 🤣
I learned recently that Onslow’s VSD 389S was still registered as late as Oct 2020.
Aaaa a fking TV genius in our very mists
@Sodham G'morris a hillman avenger that the dog lived in
@Sodham G'morris yes the mk 4 did carry some things over from the mk 3 like the running gear
I had a Mk4 1.6 GL , cambelt snapped , got towed home , fitted a new one , good to go . Also hired. mk5 2.3 and it was rapid .
Iv just checked on the dvla site and that red cortina went to the scap yard around
24th August 1991.
Could you provide a link - can't find info on scrapped cars on the DVLA site thanks!
@@speedbird737 you are thinking of it wrong, put in a reg no. it shows you the mot due date, you just asssume as it was so long ago it has been scrapped
:(
Another classic and practical summary from Tony Bastable.
I like the comment that "this one will be produced in Britain..disputes notwithstanding". Sadly very true and typical of the era.
Lovely car to travel in however, much nicer place to be in than the earlier mark 3s, and one I remember fondly especially the 2 litre models.
Proper review, just a shame it was only a few minutes.
I love cortinas, I have had 3 and I wish I could travel back in time to buy a mark IV brand new.
Why? They weren't very good.
Do you wish you kept it?
@@assininecomment1630 I had a Mk V 2.0 GLS and that was a great car. Biggest headaches I ever had were with a couple of Mk I Golfs I owned.
ask doc brown to lend u the delorean
I remember them. Most people in my street had a ford back in the lates 80s and early 90s. With the exception of a few vauxhalls and a bmw.
I do recall my neighbours cortina was constantly in need of repair. He had another for parts though. I've sinced moved, but i imagine its still there. He was a hoarder.
That cortina with the two litre and the Slightly later Granada, which looked so similar were lovely cars.
The 2.0l sohc 'Pinto' engine was used loads of 70s and 80s Fords. It had some problems with cam oiling and oil leaks from the cam cover but it would keep going forever.
I had a few Capris with that engine and a Sierra 2.0 GL estate all were reliable in the end the Sierra went to the scrap yard only because no one wanted it. 177,000 miles on it at the end.
@@nigeh5326 I can vouch for going on forever. My second car was a MK V 2.0 Ghia S "MOO 668V" I seem to remember (first car was a Mini, of course) and it was a lovely car to own, apart from the void bushes. The cam belt broke on mine and being a young inexperienced driver I kept on turning it over and over when it had conked out *cringe* I took it to the garage, they just put a new cambelt on it, and away it went. I drove it for another 2 years with no problems at all. Built like a tank, comfortable and with twin port webers, pretty quick for it's day. I sold it in the end to a guy who I thought would take care of it, he used it for demolition derby. May she R.I.P.
@@nigeh5326 love the pinto love my capri
@@fraggit Neighbour had the same model. I remember the sad morning when I woke up and there outside his house was the 2.0 Ghia on bricks. Some tealeaf had nicked his alloys. No wheel locks in 1980 I guess.
I had a 1982 MK5 2.3 Cortina in 2006. It had the best gear change of any car I've ever owned.
i have one now as a first car and i agree. smoothest gearbox i have ever seen.
Funny how the ford cortinas look so tinny and boxy yet i want one! Haha i might pop into my ford dealers and see what they have this afternoon haha amazing how as the decades pass cars change so much, sometimes for the better, sometimes not!
I love how so detailed car shows used to be, the technical spec is far better than the crap shows of today, made me laugh how he mentions the 1.3 has only gone up £28.50! Haha
I had a MkV Cortina. Absolutely loved that car. I put a 2.0L engine, 5 speed gearbox and differential from a Capri in it. I had it for nearly three years. 😍
Makes a change most people i know put sierra boxes in
I had a MK3, 2 litre GXL was my first car,,,good ol' days,,,great vid,
The Mk3 version was far better looking than the later Mk4 version, where all the lovely curves have gone
from the previous version.
This version was the template for all my childhood drawings of cars - a rectangle with two circles and a smaller rectangle sitting on top. Bog standard car. Hard to believe people weren't disappointed after the beautiful MK3.
Never owned a mkIV, but my first car was a MkV which I had in 1989... 2L Pinto. Loved it!
I was fascinated by this car when it was released. I was 10 years old. Loved cars. Shane they didn’t show the interior. Imagine a top of the range car for £3000 or bottom end just £1200 now! Can’t get a phone for that lower price.
Seeing the Thames logo and accompanying music, I almost expected the "Benny Hill Show" to commence. Our local public TV station in North Texas used to air Benny Hill reruns.
It reminds me of Morecambe and Wise. They added the 70s singers over the top of the music.
🎶Here they are now. 🎶Morecambe and Wise🎶
The Thames opening logo is synonymous to my growing up in the 1970's. Takes me back each time I hear it and at one time that was multiple times a day. Each tv company had their own catchy opening at the beginning of their own shows; Thames, LWT, Yorkshire, ATV were my personal favs.
@@TheGramophoneGirlI remember it commencing several British shows and specials on Channel 13, our local PBS station in Dallas-Fort Worth. Especially Benny Hill.
My Dad bought a T-reg GL in 1989. One owner and Ziebarted from new. Light surface rust in places but nothing that sandpaper, elbow grease and touch-up paint couldn't solve. We had it 7 years and I loved it. Very quiet and comfortable. Still in decent nick when we regrettably sold it (worth loads now). I'd have been proud to own it today. Nothing has surpassed it since. R.I.P.😢
Dispute permitting... Hilarious. God bless the 1970s..
As a foreigner I don't get "dispute permitting". What does it actually mean?
@@Runeakb Labour unions striking
Rune Britain’s manufacturing industry was crippled by industrial action in the 1970s
Cars from that era were not only great looking, but you could work on them yourself.. not like cars of today, when in most cases you have to take them to a garage and get stung!
It's amazing how recently cars you can't fix yourself are though.
Just last week, me and my dad fixed my 10 year old fiesta with a hammer, a set of hand wrenches and an impact wrench that really isn't needed, but dad just loves whipping a wheel off in seconds. Admittedly bushings and gaskets are probably still largely the same, but I think the real thing that's been lost is the knowledge by the average person on how to do these things since cars now are so reliable that there is no reason for the average person to know how to do even basic maintenance. The only reason I've started to learn how to do things is because I need to know them because my car is held together with cable ties courtesy of its last owner.
The most advanced thing even on a car that only went out of production 3 years ago is the AC compressor.
Agreed, they had character.
My mum had one of these in the 80s. The Reg was VOT 43T. It was a dark brown version with a vinyl roof. Just checked and it’s been off the road since 1990. Great memories though.
I owned an identical car to the one featured a 1.6 GL same colour, only problem was it hadn’t had an easy life one of its former owners was Avis lol. The wipers only worked on the fastest setting, the sills and rear arches were eaten away by corrosion, the drivers seat was completely shagged out you’d sink half a mile downwards. Can’t remember the mileage or even the year of it but I didn’t lose any money when I sold it on and it never broke down on me, absolutely as tough as old boots
My uncle had a 2.3 V6 Ghia in white with a black vinyl roof. I still remember the wood door caps and dashboard trims, black velour seats, auto gearbox selector and the Pioneer speakers and amps!! It truly was my dream car……..until he got a Granada 2.8 i Ghia X. !
I learnt to drive in my Dad's 'T' reg Signal Amber 2 litre GL Cortina back in 84'. When I passed my test he would let me borrow it on the weekends until I bought my first car, a Capri 1.6 s. The Cortina was a lovely car, I think it drove nicer than my Capri I bought later.
Great car the Cortina...
I briefly owned a 2 litre Ghia which was powerful and comfortable. It made a sort of wooden ship noise when cornering and at the garage they informed me that the floor pan was just rust !
A friend took the engine and dropped it into his mk 2 escort.
Learnt with instructor on identical car to the film. So nostalgic for me . Had 20 lessons passed first time.
He had me driving in the gutter and I was not allowed out of second gear for about three lessons! I meanwhile was driving many practice miles with mum or my friend in her mini clubman.
2.0L GT Mk III - 1974 Purple Velvet Metallic with Black Vinyl Roof, High-Back seats (cloth trim). Think it was what was referred to as the "facelift model" as it had the rectangular headlights. What a car - especially being my first. If only it hadn't rusted away to sh*t in a couple of years. Still - replaced it with a a MkII "Grannie" 2.3 V6 - and that lasted a bit longer. Happy days!
Ford Taunus was the name in the Netherlands if I’m not mistaken.
Every where , except for the UK
I always think of Onslow's car backfiring in Keeping up Appearances when I see this!
with signature backfire upon starting
My uncle had one of these in the mid-80s in Greece I was like 10 years old and only remembers how much fun the car was he would fly around everywhere with it it was bad ass it reminded me of a Dukes of Hazzard car
When I was a young sprog these were very popular with the cabbies. They weren't too shabby for their time, just needed a five-speed box.
I had a red GLS model W Reg , it looked great ( if you didn’t notice the filler) lovely comfortable interior, gear box that was super smooth, if you painted up the wheels ,silver and black and added spots on the front it looked even better , you could open it with practically any set of cortina keys😮 and it was quite thirsty on fuel , but I felt like a king driving it
Cool! Had a mk4 2.0L about 8 years ago, in red. Cost me $500 was great fun in the wet.
One thing I remember about being a young rear seat passenger of these Fords in the 1980s was how difficult it was to see out of the side window. The rear bench seemed really low and windows very high. My parents ran an R reg Granada 2.0 L in the early to mid 1980s.
I'd love to own a Cortina or Capri for rear wheel drive shits and giggles but ultra high scene tax put that dream to bed.
My Dad bought one brand new in 1979 for my Mom - it was a diamond white 1.6L Station wagon with choc brown velvet interior - what a great car and economical too!
I can still hear the clapped out camshaft clatter due to oil starvation! LOL.
Yes..that and the sound of rust eating the chassis and floor alive
My late father used to sell Cortina's back in the 70's and the camshaft on some
models did have a problem with oil starvation, which led to premature wear.
This made the cam rattle, we called it back then "Cortina Camshaft" I seem to
recall Ford issuing a kit to Dealers which improved oil distribution to the cam,
to cure the problem.
Regular Oil changes and quality Oil at that would ensure the camshafts feeder spray bar stayed working.
@@lazycalm41 True - my Father's 1600's never developed cam clatter and he had two of them - they were quiet right up to 98,000 miles - when the rings would then suffer serious blow by and finish the engine. He was fastidious with oil changes every 6000 miles and Castrol GTX!
Yeah, if you take an old cassette tape and shake it sideways, that's what
a knackered Cortina camshaft sounded like. It was known in the trade as
Cortina Cam. And yes it was down to poor oil circulation around the over
head cam, I seem to recall.
my uncle had a exclusive cortina crusader... THE 412Y was the reg, it had a top of the range spec! beautiful car, wish i had a license back then
Takes me back to early 80s as a child. My old man had a late 70s 2.3 ghia, I loved it. I rember it taking 4 adults and 2 children with luggage hundreds of miles to the airport without ever missing a beat.
In the early 1970s, Ford still had a trademark look: The Mk3 Cortina, Maverick, Torino, LTD, Australian Falcon, even the Pinto and Mustang carried those "coke bottle lines" (though quite awkwardly, in the case of the latter 2). By the mid 1970s, Ford couldn't decide how a Ford looked; weird roof lines with front tailfins here, euro-boxiness there, then there was the U.S. Granada that was actually advertised as a fake Mercedes. The Mk4 is the look you'd get if handed a pencil and ruler to a kid and said "Draw me a car in 3 minutes."
Only this evening did I hear that there was a 1.3 litre 2-door Mk4 Cortina.
In my native New Zealand, it was mostly Pinto 2 Litre, the occasional 1.6 litre, the Mk5 2.3 litre top of the range.
But to top it off, Australia put their Falcon engined inline 6 cylinder engine in there assembly lined cars, along with the Pinto.
That same engine from the Falcon also was put in the Aussie outback Transit RWD which was used in the rural post service.
Two displacements existed, 200ci ( 3300cc ), and its larger sibling 250ci ( 4100cc ).
Some of these variants made it across the Tasman, 1977-83.
Incidentally, South Africa 🇿🇦 produced a native V6 with the familiar Essex.
I think that makes seven different displacements from known worldwide 🌐 assembly plants.
Loved your presentation, Merry Christmas 🎅 🎄 ❤ November 2nd, 2022.
Hah, these bring back memories. My aunt had one and I borrowed it while my car was getting resprayed. Was 21 at the time (early 90's) so of course some mates and I tore up a yacht club grass reserve in it one winters night. I remember a mate holding the back door open while I did about 100kph on the spot flinging mud into the car. Another mate in a Daihatsu Charade smacked into it over the rear wheel arch, while doing a handbrake skid, causing some damage.
My aunt came to inspect the next day and we madly cleaned it beforehand, explaining that I had an "accident at Uni". She may have almost bought it, except for the vast quantity of mud under the car I had just hosed out, followed by her rubbing at some "spots" on the rear window that turned out to be mud - but on the INSIDE! She sold it soon after mentioning it just never ran right. Oops.
my parents hired one of these when I was 12 or so.Very similar if not the exact same model and the same colour. An orangey red. All I remember was the thing stalling lots of times on the way down to London.
1977 took delivery of one of the first. Lived in East ham, and on weekends West ham fans would queue up to look at PLB 345R, Fords were on strike,(again) so none were on sale. thanks for the memories .
No nonsense review by Tony. Never be presented like this anymore. Imagine Clarkson talking about negative camber and spring frequencies
Hard to believe that this was 42 years ago. Jeremy Clarkson, born 1960 was a 16 year old kid in 1976 and unable to drive when Ford replaced the curvy Mk3 Cortina with the the square rigged Mk4.
Yes - great to hear a review by a proper motoring journalist, not a celeb. I have respect for Freddie Flintoff as a cricketer - but presenter of Top Gear??? What were they thinking?
He is basically reading the press release while parked in a National Trust car park, the reality was the car (which I have driven) was in terms of handling, a dog, and scary to drive if you were used to its European Fwd competitors.
Everybody moans about no old top gear being on but yet nobody watched it, hence why it was cancelled. Same with 5th gear that was basically the exact same..
@@grahamariss2111 the Cortina was European. What continent do you think Germany is on??
Learnt to drive one of these cortinas in Australia. It was an estate version with a 4100 cc factory engine, automatic with air conditioning in 1982 when it was 4 years old. The Australian cortinas had much bigger bumpers. 3 engines only available were 2000, 3300, and 4100 cc.
My dad owned an Oyster gold 2.0 Ghia with a black vinyl roof ANK 373S. terrific car and the auto box soldiered on for many years without a hitch as well!
My dream car as a teenager. Such a beauty!
I had a second hand mk 4 1600 a long time ago !! Soon after buying it the gearbox kept jumping out of gear. Solved by fitting a used one from a scrapyard. The fuel consumption was around 28 mpg average. Typical for the time. The cam belt broke on my drive, very easy to replace. The main fault ,as was the majority of cars from that era was body corrosion. Mine had to be scrapped because the body had rotted away, something rarely seen now. Compared with the equivalent car from today it was crude, and very basic, but it got me and the family around until it died from the rust bug.
I still have my 1979 Australian TE Cortina, was my first car I saved up for in 1990 when I got my licence, I really wanted a Capri, but even back then couldn't afford one.
She has the 1 of 500 factory "S Pack" Scheel seats interior, sports steering wheel and dash, and factory S Pack rear spoiler.
After purchase modifications include (but are not limited to) installing a V8 engine, full roll cage and ofcoures Simmons V4 wheels.
Will never get rid of her, may be moving to the US in the next year or 2 and if I do she will be coming with me.
Now I wonder if there are any Cortinas in the US?
"Only a general worsening of the economic situation (if that's possible)" 😂Love the thinly veiled despair of 1970s reporting.
I remember when I used to go camping with the Boys Brigade in the early eighties and the cook had a Mark V Cortina Ghia black X reg
It was lovely,velour seats inside
RMX 475R was my Dads mark 4. Arizona Gold metallic, black cloth interior. 1.6GL. Came from Stormont Woolwich. The first owner lived in Charlton and was a Ford Dagenham worker. Dad bought it in 1981. I wrote it off in 1983. A sad site seeing it in Kings Highway Garage waiting for the insurance accessor
Great cars,mine never let me down, always ready for work with all my tools in the boot and 5 Bricklayer’s crammed in. Then weekends down the coast and holidays around the country with the missus, happy days.
They were a pretty good little car. In Australia you could buy them with a 4.1 six cylinder engine. They went like hell!!
"Disputes permitting". Lol.
Dull looking car
I thoroughly enjoyed my 82 Ghia. Powerful engine, smooth... I miss it.
My second car was a 1.6L in metallic beige. The bushes went in the rear and it had comedy handling in the corners. A great car to cruise around in, we felt like the Blues Brothers.
Made in Dagenham..was the dispute he is talking about the famed Equal Pay dispute.?
yep was around that time, see made in dagenham the movie
My uncle still has a brand new cortina special edition carousel and a fiesta ( festival ? ) squirrelled away in his barn, he was partner in a small ford dealership that went bust in 1983 and some of the cars from the inventory `found`their way into his barn. I joke that when he dies I will put them on ebay :-O
Made at Dagenham “disputes permitting ...” Ouch Tony you sceptic ....
Australian Cortina's..1978..had a 4.1 litre motor in them..my fist car..1982
Gas guzzler..a 2 litre in a cortina was more than efficient
Steve Dickson : The in line six was very economical..26 mpg in mine. They carried a 2.92 or optional 2.77 axle ratio, 2300 rpm at 70 mph. Better mpg at 60 mph than my Mark 3 2.0 XL Cortina.Auto. If you didnt drive it like Clive from the episode in Neighbours about 1987, where his wife died and the mad bu99er did a "Sustained Loss of Traction" in his Mark 3 XLE 250 TD crimson red Cortina with vinal roof. Even my 2.0 auto could pop a burnout at will on its Koeran 185S13s. I experimented
.The great thing about a 4.1 litre Cortina is the Borg Warner 78 axle was the same "weapons grade" diff the Aussies exported to the USA for F body Firebirds and some S10 trucks. You could incinerate one right hand side 185S13 tyre than explode it, then move on to the spare. Then onto your mothers Escort Van 175S13s...after that, the 200 mm crown wheel diff still wouldnt break. I couldn't possibly comment on how I know this.
Was wondering when this clip would be put on RUclips :)...Learnt to drive in the estate version. I particularly remember it jumping out of gear when laboured. Great memories all the same.
Learnt to drive in my dad's metallic blue 1.6l. It was a great car. Very comfortable.
Remember it so well when Ford MK4 was released never had a MK4 but did have a MK3 Cortina excellent car loved it.
My family dad uncles and myself grew up on these cars from MK1 to MK5, including a very low mileage maroon coloured 1978 MK4 2.0 ghia auto think it had only 27,000 original miles and that was in 1981 , it was a ex government car and smelled brand new and was so reliable and comfortable and stylish. I have had a few too.
I wish I still had my cortena gear in two toned brown and silver with Wallnut dash. It's was lovely.
I owned one of these in a fetching navy blue. Really liked it. Mostly reliable but the gearstick used to have a habit of disconnecting itself from the gearbox. I got very good at putting it all back together at the side of the road😁
That's Polesden Lacey in Bookham Surrey
I thought when Shaw Taylor said 'the beautiful Polesden Lacey' I thought Drive had suddenly got a female presenter with Mr B.
Yea he said that. Not that anyone cares..
Thís is the car that my Dad bought my Mom brand spanking new in 1979 in station wagon guise : a diamond white 1.6L with choc brown interior : amazing performance (140km/h in a flash) with economy to boot. Excellent car!
Again, lovely reviews. Too bad they don't show the interior as well.
My father had one , 1978 mustard color 1.6 gl.. And my uncle had a white colored 2.0 Ghia, wonderful cars...
Belting motor. Soon as I get some money together I'm getting myself one!
A great car to own and a sensible investment.
Becoming hard to find. Very collectable now.
There can't be many left on the roads these days.
Good looking, but the 1.6 L I had was a definite Dagenham Dustbin like the Mk1 I bought as my first car.....
Excellent retro video. the sound is only on the left with headphones
We in Australia call that model a TE Cortina with 3 engine sizes, a 2.0litre Pinto engine and a 200 ci Cross Flow (3.3 Litre X Flow ) inline 6 cylinder and a 250 ci Cross Flow ( 4.1 litre X Flow ) Inline 6 Cylinder, we were only offered these in a 4 Door Sedan and a 5 Door Wagon from Basic Cortina L to Cortina Ghia, I think the biggest mistake with the Cortina is that they were never produced with a V8 here in Australia where our rival GM had their Torana which was the same size vehicle and they were fitted with a 4.2 Litre ( 253 ci ) and 5.0 Litre ( 308 ci ) V8's
In 1985 I bought a 2 door 2:0 GXL MK3 (K reg) with less than 50k on the clock... Daytona Yellow with Black Vinal roof. Loved it !!! Then in 1990 bought end of the run (83) MK 5 2:3 V6 Ghia in Met green, fitted it with set 205/60x13 & yeah cornered well. Now wish I kept both 😫😫😫😫 if only we all knew then what old Fords are fetching today !!!
I’m guessing Tony was reciting from a script. He’s always so efficient and informative.
Had a 1.6 GL in white. The first car I had that I knew would start when the key was turned
Remember them with the ohc rattle in the 1.6
My dad had the 2litre ghia estate, we thought it was amazing at the time.
My dad had a 2.3 ghia. Great car. These were pretty light cars considering the size.
The Mk4, the rarest of the Cortina's now
Iv just checked on the dvla site and that red cortina went to the scap yard around 24th August 1991.
@@Bruce-vq7ni Did quite well then, the blue Ghia was last taxed in 1986
@@Bruce-vq7ni probably took a detour to the banger races first!
Mm. Always fancied a mk4/5 Cortina but never got the chance. And now a good one would be so far out of my financial reach.😢
South Africa enjoyed British built MK4 Cortina's with police specials which had the 3.0 Essex V6 in, a racier type 9 box and aggressive diff gearing as well as a unique bodykit. The South African police Interceptor's had the 5.0 Windsor V8 in a 2 door body and again with the very unique bodykit which included underspoilers and arch embellishments plus a meaty ol' boot spoiler for putting lights into. Best Britain got in engines was the 2 door 2.3S which was a bloody super towing package.
These Cortina's were great I've had a few I still like the shape of them, the 2000S was a fantastic car and the mk3 2000E at the beginning of this was a good motor too you could even work on them yourself too at the weekend.
I had a 82 1.6 MK5 estate and a 82 Mk 5 Ghia back in the late 80"s/early 90's.. I remember the Ghias engine was rooted and the auto changed like a sledgehammer. The 1.6 was a nice family car in bright yellow with black roof racks and I replaced the dodgy factory carburettor and intake with a Mk3 2L unit...absolutely transformed the car. Unfortunately the diff bearings went (twice) in a couple of years and rust was creeping in. Gearing on the 4 speed manual sucked and it was revving its nuts off at 70 mph. Still fond memories tho...I had little kids at the time and it was a great family wagon.
Dad had a white 1.6 GL back in the day and I thought it was brilliant as a kid. Endless problems with the automatic choke though! Great times.
I had two but they where called Taunus. After that i had a Granada. Loved that car...
Lots of comments about the MK3 being better looking. At the time (no hindsight was then available) the Mk3 was seen as dated and as an old throwback to the Coke bottle profiles of try-hard Americana.
This one (when new) had a much fresher, more "European" look.
I had two cortinas bcx111r and ulv706v, it’s strange what you remember from 30 years ago
bigneil8888 like being better off than today?
My neighbour has got a mk4 ghia on a T reg. He's had it in his garage since 1982. Its not seen the light of day since.
I personally preferred the mk 3. Nicer shape! Each to his own I suppose. Mk3 was my very first car, Olympic blue. Loved it, I artexed the wheel arches, rusty, noisy cam, Still loved it......
Mine was Olympic blue first car!
I had a 2.0 Ghia S (SJN912W). Bright red with black vinyl roof and beige upholstery. It was pretty reliable, fast enough (for the time), and the handling was very, err, interesting, especially on roundabouts in the wet! Shame it started rusting on both ends of the panel in front of the windscreen. I replaced it with a 1982 2.8 Granada Ghia X, which is still probably the most comfortable car I've ever had.
In germany its named "Taunus".
... and the exhaust is its anus.
Also in continental europe.
Do you mean Taurus?
@@andyburnett8012 Taunus
de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Taunus_TC
You're my new favorite channel!
Love the Cortina. We had one when I was in high school. The design holds up well. On the other hand, the host’s bell bottom does not.
I seem to remember that there was a suspension update with the similar Mark 5. My friend had a Mk 4 back in the 70's and it was a bit roly poly but he loved the gear change and engine