(first posted 7/17/2015) Ford’s Cortina is a certified classic in the UK but it does not enjoy the same high profile in North America. While it is perhaps not known as an icon on this side of the Atlantic, the Ford Cortina MkI and MkII was sold in respectable numbers here. Further more I would wager a reasonable number of enthusiasts are at least vaguely aware that it was sold here. But how many have any recollection that the MkIII Cortina was also sold in North America, albeit briefly and only in Canada?
Before we jump straight to the MkIII we should very briefly cover the European Ford story in North America. In the 1960s American Ford dealers were hungry for a smaller product to offer would be import buyers as an alternative to a Volkswagen Beetle or GM’s Opel Kadett. While other European Fords had been offered in the past like the Anglia or the Zephyr/Zodiac twins (MkI and MkII) none had been sold in any large volume. Canada had more of a history in British Fords going back to 1933 which in part was due to a favorable tax status given to the United Kingdom.
The MkI version of the Cortina makes an interesting counterpoint to the Mini. While the Mini was innovative and experimental with front wheel drive, rubber cone suspension and tiny wheels the Ford Cortina was a much more conventional approach. The Cortina’s specifications were well within established norms with an iron block four cylinder engine, four speed manual and a leaf sprung live axle. Only front MacPherson struts up front were mildly eye brow raising. Even then they had been tested and proven on the earlier Zephyr/Zodiac. The Cortina was a certifiable runaway hit in its home market but sales started at a sluggish rate in the United States.
The chassis remained much the same for the MkII version but it sported a newer more square body. The Kent four cylinder engine was refined and increased displacements were offered. The 1.6L variant with a newly developed crossflow cylinder head offered brisk performance in a small car. A friend of mine had this 1969 four door in his storage lot for several years. I considering buying it off of him several times but the deciding factor against it was the automatic transmission. Last I heard it went up north and someone may have bought it just for the engine. That would be a shame as it was a very solid car.
For 1970 the English Fords were no longer sold in the US market. In Canada for 1971 only left over 1970 model Cortinas were sold. The newly introduced MkIII was finally made available in Canada for the 1972 model year. It featured very North American inspired coke bottle styling similar to the Ford LTD and Mercury Montego. The two door could perhaps be mistaken for a Mustang or Capri at 600 paces away. Maybe.
L vs GT trim
The updated styling gave the impression of a much larger car than its predecessor but it was an illusion at least in length as it remained exactly the same as the MkII. Width was increased a few inches and the wheelbase was stretched by four inches. Increased awareness of safety meant a stiffer body shell which resulted in a weight increase. For the home market the 1.3L and 1.6L Kent OHV engines carried over although the 1.3L engine was not available with an automatic any longer as the resulting car would have been quite sluggish. A single head overhead cam 2.0L engine was also introduced for the home market and became the base engine for Canada. The 1.6L was in theory optional but I suspect few if any were ordered that way.
Front suspension moved away from the MacPherson struts of the earlier car to double A-arms with coil springs and tube shocks. Rear suspension was improved over the the MkII’s leaf springs to a live axle with a more modern four link system. In later years the front suspension became a staple of the UK kit car industry so many Cortinas were scrapped either by rust or for their front end. Hyundai later used this chassis and suspension in their earlier model Stellars.
In Canada the L trim level was available in two door, four door and station wagon body styles. The sportier looking GT trim was only offered on the two door. The Canadian Cortinas had their own unique grill both in L and GT trim. The Canadian GT sported single headlights unlike the duals on the UK car. The GT featured full instrumentation, bucket seats, styled steel rims, leather covered steering wheel and shift knob but no performance enhancements.
This example I came across on Kijiji highlights the modified front bumper for the Canadian market.
While sales were steady in Canada the 1974 model year brought with it more stringent safety standards which the Cortina would not meet as is. Add in other factors like currency fluctuations and internal competition by the Ford Maverick/Mercury Comet and even the smaller Pinto the case for importing the Cortina was not strong enough to continue. So while the home market Cortina was given a facelift for the 1974 model year it would not reach the Canada. Canadian Lincoln-Mercury-Meteor dealers were given a badge engineered version of the Ford’s smaller Pinto as compensation for its loss. The Mercury Bobcat debuted as a Canadian exclusive for 1974 before being offered on the American market a year later.
While just over twelve thousand examples were sold in Canada for 1972 a survivor is extremely rare. I cannot remember ever seeing a Canadian one in the flesh even in the 1980s. I do recall my Grandfather owning a yellow L-specification Cortina back in the UK however. At the time I was more interested in my Grandmother’s Mini and only vaguely remember a few rides in the Cortina but given his frugal nature I would wager it was a 1.3L poverty specification example. His was definitely the more plain single headlight model like the above example except in four door saloon form.
As hinted at previously I came across this four door example on Kijiji lacking a firm price which likely reflects the tiny market of people that would be interested in adopting an almost unknown orphan. A four door orphan no less that will likely be constantly mistaken for a Maverick at any distance. The two door certainly wore the styling much better. It does mention a parts car that could be included and so between the two I suspect they represent a lion’s share of the surviving MkIII Cortinas in Alberta. The seller does claim it is in running condition however which is an unusual bonus.
The excellent Life on Mars TV show has given the MkIII Cortina a bit of following in the UK these days. It is well worth checking out if you can and not just for the fantastic 1970s era cars and fashions. While the MkII was almost an instant classic the MkIII had long been considered a throw away or kit car donor. It is nice to see there are many examples of survivors being restored or restro-modded now. This particular car’s chances in North America do not seem as bright however.
The lack of instrumentation of evident here in the L specification interior. I have been known to adopt the occasional oddball car in need of work with no financial upside and I have to admit that I am mildly tempted by this Cortina. A four hour drive each way is a bit a barrier would where else would you find one? Of course its resuscitation could be derailed by something as mundane as a cracked windshield. I would perhaps be more tempted by a two door as I feel the coke bottle styles sit better with less doors.
Perhaps I should do what everyone else does these days and set up a crowd sourced fund to rescue this poor British Ford. Who will save the endangered Canadian Cortinas?
The two doors were sharp with those Rostyle wheels on the red car. With a Kent V6 it could have been a contender.
The Kent is a 4 cylinder the V6 was the Essex and they were fitted in some markets and by many home tuners, the V6 being an unpopular engine in the larger Zephyr here.
You are right of course. The Kent was the 1.6 we had in early Pintos and late seventies Fiestas. I remembered that the British Fords had a 3.0 liter V6 also from a V4 but different from the German V4, V6 from Cologne. This looks like a lot of car to move with a 2.0 Pinto engine, never mind the smaller choices in UK.
It is weird that Ford UK had an Essex V6 and later Ford USA had a completely different Essex V6 named after a completely different place.
The Essex & Köln V6s were an example of Ford’s diversity in Europe in the ’60s. The Köln was exported to the USA since the early ’70s because it filled a gap between Pinto engines & straight-sixes; later it was scaled up to 4L for use in the Ranger & Explorer trucks. It was the only Ford V6 available Stateside until the Vulcan was introduced for the Taurus in the mid ’80s.
All the Pinto’s engines were European or derived therefrom. A wise move, IMHO.
There was a 90 degree 3.8 liter V6 introduced in the fox body around 81. It was named after Essex Ohio. It later served in tbirds and in Taurus above the Vulcan engine. I think it even got into Wndstar minivans and F150s where it grew to 4.2 liters. It wasn’t a well loved engine.
I believe it was named for the Essex engine plant in Windsor, Ontario (which is in Essex County).
There was a 90 degree 3.8 liter V6 introduced in the fox body around 81. It was named after Essex
There has been persistant speculation that that Ford Essex was a reverse engineered Buick V6, Seems that some design details, like the oil pump, are not shared with any other Ford engine, but are routine in old Buick designs.
I loved the “Canuck Cortinas”! My late uncle wanted to sell his soul for a ’72 GT, and there was one in Steveston modified with a Shelby 350… Sadly, he lost out on one so I’m takin’ the high road to get one that he never did. I’m STILL a Cortina nut, and I’d go through hoops to give one the loving home it never had.
Kents were great, crossflow, bowl-in-piston / Essex were rubbish, under-engineered oil-pump drive, and hopelessly ineffective valve tappet adjustment
What engine was used in the Pinto?
The 1600cc base engine used in the first few years of the Pinto was a “Kent” engine. The optional 2.0 SOHC four was from Germany.
The later 2.3 L “Lima” engine was US-built, but very similar to the German 2.0. That whole family is often referred to the “Pinto” engine.
Didn’t the Ford Pinto use the Kent engine?
The oversquare Kent engines were 1.1, 1.3 and 1.6, replacing the older 1.0, 1.2, and 1.5 non-crossflow engines used in the Anglias and early Cortinas.
We didn’t get Pinto’s here in NZ but I believe they used different larger capacity SOHC engines to the best of my knowledge . .
It seems we got the short end of the stick. If the Kent engine was so good in the Cortina, why was it such a lousy engine in the Pinto? I’ve never owned or driven a Pinto, but I’ve heard about some of the nightmare of problems that plagued the Pinto and Mercury Bobcat.
I remember taking a test drive in a Pinto. I think that was in 1973 because it was a car I was considering after graduating from my post-secondary studies. Don’t remember what engine it had but it did have an automatic transmission.
Dull as dishwater. Quickly dropped as a potential new car purchase.
The Mk111 Cortina used the Kent 1.3, and 1.6, as well as the German SOHC 2 litre engine here in NZ, and the MkIV used the Kent 1.6, the OHC 2 litre, with the later MkV also using the 2.3 litre V6, and even the 4.1 litre Falcon inline 6 was used
Of all these engines the most trouble-free engines were the Kents.. and the big Falcon engine ..both the OHC 2 litre and the 2.3 V6 had their issues
One issue with the 2 litre engine was ‘piston slap’ right from new due to poor engineering quality control standards in the factory apparently, and this was also the same engine used in the Pinto I believe(?)
It’s crazy, that the same that worked reliably in Europe, would cause so much trouble in the USA as a Ford Pinto engine.
Well I don’t know – except to say that possibly the early emission control measures applied in the US at that time (CA) had something to do with it – engine temps/poor running etc
Here in western Canada cold winter weather may not have helped these cars. I also suspect if the engines were not well engineered that high-speed travel may also have stressed them. I talking about 120 km/ph for three hours at a stretch such has a trip from Edmonton to Calgary.
Anything is possible.
A Perana Cortina from South Africa would suit you John.Mum had a light green 4 door Mk3,of the many sold in the UK survivors are into 3 figures.The rust monster(it didn’t hold up to rust as well as the older Cortinas) and general abuse killed off plenty of them.
Was the Perana a 302, an obvious American question? I know the South Africans put those in later Sierras.
The Cortina Perana had a V6, not a V8; the Capri Perana had the 302 Windsor. I have to wonder about its weight distribution & whether the suspension held up, as the Mustang II V8 had issues here.
The Capri weighed far less than a Mustang II. The reputation was that a Cologne V6 in a Capri was faster than a 71-73 Mustang with a 302, most of which in the seventies were mildly tuned with 2 barrel carbs and single exhaust.
The XR8 was a South African homologation special for saloon car racing. Most had a short and brutal life and are pretty thin on the ground now though CCer Scott found one in New Zealand a couple of years ago
I owned from new a 1973 GT CORTINA. IT was very underpowered otherwise a nice sporty car. If it had been more powerful it would have been a real killer.
I’ve never seen any of these European Fords here in the USA that were mentioned in this story. The only European Fords I’ve seen were the Ford/Mercury Capri, and that was only for a few years, before it was pulled from the USA, and then the Ford Fiesta. And even that was removed from the US market until a few years ago. Why it was ever introduced to the North America only to be discontinued in only a couple of years is beyond my comprehension.
The Capri was withdrawn from the American market because the exchange rate of the dollar versus the mark priced it right out of the market. If I recall correctly, the same problem forced GM to withdraw the German-made Opels from the U.S. market, and offer the Japanese-made “Opel by Isuzu” model as a substitute.
The original Fiesta had always been offered as a stopgap measure to give Ford dealers a modern subcompact to sell against the VW Rabbit and Honda Civic. It was withdrawn because Ford had the North American Escort ready for the 1981 model year.
And even the Fiesta was more expensive compared to the larger but under-engineered Escort. Unfortunately, this mattered to me at the time.
Nice find DS, there was a MKIII Cortina on our street when I was a kid in Ontario, one of my friend’s Dad had it.
The reason I remember it is the poor guy got into a head on crash with the thing, and the blood spattered remains of the Cortina spent a few months behind their house. I have no idea why. As I recall he recovered fully and I made a mental note that if you were going to get in a crash use a big car if possible.
As for this green rusty 4-door Cortina, I wouldn’t take it if it was delivered to my doorstep for free. Not my cup of (green) tea…
I remember a couple of these around when I was a kid in early ’70s Ontario as well. What I don’t think I’ve ever seen (even in a photo) is the ’73 with the extended front bumper.
I remember reading about these in Canadian Track and Traffic magazine back around ’70. Don’t think I ever saw one in the flesh though.
Very, very rare. Seen a handful of MkIIs over the years so they sold (and survived) in high numbers.
By then the English Cortina and the German Taunus were essentially the same. I quite like the fastback coupe.
Ford in Europe had a fastback coupe for everyone in the seventies: Capri, Cortina/Taunus and Granada.
The fastback was Taunus-only, we never saw it on a UK Cortina.
Oh. When I was 18 years old or so, I craved this car, in this very color scheme specifically, thinking of it as some European equivalent of the Mustang fastback. The front end seemed butt ugly to me, anyway – too brick-like. The version used on the featured Cortina seems to be easier on the eyes, although I’m not a big fan of the (in?)famous “Bunkie’s Beak” either.
The styling of the 1970 UK Cortina and German Taunus were quite different, the UK having more extreme ‘coke bottle’ curves, a wider ‘beak’ on the grille and wrap round rear lights. The rear window was also more sloped, possibly one reason we didn’t have a fastback version.
Ford Cortina: http://www.mk3cortina.com/images/p&jcortina4.jpg
Ford Taunus: http://static.cargurus.com/images/site/2010/03/04/06/39/1971_ford_taunus-pic-5087677885565652489.jpeg
Those bumpers are BUTTT ugly. In Australia a 200 cid and 250 cid 6 engine was also available. They did move – in a straight line.
KJ in Oz
And if you wanted to go faster in a straight line, and wanted to feel the floor twist, you could bolt in a 302.
I don’t think you need go to the trouble of transplanting a V8. Didn’t the sixes tear the trailing arm mounts out as a matter of course?
The fours did that too all it took was constant hard driving on bad roads.
Yeah but they dont steer very well a mate had a 200 cube wagon it was a handfull if you stood on the gas.
..even the ’65 XP wagon with a 200 cube in it was a pickle to control if you went around any 60 degree corner on tar seal and suddenly stood on the throttle …the back end swung out wildly and although you could immediately lift off, and try to regain directional control ..with the loosest and lowest geared steering in the world ..it was essentially hopeless …the rear end would just swing from side to side in a wider arc each time until momentum was finally lost …in my case that meant mounting the far kerb, taking out a block wall, and stopping in someone’s front garden.. horrible cart wagon leaf spring set-up on horrible skinny crossply tyres on a horrible rigid axle with no location and minimal damping..and a wrecked XP …all at about only 30kph whatsmore
My girlfriend swears her family owned one in Los Angeles in the 70’s. I don’t know how she could have stumbled upon the name “Ford Cortina” any other way, because she has no interest in cars. I suppose it is possible that at least one of them managed to escape Canada and end up for sale in L.A.
The second-generation Ford Cortinas were sold in the U.S. in the late 1960s. Perhaps her family had owned one of them?
You could be right. She wasn’t clear on the year. Thanks.
A high school friend in L.A. in the early 80’s occasionally drove his family’s Cortina wagon to school. They had emigrated from Edmonton in the late 70’s. It may have had the 1.3 in it, because it was the slowest vehicle I had ever been in.
Maybe. My mildly-modded four certainly chewed out the bushes, so that much more torque would really mangle them and quite likely destroy the mounts. Still, don’t underestimate the emotional pull of a V8 – back in the ’80s I recall reading about a company called “Cortina V8 Conversions”. And I certainly heard a few around!
The void bushes used to go on all of them, it was the sort of thing you half expected to do every second yearly MOT roadworthiness test in the UK when I lived there in the late 80s early 90s. If you had the tools it was a 20 minutes job so you just got on with it.
Interesting to read up on another view of a car that was everywhere in the UK for 20 years.
And the CC effect works here too – I saw a nice Cortina MK 2000E (the Brougham of Cortinas) at the weekend, in the wild
Mum had a light green metallic 1600 4 door in the early 70s. Big brother had a nice blue 2000 GXL when he was swapping cars and selling them on though I don’t think he had it more than a couple of weeks as he wanted the money for a 3 litre Capri. I had a flooded orange 2 door 2 litre ( I think). I got it as payment for braiding a girl’s hair like Bo Derek but the car had been flooded. I got it going with new points and drying out the distributor but I never got rid of the vile smell inside and sold it to my brother’s mate as he needed the windows due to his bunny boiler girlfriend smashing them.
They really were everywhere for most of the 70s until around the mid 80s
A little off topic but I have to ask what is a “bunny boiler” girlfriend? This must be a slang term in the UK I have never mind heard before.
see Glenn Close in ‘Fatal Attraction’
Very popular car in Israel, too, my father had a dark metallic blue 1600 auto, his first non-US made car after 20 years, bought due to the fuel crisis. Reliable but boringly slow – possibly not a bad thing as it was the first car I drove as a teenager for more than just a short distance.
This is a reason why I come here – I never knew that Mk III Cortinas were sold in Canada.
Me too! I had no idea these were in Canada. When I was in Germany in the late 70’s, these were all over the place and I wished they were available in the US or at least North America.
Actually, there was a whole range of cars that Ford made in Europe that I would have loved to have seen over here. Ford hinted that they *might* come, but never did.
I lost my fervor for Fords after that. The funny thing is, 30+ years later, we do have some Euro Fords, but I’m not that crazy about them….
The one in the top pic does look nice. MkIII Cortinas were relatively common when in the 80s in the UK, but I don’t recall ever seeing a two door. 1.3 engines were also very rare, certainly in the MkIV and MkV.
It’s strange to my eyes to see the Mini and Cortina being compared. The Cortina wasn’t considered in any way small here, and the Mk III, IV and V were classed as large family cars.
What, no mention of the Mk III’s biggest claim to fame via the Britcom “Keeping Up Appearances”?
I had no idea these were ever available in North America….. I SO WANT ONE. A wagon would be my 1st choice, but any model will do. And like the author of this piece, I’d prefer one with a manual transmission.
BTW, I’m surprised the Mk III had switched to double wishbones up front. MANY more expensive cars (BMW, I’m looking at you for example) wouldn’t switch from Mac struts until…..? The late 80?
I always wondered why they changed the front end, as they didn’t ride or handle as well as the earlier models. Depending on what you did, you could either get fair ride or reasonable handling, but not both. After years of fiddling, I went for handling (gas shocks, 185/70 tyres) and just put up with the ride. And mine was a four. Don’t know how you’d make a six handle.
The Cortina in Keeping up Appearances was a Mk IV. Very fitting to its owner.
My mother’s first car in 1959 was what she called “an English Ford”. No pics of it, but I assume it was the Zephyr as shown above. She traded it in for a ’60 Rambler 6 cyl a year later.
Zephyr shown is the later 58-62 Loline model MK2 so yeah.
I don’t know when British Fords first went on sale in the U.S. — it’s very possible that they were sold in Canada earlier than in the U.S. — but they were certainly available by the late ’50s, and took full advantage of the 1958-60 import boom, with U.S. sales peaking at about 42K in 1959. It’s my understanding that in those days they were sold primarily through independent import dealers (not Ford dealers), and were usually referred to as “English Fords”. As with other imports, sales retreated once the import boom was over, and fell as low as 4K or so around 1963-64.
At some point in the mid ’60s, Ford brought sales in-house, and made a renewed effort to market British Fords in the U.S. (I don’t know if every Ford dealer sold them, or if there was some element of choice or selection involved). Once Ford took things in-house, the best sales years were 1968 and 1969, both in the 21-22K range.
I had thought that British Fords were sold in the U.S. through 1970, then dropped when the Pinto was introduced, but David’s article suggest that their last year was actually 1969. For the next several years, the Capri (which was introduced in the U.S. in the spring of 1970, and handled through Lincoln-Mercury dealers) was the only European Ford sold in the U.S.
According to my standard catalog of imported cars, they were sold here from 1948 to 1970, and seem to have been mostly sold by ford dealers
The Mk.II was my favourite Cortina, but at least the lovely script lettering carried over to the Mk.III and lasted to the end of production in 1976 by which time all the other UK Fords had boring square, uppercase lettering.
I was very surprised to find a Mk II Cortina in a junkyard 6-7 years ago in New England and as the trunk was damaged, figured I’d take the ‘Cortina’ badge as a souvenir. My hand slipped during the process, and I can tell you, the point of that ‘t’ is SHARP.
These were incredibly popular in NZ in their prime especially as company cars, Ford did special deals on trim levels for bulk buyers though anything smaller than the 2.0L OHC pinto engine is largely a joke. There was a 1.3 Cortina in the next street from me its on the cohort but long gone from its parking spot I guess the owner moved because it was his daily car and a real rarity now.
A white Mk111 station wagon company car (in NZ) was my Dad’s first and only car bought new.
We thought it was pretty neat. Partly due to being a new car no doubt but I’m sure it had the 2.0 OHC engine which felt more than adequately powerful for the time. It replaced a well used 1300 Mk11 Cortina – so it didn’t have much to be better than.
I can’t remember us having the car for long but I don’t recall why it was sold on. It could have been due to my Dad leaving that company, but I don’t really remember. It was during the 70’s when I was off and away chasing my own dreams, so I wasn’t paying much attention to what was happening at home. And my Dad’s been gone for 18 years now, so I can’t ask him.
I haven’t thought about that car for a long time. Thanks to David for the bringing the memories back.
This was news to me as well! The 2door is nicer looking but I will mail you $1 if you want to crowd fund it, just let me know. It’s be worth it to read the story of you hauling it home and getting it running. The guy says it just needs air and a battery. What could go wrong?
I wasn’t serious about crowd sourcing it. Honestly it is too far away for me. A little closer and I’d consider it. Hauling beat up Cortinas for a total 1600kms? No thanks.
If anyone else wants to take a stab at them the ad is here – http://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-cars/red-deer/cortina-61-094-origional-miles-in-running-order/1076341784?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
I don’t believe I’ve ever seen one of these, even at a car show.
There were the prettier version of Maverick. Did they come with IRS? or just solid axle?
Solid; only the Euro Granada had a costly feature like that. I think the MkII Cortina had buggy springs (leaf), but I’m unsure about the MkIII.
They were unrelated to the Falcon/Maverick. The Pinto shared some mechanicals, which was why in this respect it was less notorious than its Vega competitor.
The Zephyr Zodiac range had independant rear suspension and 4 wheel disc brakes from 66 the Granada was an updated Zephyr so it kept that feature.
Solid axle. Coil sprung.
The Mk4 (very similar)
They also had a split drive shaft, in addition to the four-link rear-axle. Handled a hell of a lot better than the Mk2’s (not counting the Lotuses)
Wasn’t hard to handle better than a mk2. Almost been killed driving in a mk2 (but then almost been killed as a passeger in a mk3) . But that stupid split driveshaft was a pain if the centre bearing went bad.
Nice suspension for a cheap car. iirc the Fairmont/Zephyr had a simular setup, but with the shocks strait up and down, rather than canted.
Torn out axle mountings were a common problem on rep cars for outfits like the dairy board and Farmers trading Co UK design didnt allow for hard driving on rugged corrugated gravel roads after all who babies a rep car and Cortinas are fun sideways on gravel, but the Cortinny nick name was for the MK1 & 2.
Also built in LHD form in Holland some cars built in RHD and exported back to the UK!. South Korea & Taiwan built them as well a Cork In Ireland .
I can safely say that I’ve never seen a cortina in my life
Those Zephyr/Zodiacs were sometimes seen in the Midwest in the late ’50s. Not as common as VW, but probably more common than other Brits like Morris or Austin. I’ve never seen the later Cortina.
Sold in Canada, killed in Canada 🙂
Alistair
What is the story there? Looks like not a single part is salvageable.
Logger’s humour I guess Dave. I took the pic in 2011, at the site of the now removed Gordon River logging camp. At one time it was the biggest on Vancouver island. I think it’s heydays were in the early fifties but advances in truck logging made it redundant. Had stores, I think a movie theatre, all the mod cons for camp life.
I took the pic in 2011, but I recall the car being there in the nineties. Since then it was spray painted red and last year when we visited it was gone.
Alistair
A Cortina GT was on my short list of small cars to buy after graduating from my post-secondary education. I had a four door Cortina L to drive one weekend from an Edmonton dealer and all went well until a bearing between the split driveshaft went on the Saturday. Just an awful noise but I limped it back to the dealership. I still really wanted a GT but of course when I graduated in 1974 the Cortina was no longer imported into Canada.
The Mark III, at least the GT model was well equipped and a very good looking car with performance that was acceptable at the time. The poor green Cortina shown in the Kijiji ad would be quite a challenge to restore. Good luck finding parts. I haven’t seen a Mark III Cortina out here in ages, a Mark II perhaps. In fact the last time I saw a Mark II was a Lotus model like the one shown in the feature. It was in Vancouver not far from the south end of the Granville Bridge. It was restored and looked fabulous.
Oh, and the badge.
I would think parts for a Mk III would be difficult, but not impossible to find….in the U.K. Mechanical parts are the easiest with interior trim pieces the hardest. Engine choices, if you have the time/money/talent, include late model Zetecs.
My experience with a Mk I Capri, was that THE worst/most difficult repair is the rear axle bearings. On Capris they are “pressed in” and a special (factory) tool is needed to replace them.
Nice piece. I like the shape of the MkIII, they were all over the place here back in the day. Interesting thing about the German version of the MkI – the Taunus 12M – was that it actually was front wheel drive.
Hey guys,
Has anyone ever seen a British TV sitcom called “Keeping Up Appearances?” The character Onslow drives a clapped-out ’78 Cortina that always backfires whenever it starts or stops. It’s one of the best-known running gags on the show, and never fails to get a laugh out of me!
Used to really like that show.Will look out for it again
I’ve always been fascinated by Mk III Cortinas, because as a child I had a Matchbox model of one. Since I never saw a full-scale version, it almost has a forbidden fruit allure to me.
Thanks for the writeup.
even as a kid in public school I was car nuts, and I remember a teacher trading in a 70? dart swinger for a mk3 Cortina. a very ugly, plain brown 2 door. I think the reason it sticks in my mind was a couple years before I had spent a summer with my grandma in Scotland where cortinas were a dime a dozen and also the front fenders on this thing literally dissolved the first winter. I can’t remember if the teacher kept it one year or two, but I do remember it was shortly replaced by a duster.
this was the same small town Ontario teachers lot where the French teacher had a british racing green mini and I saw my very first Toyota corolla. the piece de resistance to was the grade two teachers full bore, balls to the wall 1971 mercury cyclone spoiler in screaming orange. how that ended up being sold in a village of 1400 I will never know. especially when I found out years later they only made about 400 of them for all of north America. she drove it til the late 70’s an then traded it on a chevy impala.
it was also my first love letter to a teacher. only thing was…it was about my crush on her car!!!!!
A friend of mine bought a Mk I Lotus Cortina here in California in early ’75, around the same time that my sister bought a ’69 Mk II (non-GT) in DC. Ironically, my sister soon moved to Canada and took the Cortina with her. Anyway, I was thus fairly Cortina-aware and I remember seeing a few Mk III’s here in the mid-70’s, one with BC plates, but one with California plates. All this in Berkeley, California, where English Fords from the Consul and Anglia era’s through to the first two generations of Cortina, were regular sights in the ’60’s and ’70’s. I don’t think I’ve seen a Cortina on the road for ten years now.
I remember back in the days, it was known that Mk3s were a bit softer than the Mk2 handling wise. It also sort of looked soft, curves and all. Mk3 marked the departure of Cortina as sports sedan.
The introduction of the Capri probably had much to do with the MK.III’s ‘softening’. While it wasn’t any longer, the extra width and reduced height, along with a wider range of engines gave the later Cortina the look and aura of a larger car. The more upmarket models also took over, very successfully, from the Ford Corsair as a compact up-market model.
I grew up as a terrified passenger in a ’72 Cortina GT (with a stupid half vinyl roof). For a while my parents had two Mk3’s, both yellow. West coast Canadian.
Seeing that top photo of the red Cortina, my first thought is: The 1972 Chevelle “Heavy Chevy” wants its grille & front end back!
I’ve never seen one of those models, but did see Cortinas from time to time in the St. Louis area in the 1960s. Overall, I liked their looks, and the older ones looked like a shrunken Ford, which wasn’t a bad thing at all. I wondered what one was like to drive?
I remember seeing MkII Cortinas here in northern New England. To me, the name was synonymous with rust. My most vivid memory of one was a used red sedan which I found in a Ford dealer’s lot. It wasn’t very old. When I opened the hood, I expected to see the struts burst up through the towers. It was that bad.The heavy use of salt here on winter roads killed a lot of cars early on, some much quicker than others. The Cortina, however, was beat handily by the early Honda Civics, which you could almost watch rust.
I don’t recall ever seeing one of these up here in Ontario. I was born in ’64 so would have been 6-8 yrs old when they were new. They look a lot like a Maverick.
In the early ’90s a friend had an ’87 Hyundai Stellar. I rode in it and it seemed ok, pretty decent ride, comfy seats and not a bad dash layout. When he sold it a few years later it was over 10 yrs old, still running great and rust-free.
For 1987 the Stellar was refreshed and the front suspension had been changed over to struts. The rear suspension was still classic Cortina though. The 1986 and earlier ones are essentially a Cortina under the skin with a Mitsubishi engine.
This version of the 1983 Hyundai Stellar looked like it has a grille and front end resembling those of its contemporary 1984 Ford Tempo and the sedan body of the 1987 Mazda 626/Ford Capella or even a 1984 Mercury Topaz 4 Door Sedan.
I was in a discussion about the UK vote on exiting the EU a coupe weeks ago, and saw that Ford was against it. Why, I wondered, would Ford be opposed as Brexit could introduce stumbing blocks to the German makes, to the advantage of British built cars. A look at Wiki’s list of Ford factories gave the answer: all of the Ford UK assembly plants have been closed. A few powertrain and stamping plants still operate, but there are no longer any “English” Fords.
A MkIII Cortina wagon appeared in the Safari Park sequence in “The Fall And Rise of Reginald Perrin”, but my favorite Cortina sequence is a later model being flogged through Scotland in “Sleepers”
Mighty handsome cars Ford built in Europe in the 70s, especially compared to Ford’s North American product.
Mk IV wagon with recycled Mk III wagon back end
I can confirm there were at least 2 MkIII Cortinas in Alberta as late as 1988 (although I can only confirm one lasted in that province through to 1989). I had one, and there was one in the next farm town over.
Mine was a ’72 2-door, mostly blue underneath the rust and bond-o. The odometer only went to 100,000 miles, so no one knew how many miles were really on it when we bought it for $250 in 1987. The black vinyl interior had held up well enough and shined nicely after a couple bottles of Armor All. New tires, a couple inexpensive check-ups by the local mechanic, a couple junk yard parts, and a $39 cassette deck, and the car (Kirby) was able to last the entirety of my senior year of high school.
I actually had the audacity to drive it to Toronto the day after I graduated high school, and truly thought it would then make it back across the country to my new home in Los Angeles. Alas, it did get me to Toronto but died a couple days later in a parking lot. I bought a plane ticket to LA and abandoned the car to an unknown fate in Ontario. An unsatisfying end to my first car ownership, but I had a ’75 Olds Cutlass Salon coupe with a 350 waiting for me when I got off the plane. It was an upgrade I was anxious to get to.
A 75 Cutlass Salon! Quite a step up or down from the Cortina.
I’m doing a resto mod on a 1972 cortina Gt. It’s been in my family for my whole life . It was in the garage, and never moved. Now since I’m in my 30s and my father passed away it’s time to be done. Cannot find any parts in Canada. Nothing zip.
Good luck with that project. If I found a complete Cortina, especially a 72 or 73 I would want to preserve it. In my opinion one of the best looking little British Fords back in the day.
we had one with the 2.3 if it had wings it would fly….It fell apart by the end of the 70’s…melted down into the ground. Best of luck
nice corty.what parts you looking for?still have some left over.still have a 2 door corty.
I had a 73 two door Cortina L with the 2L engine in Calgary. Blue. I got it when I finished university, it was a bargain in 1975. It had great handling compared to the Capri or other north american cars. It held up well though I had to have the U joint replaced once.
It was a German engine with a carb and points. Seems quaint now, I used to tune it myself. The points used to wear, I remember just bending the arm with pliers once to get to where I was going.
Great article, David! Thank you!
Oddly enough, yes I do remember seeing a Mark III Cortina (it seem to recall dark blue with black vinyl top) in 1979 or more likely the early Eighties in Toronto. I live in New York State, and my family and once my school class travelled to Toronto occasionally. For me, the fun was spotting all the cars not sold in the US. Although the Rover 3500 / SD1 was sold in the US, I only recall ever seeing one (a cool Canary Yellow one) on the Gardiner Expressway stuck in traffic next to my school bus. Also loved seeing Parisiennes / Laurentians that were ALL OVER THE PLACE in Canada and visiting in border towns in that era, but I digress . . .
I only knew it was a UK Ford because of either a European car spotter book, or Canadian rebroadcasts of “The Professionals” that I could watch across the border. I was thinking about the Cortina today, and wanted to confirm that it was sold briefly in Canada. Loved the captive imports, which had a little more extensive history in Canada!!!
Here is a picture of my 1972 Canadian spec mk3 GT.
My dad bought this car new.
Howmuch you selling that cortina
Very pretty with the right colors and trim packages until the rust appeared.
These were utterly ubiquitous in the uk through the 70s and 80s, Ford sold over a million of them. Body and interior parts are now hard to find, but mechanically, not really a problem. The OHC engine was used in just about every RWD European Ford from 1970-1990 and it’s likely the 2.3 Lima from the Pinto/mustang would be a bolt in swap.
The 2.0 Cortina was one of the quicker uk Fords of the 70s- the up scale models had twin choke Weber carbs and four branch headers as standard, producing an easy 100 bhp. In a car weighing under a ton with a rifle-bolt action four speed stick, you could really hustle them along pretty good.
I had a few of them. The 1.3 Kent engined cars were a joke, a punishment car given to under achieving sales reps. The biggest problem with Cortinas was rust, few lived beyond their 10th birthday but if you kept on top of that, the ohc engines would just keep going, getting progressively more smokey and rattly as they wore out.
These cars are about as complicated as a hammer. If you want to learn about car mechanics/restoration, this is the one to learn on.
Just read this about Ford’s ml 3 cortina l have 2 of the 2000 by 2 door versions. Just got one into my shop fenders rusted through apart from that and boot floor rusty looks really good. One of them rust free 12000 original miles rear ended in early 70s
Are you planning on parting out either of your cortinas?
Thanks
Just follow up cortina mk3 GT is coming along
Do you still have either Cortinas? I just got a 1972 GT 2 door after being without since i gave mine up in 1987 due to being too young to fix it. I’m in need of a back seat and carpet. thanks for any reply you have.
CC effect again. Just yesterday I saw our ‘local’ Mk.3 Cortina estate running round.
As our resident Mark 3 Cortina nut, I’m glad to see this making a reappearance. Could someone please put in a link to my 2015 COAL Cortina feature here? I can’t find it in the index either…..
There seems very little visual difference between the L and the GT, as sold in Canada. In Australia you had to get the XL or XLE to get that chrome side window trim. But the L’s grille badge sure looks familiar; mine fell off one day (or was it pinched?) but I never replaced it. And those all-red taillights with under-bumper reversing lights sure look odd. The rest-of-the-world lights were a bit on the small side to be honest, so I’m guessing they mightn’t have had enough square inches of red area to be legal up there? Daniel’s sure to know. 🙂
The modified bumper up front is a good idea. I had to take mine off and straighten it and the grille a few times; it was very weak, and mounted too closely to the body. Touch the car on front and it would bend, touch something a little harder and the fenders would too. Just the sort of thing the US bumper laws were brought in for! I often wished it was an inch or so further out. At least the grille on these was metal, not plastic, but it was very thin; a bird strike would push it in. Let alone when I hit a roo!
Here’s my Mark 3 when I first got it, and had some hair. 🙂
These were common enough that I remember “CORTINA” on the plastic fascia on the front of a Ford dealer in Edmonton in 1974 (along with “FORD”, “MERCURY”, and “LINCOLN”). At the time I knew that the Cortina had been discontinued in Canada, and that the dealership would have to change their signage at some point.
My friend Ajay had a 1970 4-door 4-speed. We referred to it as “the Green Box”. In the summer of ’77 the two of us somehow removed the engine without a hoist (as I recall we removed the head in-situ to lighten things a bit) and rebuilt it more or less ourselves. Ajay farmed out the crank for polishing at a machine shop. We were both delighted when it started up and ran OK.
Ajay’s had a red button, perhaps aftermarket, on or under the dash, that one could push to activate the brake lights to discourage tailgaters.
In general the car seemed pretty stodgy compared to the early-’70s offerings from the Japanese.
Yeah, I learned to drive on a ’73 GT.
I think I just replied to myself in this 6 year old message thread…
Hi,
in Germany this car was called “Taunus” proudly made by Ford Cologne with all the effort they could do, however that was not much. It was available with 1.3L, 1.6L, 2.0L V6 and 2.3L V6. The 2.3L was famous for delivering 108 (German DIN) hp only while consuming up to 20 L gas @ 100 km. I do not convert this into mpg as it’s a poor figure.
The 1973 model 1.6L at 72 (German DIN) hp was my very first car. Yes you rode in style and comfort and the engine made no trouble besides leaking a bit – but that’s all positives told. Lousy quality, bad rust holes after 6 years, swampy steering, very bad traction in winter, always water in the trunk, engine stalling when fuel was less than 1/2 and taking a right turn sharply, and and and …
I totalled it hitting an old solid oak tree with the right rear wing, loosing control on a wet winding rural street in 1981. Bought a 1970 VW 1200: Something very different, no issues at all. Well, it was not very powerful, too, but a reliable ride. And good in winter!
The quality of Ford Cologne was well known as “just lousy” in Germany. In 1992 or 1993 I got to ride a then new Lincoln Continental for some weeks and I was so delighted to find out it was so much better made!
Also assembled in the Ford Motor Co. Argentina facilities plant since 1974 under the German cosmetics Taunus 2300 GXL , continued until 1985 or so , offering also the fastback coupe Ford Taunus SP2 . All of these cortinas were remarkable gas-thirsty
This one is in Canada . Just restored to original. With all matching numbers. Original upholstery.
1972 mk3 cortina 2dr GT with 2 litre German pinto engine.
Picture didn’t come up
Try again. Just got home from British car show in Saskatoon
Pics need to be not more than 1200px wide or tall, and there’s probably a file size limit as well.
Mine is fifty years old this month!
In the late 70s, my mother had a red 2 door Cortina with a standard transmission. It was a great car but my mother couldn’t shift worth a damn. It was scary to drive with her as she would try all 4 gears randomly when shifting! My dad and I made up an excuse that we couldn’t get parts to fix it because it was a European car and had to sell it. It was a shame because it was a great sporty car. It did everything right, good handling, decent engine performance, nice ride, comfortable interior, good gas mileage. Shame we had to trick my mom to get rid of it
Ford built some good cars in Europe in the 70s. I think they should have built a federalized version of the Cortina rather than the disastrous Pinto. And the same with the European Granada. It would have been right on target for the market it sought. The Falcon based American Granada was junk and unsophisticated. Ford tried to market it as a pseudo Mercedes.
Great story, thank you for sharing! Just purchased a 72 Estate wagon that was bought new in Alberta what dealers sold them? Thanks
I think 1973 was the final model year for the Cortina in Canada.
I lived in Edmonton as a teen, and in 1974 saw a Ford dealer with permanent plastic signs across the front of the roof fascia, reading “FORD MERCURY LINCOLN CORTINA”, and thought “They’ll have to change that”.