Mk3 Ford Cortina Coke Bottle goes for a drive

[@AndreiTupolev]

That, the Mk 1 Capri and the Mk 1 Granada were some of the most stylish cars ever produced. Really defined an era

[@sparkz343]

Mk1 and mk2 Escorts were cool too

[@Richie90090]

@@sparkz343 I never had an Escort but I did have a Mk1 and the last one Lazer? The most beautiful car I ever owned was a Mk1 Grenada Ghia.

[@Richie90090]

Sorry I was thinking about Capri's

[@Richie90090]

I don't think anything ever will be as beautiful ..

[@ProdigalPorcupine]

@@sparkz343 Mk 1, beautiful. Mk2, a big step bacwards, IMO.

[@Mark1405Leeds]

My favorite Cortina but the later dashboard spoiled it for me! The earlier slopping dash with sunken dials was so cool!

[@KenworthW900HG]

'Slopping'? That's not the dash, that's the handling... 😆

[@hannunorppa5590]

My dad bought his first "western car" Ford cortina Mk 1 1,2 litres in 1962(Bright eyey/Tähtisilmä). A great Ford for a kid!

[@vibingwithvinyl]

@@hannunorppa5590 I think you meant "tähtiperä." I've never heard the Mk1 Cortina called tähtisilmä. In case someone is wondering; these are Finnish nicknames for the Mk1 due to their rear lights looking a bit like stars.

[@jordyderidder8485]

As a kid my dad used to have a chocolate brown 1972 1.6 pinto one with the earlier dash, had a roof rack fitted to accommodate more space for all the crap we used to carry for a family of 6 and a dog, went all over Europe in it until the engine blew up in Austria in the hot summer of '76, we then got a yellow 2.0 GXL with a brown vinyl roof #HappyDays

[@Clodhopping]

Awww happy memories of the 70s. My Dad had one of these in red like this one for a few days as a company 'pool car'. He picked me up from primary school (taking me to the GP after I'd slipped over and cut my face). Seeing this car as walked towards it made me feel a lot better!!! I loved the steering wheel spokes - looked sporty. Happy days. Hoping to see one at Kent Classics Car Show at Aylesford Priory on Sunday!!!

[@roseybut]

Brilliant! "You could chuck it through a corner, and you know, 9 times out of 10, which way it was going to be pointing when it came out!"! As young inexperienced driver I discovered for myself what happened that 1 time in 10 it wasn't pointing the way you hoped it would be coming out of the corner!!! I was lucky and walked away lesson learnt. The car, however, wasn't so lucky. Love all the old 70's Fords. Thanks Matt.

[@TheOracle65]

Great review Matt! I was in my early teens during the late 70’s and Cortina’s where everywhere! Our neighbour had a 1.6GL in chocolate brown with a tan velour interior, 70s-tastic!

[@shand1967]

My Dad had a one of these as company cars and I always remember how rough and unrefined they were compared to his own Peugeot 504. I think my Dad agreed as he managed to swap it back for the Austin Maxi he had previously. He liked the "big Mini" handling.

[@jashugg]

The Peugeot 504, introduced in the late 1960s, was unsurpassed by few cars of that decade and the 1970s when it came to ride, handling and comfort.

[@josephthompson4363]

The Peugeot 504 was a very good car with an excelentt engine.

[@louisboshoff9142]

Thanks Matt, the video brings back great memories! Here in South Africa our sixes were the 2.5 and 3.0 Essex V6s. An engine that survived here until 2002 in various Fords. Regarding the test car, the rear parcel shelf is aftermarket not from Ford SA. The instrument cluster is not South African either. Our prinary markings were km/h. The aircleaner is also aftermarket. I know the car well, we had three in the family, ine being the ore facelift mk3. Your test car is the facelifted mk3. We also owned a commercial ldv version with the 2.5 V6 . The crossflow Kent as well as Essex V6 engines were manufactured by Ford here. The V6s for over 30 years, later versions being 3.4 litres, fuel injection was fitted as well on some versions of the engine.

[@promerops]

The Cortina 'Big-Six' prompted the joke: "What does it take to make a South African man (euphemism) happy? A one-litre brandy, a two-litre Coke and a three-litre Ford". I hope that doesn't get me banned from You Tube... I would like to point out that, yes, parts of SA at certain times of the year can get very hot, we can also experience quite chilly winter weather in many parts of this country. Hence, a heater in one's car is a very worthwhile accessory. As far as I know, all new passenger cars sold here come equipped with a heater.

[@alanhall7213]

I remember the XR6... with the "must have" louvers for the back window.

[@kevinnye5132]

That takes me back Matt , my first car at 17 was a MK3 estate 1973 which I bought in early 1980 and was £700 😂 the good old days , within a week the engine blew up and brakes failed and I spent another £700 putting it right. Didn’t put me off Cortina’s though I went on to own MK4 and MK5 and ended up loving them before moving onto the Sierra, nice vid Matt and great memories 👌🏻.

[@grahamniemann3216]

Great video, but Australia did get the mk 4 and 4 1/2 cortina. Different firewall and front subframe to accept 3.3 and 4.2 straight six crossflow engines, and the 2 liter pinto also fitted which looked quite amusing in the larger engine bay. Keep up the fine videos, love your work.

[@tedburnard841]

@Graham Neiman in Australia we called it the TC and was later facelifted for the TD. The two sixes were 3.3 litres (200 cubic inch) and 4.1 litres (250 cubic inch) same motors as the Aussie Falcon. I actually ordered an XL with 250 and 4 speed manual with the optional GS pack in 1973. I was promised delivery in 3 to 4 weeks. There was a protracted strike at the Ford factory in Geelong (Victoria) and three months later the dealer wanted me to bring my trade-in back to them for re-evaluation. I told them I was not going to wear that and they said the deal would not be upheld, so I told them to stick their deal up their jumper. Bought a new Datsun 180B SSS and was quite happy with it. By the way, in Australia the four cylinder cars only had single headlights, the sixes had paired headlights. All TC models had high back front seats with integral head restraints as required by the ADRs.

[@peterriggall8409]

@@tedburnard841 You ended up with a better car I reckon. Maybe it was meant to happen. Remember in Aus. we had the Chrysler Centura with a big straight six. Not sure what capacity was but I remember it was big. Good straight line performance but heavy under steer.

[@hedydd2]

As a student working in Scotland in 1976, I ran an ex-antique dealer’s used Cortina Mk3 estate in metallic light blue. It was a basic 1.6. The instruments were mounted in dark tunnels built into a curved and cheap looking plain moulding. It’s biggest luxury was a flick wiper and washer actuated by a rubber bladder on the floor with a surrounding metal ring linked to a switch for the wipe function. Great car for doing doughnuts but the suspension was very floaty and Americanised compared to rivals of the time.

[@knightad33]

Those blanking plates are where the heated rear window switch, and the hazard light switch would go. When the Mk5 (or Cortina 80 to be exact) came out, Ford added a lower console, and added vents under the heater controls.

[@robertwillis4061]

This is the most basic version. No clock, no rev counter, no heated rear screen. Even the air vents are black.

[@poomsiraprapasiri8448]

My dad had it when I was born (1979). Cortina L 1.6 litre version assembled in Thailand. He got it literally accidentally. He had a older Ford Corsair which he drove 500 km from Bangkok to Lampang in the north of Thailand, where he borrowed the brand new Cortina from a relative for another 100km drive to Chiang Mai. While climbing the hills between the two provinces he lost control and crashed into a guardrail. So he had to drive it to a bodyshop in Bangkok for repairs. After he got it fixed his relative said he could keep it. After he got a company car (Mitsubishi Lancer Champ 1986) he sold it. His relative in Lampang still has the Corsair and it’s still running! I had been trying to find a good sample and buy it for him to enjoy in his retirement. Sadly he just passed away a few months ago. Instead of the Ford I got him a Peugeot 505, another car we had when I was young. He got to enjoy it for a few months.

[@bimble7240]

Put about 140,000 miles on two of these taxi driving during the late 70's. They rolled a lot more in the corners than the Mk2. You only needed about 5 different keys to open and start any of them, especially when the locks were worn. The front door hinges suffered due to the length and weight of the doors and had to be adjusted/replaced quite often. The gearchange was very slick and the gearboxes were tough but the collar holding the lever in was made of nylon and sometimes stripped the thread at high mileages, so the lever popped out. I spent 4 hours finishing a shift trying to use just 2nd and 4th and eventually had to resort to a long screwdriver instead of the lever to get home. Aah, they don't make them like they used to, Thank God!

[@turquoisecat761]

The two blanked off switches are rear screen heater and hazard lights. Presumably not needed / a legal requirement in SA. My father had an M reg 1.3 basic mk III then a mk IV 1.6L; my first car was a S reg 2.0S mk IV; but I'm not a Ford guy so have only had 2 Fords in 30 yrs! Pretty sure the speedo only goes to 120 on UK cars too.

[@phil955i]

Had an orange '74 3-door when I was 18 in the mid 80s. Said 1600 on the logbook but was actually a 2 litre. Quite quick from memory, also reliable, had to replace the clutch which cost all of 40 quid fitted (!) & the void bushes as it started doing the characteristic Cortina wiggle at the rear when they went. Great memories. SKE 805M

[@electrosoundaust]

I learnt to drive here in Melbourne in a bright orange with brown vinyl roof 2.0 litre TC. It had quite hard suspension and I think it was built in Broadmedows with the engine built in Geeling 100km away. It had a great heater. A friends sister had a white TC that was assembled in Brisbane. It had soft wallowy suspension. Interestingly the heater was marked cool to warm and didn't put out much heat. They were quite sporty compared to the ones I drove in the U.K. They wen't raced much here though, race drivers prefering the BIG V8 Falcons. The station wagon (estate) was built by a separate company who also built Renaults and Studebakers amongst other things! When I was young. and in the Scouts, we visited the Renault factory and the Ford factory. We also went to the Volkswagon/Datsun/Nissan, and Holden factories. Amazing what we built here - not anymore. Good times!

[@paulnolan1352]

Thanks for the video, one of my first cars was a beat up 2000GT MK3, FXE617J. Knocking Cam came courtesy of developing rust and mismatched colour scheme!. Burning oil was another issue but then we just kept topping it up. Great car to drive and the sound of the Webber twin choke at speed always made me smile, you could get over 80 in 3rd gear but the car ran out of puff in 4th at about 94. Scrapped in the end though, shame.

[@DJWerkz]

Funny thing is back in the 80’s I had numerous classic Fords but I wasn’t really a Ford man as some people would think. They just seemed to come up regularly. Had a two door MKIII in Daytona yellow, it had a 1.3 engine but I replaced it with a 1600GT engine from a Capri (think it was a stage two build), this was around 1983. After that had a facelift MKI 1600GT Capri, white, black vinyl roof. Following that had a couple of MKIII Cortina’s again, 1600GXL and a 2000E. Last Ford was a MKII Granada 2.8i Ghia, that was 1988 and never owned another Ford since lol….actually, I tell a lie…2003 I bought one of the last bug eye Scorpio Cosworth estates, fantastic car when it ran properly (rarely) and huge money pit!

[@ProdigalPorcupine]

I drove a vile pea green 1.6L Mk3 estate in the mid 80s, P reg. Had to start it with a screwdriver as the ignition barrel had been destroyed by a would-be thief, and I recall having the gear stick come out in my hand a couple of times, and having to stop and push it back in. I never liked the handling, and the saloon was much better looking, but the gearchange was sweet and it was easy to drive. For me, the best Cortina was the Mk1. Such a nice looking car.

[@Sedan57Chevy]

As an American, this channel is an absolute gem. Learning about designs from across the pond, especially from the 50s-70s, is a treat!

[@nygelmiller5293]

To Sedan 57 Chevy. Coming from somebody who lives in a country that has turned out classics by Studebaker, Nash, etc. , your interest in anybody else's cars really IS a compliment! That said - this car has always been one of my favourites - and could show s one of today's clone cars a thing or two!

[@mr-wx3lv]

Brings back memories...I had two of these a 2000gxl. Which was a lovely car, in pretty mint condition. And a £200 1.3 base model banger to get me on the road. It blue the engine, so a mate of mine put an escort 1300E engine in it , and it went quite well. Big roomy, no nonsense family transport. No wonder it sold in droves...

[@josephthompson4363]

Loved that car. Owned a GXL, 2000E and a 2litre XL. All good cars a drove really well. Also owned a 3000s capri but it got nicked and I never got it back.

[@djmossssomjd8496]

I'm in love! With the car not the presenter lol. I spotted that bonnet shape instantly. I had one of these beauties. Same colour (venetian red?) 4 door. It was a 1300 kent but it quickly got changed (and registered) to a reworked 1600 (also kent) making it 1700 plus a few extra horses too. The reg was sfs82n (1974). Sometimes it ran the twin choke weber (28/36 dcd? or maybe a 32/32?) and for fun and more mpg I'd drop in a Japanese built carb and manifold (polished inside) (can't recall the name ((I'm old!)) for long holiday trips. Later I had one of the last Crusaders. Venetian over stratos silver. 2.0 OHC auto. Immaculate until 3 scroats decided to force a crash for cash situation...pleased to say they lost! But the old girl was wrecked to badly for me to afford the repairs/parts. Great video, took me back to the mid 1980's.

[@tonybhogal8112]

So many memories came flooding back after watching this! Dad had a Sahara Beige 1975 1.6 XL (HJX 473N), he had it for about 8 years. Love these

[@emmajnation-emma]

Ours was a Sahara Beige 1.6L - GKW282N, later to become Sahara Beige + black Hammerite lower half to hide the rust! This replaced a Tawny metallic (i.e. brown) 1.6L UDB651J

[@dj_efk]

I had a Miami blue mk3 2000e in my early twenties in about 2007/8 just as interest in them was taking off - it looked shabby and standard from the outside if you didn’t look too hard but under the bonnet I put a 200bhp cosworth BOA engine from a Scorpio Granada, mated to an uprated type 9 gearbox. It was slightly terrifying but it would smoke it’s rear tyres without even trying in the dry, it was positively lethal in the wet (especially as this was when I was young and invincible and hence didn’t invest in decent rubber). I drove that thing all the way to Serbia and back one summer for a music festival. Epic car and memories. MLC 817P, where are you now?

[@tonys1636]

Bought a 75, in 76, ex demonstrator very cheap off the local main dealer, an estate, the idea was to have it resprayed white for use as a Taxi. Didn't quite go to plan as that was when we had the national power cuts, came around a bend just as the street lights went out and piled straight into the back of an unlit parked lorry. Total write off and I had just had the respray done! Did find out what was causing an annoying rattle, an enamelled mug under the heater air intake that had moved into view by the force of the collision. The dealer had spent many hours trying to find the cause of it.

[@johnmorrow7080]

My brother bought a second hand base model mk3 black bumper clean as a whistle , he was a bus driver he used to park in town just up from St James Park bit of a dodgy area at that time , told him to get a immobiliser on before parking it there didn't bother heeding my advice took it to work the day after buying it came back to an empty parking spot , had it less than 24 hours .

[@anthonyperkins7556]

I noticed that the Cortina's radio had shortwave included, you could hear international broadcasters from around the world on it. In Africa there are areas of the country with no AM and FM stations and SW allowed you to hear international and regional shortwave stations in that part of the world. UK and European Ford Cortina models had an AM only radio (MW / LW) for UK stations i.e. Radio 1 Radio 2 Radio 3 Radio 4 and the growing number of Independent Local Radio stations on MW in the UK plus European stations at night i.e. American Forces Network, Radio Luxembourg, Deutschlandfunk etc that could be heard in the UK over the ionosphere.

[@malcolmscott4150]

In Australia we called this the TC Cortina with 2 litre pinto as base engine then 3.3 and 4.1 straight six from our Falcon - handling of these were not great but quick in straight line - after poor local build quality TE (your mk4) series attempted to save the Cortina locally as it faced still Japanese competition and finally TF until late 81 until we got a rebadged Mazda 626 front wheel drive in 83 as we switched range of small cars to Laser and Telstar built locally on Mazda platforms- until Mondeo returned late 90s fully imported and we finally got mk1 Focus in 2002 again imported from Spain - we missed the Sierra and FWD Escorts unfortunately

[@frglee]

Myself I always preferred the 'coke bottle' Vauxhall design offerings of that time, such as the Victor FD and the Viva HB. Even so, I thought the Mk3 Ford Cortina was a pretty decent looking car. In the late 70s, Some friends had one and four of us went travelling up to Northumberland in an 8 year old poverty spec 1.3L model that the owner used for minicab driving in South London. As I recall, it had masses of space but a bit underpowered for us four and our luggage. We unwisely drove through the sea to and from Lindisfarne. Within a few months the car had failed its MOT and was scrapped due to bad underbody rusting. The two events were probably connected.

[@929V6]

These were assembled at the Ford plant in Amsterdam for a while, and allegedly exported back to the UK during the strikes of 1971. But here in the Netherlands the Mk III wasn't a big seller at all, although the Mk I and Mk II Cortinas were hugely popular. The Taunus had grown compared to its predecessor (12M/15M) and had much more to offer in terms of body shapes (with a coupé as well, and the Cortina Estate wasn't imported) and trims.

[@Charstring]

Good point from FD about Ford models fitting precisely into the levels on company car schemes - and there were always some obvious blank switches to show you what you could have had if you'd hit your sales target or got that next promotion...

[@WWarped1]

Mk1 and Mk3 Cortina, plus Mk1 Granada, and Capri are just so stylish. Oh and the Consul Capri. These all need electric restromods. Either an official from Ford or some third party. The old styling plus modern technology would be amazing. Maybe more manufacturers need to look backwards for new models? I can easily see the curves and shape of a Mk3 Cortina estate lending itself to a Mustang Mach E kind of thing. Great video, now back to contemplating owning a Triumph 2000 estate.

[@davidhynd4435]

Those low-back seats look like massive spinal trauma just waiting to happen if you get rear-ended. My mate had one of these with the 2 litre OHC motor. It drove very nicely. I had another mate who had one with the 4.0 litre straight six (Australia). Went like stink, but when pushed hard through the bends would plough understeer mightily. I don't remember either of them having low-back seats like this one. A very handsome car, the Mk III Cortina. And Australia certainly did get the Mk IV. Introduced with a very similar body style to the XD Falcon - which from memory it preceded.

[@andrewfrancis3591]

Always preferred the 2litre.not an interference engine like the 1.6. We used to pick them up cheap in the early 80's often with cam trouble or broken belts. Lots of the engine components were interchangeable with the sierra let alone the MK3-4.. They were a breeze to work on. Changed clutches on the side of the road, just run up on a high kerb. The only specialist tool required was a crows foot spanner, for the valve clearances.

[@ivanfernyhough3851]

1.6 want an interference fit either.had belts brake on them with no issue at all.good engine was the pinto.

[@mauromazzoncini5711]

My dad had a 2000 E ,comfortable car and cruised happily on the motorway, many people saying how quiet it was ..

[@Zadster]

Apparently (if you believe a Mr Clarkson from Doncaster) the name Cortina isn't inspired by the Italian resort, but from the Cortina Coffee bar on the Kings Road in Chelsea. Where a couple of senior Ford product execs used to meet to discuss work. Take that for what its worth! Either way, it really matched the zeitgeist in the 60s and 70s. Actually designing and marketing a car as cool seems to be a lost art now.

[@charliemansonUK]

My first car in 1984 was a 1976 MkIII, 2 litre XL. Used to drive from Cumbria to Stranraer Scotland every two weeks. The only thing I changed was fitting a MK4 steering wheel (after driving a Mk4) as it was thicker and more comfortable. Awesome car....until it just wouldn't start on my last day in Stranraer and I had to abandon it 😢 Goodbye LOV 696P.

[@Leon-uj7pc]

I know this car has been described as using the same Coke Bottle styling as the full size US Market Ford LTD but I have never seen the resemblance between them. What the mark III Cortina does look like is the US Market 1970-1977 Ford Maverick and 1971-1977 Mercury Comet (especially the Cortina sedan). If you look at a 1971-1977 Mercury Comet sedan, it seems to have the same style bulge hood as the one you test drove in the video. Interestingly though the Maverick/Comet was considered a compact car and the Mark III Cortina was considered a mid size, the Maverick/Comet was larger then the Cortina. Compact Car in the USA before the 1980 just meant a car with a wheel base of 110 inches or shorter

[@brainsmatterpodcast]

In Australia the TC, TD, TE and TF Cortinas (Mark 3, 4 and 5 in your lingo) came with optional straight 6 3.3 litre or 4.1 litre engines as well, out of the Aussie Falcons.

[@peterhunt2723]

Collected CTV 821 L on 1st august 1982 a 2 door 2 litre GT red with a black vinyl roof , loved it! Had another one in 1974 but purple!

[@RichieRouge206]

Definitely one of Ford’s high points of styling. I was born in South Africa in 1977 so this car is quite apt. Great review as always Matt

[@KiwiStag74]

Great review, Matt. Loved the trip in the MKIII again after so many years. Dad had a '72 1600L that he modified the engine in and then dressed up with rostyles and the quad headlights, dash and console from a GT. It gave many legitimate GTs a right old scare when he outperformed them in a straight line or around a winding track. Just for ref too - the Aussie MkIV / V Cortina did in fact exist, Known as the TD and TE, they both had the option of a 2L 4cyl and a Falcon-powered 6-cyl. Here in New Zealand, we had a few Aussie imports on the road, but most were still basically the same as the MkIV / V of the UK before the Mazda 626-based Telstar made an appearance in 1982. The Cortina was still sold alongside the Telstar until stock was exhausted mid-'83 (Similarly, the Laser - your MkIII Escort - was a bade engineered Mazda 323 with a few minor cosmetic changes and sold alongside the Escort from early 1981 until the Escort stock was exhausted late that year). Personally, I prefer the Cortina over the badge-engineered stuff that came after it. My absolute favourite was always a MKII 1600E (or the NZ-only variant, the MkII GTE), but in the last few years, I am finding that Dad's MkIII pops into my head more often than the myriad of MkII GTs we had....and I fair drooled over a MkIII GXL that I saw for sale a few months ago. Who knows? Maybe one day I will trade my Stag for one!

[@andrewthompsonuk1]

I never knew that the mk2 GTE was a NZ only model. There were only a few around. Were the GTEs built in Seaview? I think we had mk 3s in 77 as well with the New European mk4 later on in 77?

[@KiwiStag74]

@@andrewthompsonuk1 - I'm not sure where they were built, but they were definitely a NZ-only beast, with special one-off hubcaps not seen on any other vehicle - Ford or otherwise.....and they were only built in 1970. For those not in NZ, they looked like a 1600E with the 69/70 GT dash, wood dash fascia and door tops, spots in the grille, bumper over-riders and the emblems on the C-pillars, but the GTE also had badging either side on the lower front guard, a vinyl roof (usually black) reversing lights, a remote boot release beside the driver's seat and a triple-stripe (thin-thick-thin) pinstriping down the length of the vehicle front to rear. The 1600E was not built in NZ and importing new vehicles at that time built up (rather than CKD to be assembled here) had huge tariffs and much taxing, meaning they got priced out of the market by locally assembled vehicles, so there was no equivalent model. Ford UK didn't want to send just PART of the package over, so Ford NZ sourced the wood for the dash and door caps and redesigned / made the seats locally, got a run of GTE badges made for the guards and bootlid and the emblems for the C-pillar and then upgraded a number of locally-built GTs with to the new special edition - including the addition of a vinyl top, the special hubcaps and the pinstriping. They were available in gold metallic, a light blue metallic, silver metallic and Forest green metallic. There may have been a deep red (Carmine?) metallic, but I have only ever seen one example of this colour and it was many years ago. They are hard to find now and my generation is largely to blame for that! MkII Cortinas and MkI Escorts were what you owned if you were cool - and a GTE was a babe magnet of the highest calibre......and we caned the snot out of them, writing not just a few of them off in the process. Hey - we were all young, dumb and full of c-c-c-confidence once in our lives! You're right about the MkIII still being available in 1977, but there are few of them. The first MkIVs assembled here went to the fleets and were the first Cortinas to be used as Police / Traffic vehicles in this country. This meant the release of the MkIV to the average punter was delayed a few months, but they were on forecourts in the July - of that I am certain. My parents had a 77 MkIV Ghia, first registered in August and I know Dad and I were out looking at them for at least a month before that. It was Roman Bronze metallic with a beige vinyl roof. I will never forget the name of that colour, nor the name of the one that people got it confused with - Copper Bronze metallic! Dad's MkIII GT tribute vehicle was in Pacific Blue metallic - an absolutely gorgeous colour that changed hue as the daylight and reflection changed on its surface. It's so hard to believe that was 45 years ago......

[@andrewthompsonuk1]

@@KiwiStag74 I enjoyed your reply. My parents had what was said to be the last MK GT off the line. They ordered the car trough Avery Motors in Wellington and picked it up on Piccadilly Circus London paid for with UK pounds. The car had to be built to NZ spec. even though they did not want the chrome down the side. Interestingly that car still exists exactly as we sold it in 1979 in a private collection. We had a mk3 2000E in 1974, then moved on to Lasers (mk1 sport and a mk1 Giha) followed by an excellent Telstar TX5i. Personally I never got to own a Cortina even though I used to collect all the brochures and reviews. That bronze colour was one of my favorites.

[@lordhumungous7908]

Minor correction: Aussie MkIV / V Cortina's were the TE and TF. The TC and TD was a MkIII, the TD having with square headlights.

[@andrewthompsonuk1]

@@lordhumungous7908 I had a vague memory that the, Australian TF did not get the mk5s flatter roof with slightly more glass?

[@Grimwriggler]

amazingly good looking car. the MK1Cortina has the best rear light clister ever in any car.

[@minimaxi802]

Probably the Hillman Avenger's L shape rear lights.

[@michaelbyrnes7944]

I was lucky enough to find a 1975 TD cortina sedan with the power Power bulge on the bonnet with the big six cylinder engine with literally no rust here in Australia 🇦🇺 and it will be extensively restored and rebuilt modified definitely won’t be original any more will be built as a tuff street strip car with a small block AU falcon Windsor v8 fitted c4 gearbox with a modified rear end and big brake upgrade

[@garyhewitt489]

All I remember was if you pushed it a bit it floated like a boat in a big swell and steered like a boat too. That horrible gut feeling your not actually in control anymore and the best thing to do was nothing until it started driving like something resembling a car again Still loved the lines the gearbox and even the engine

[@kavinskysmith4094]

Yeah I remember this model of car on the old life on mars tv show, where when the lead actor got on top gear Clarkson actually grilled Philip Glenister over the badging, as it had the GXL badge on it when it was a year latter rebadge of the same model, as someone had put a 73 front end on a 74' for tax reasons, GTE I think, which was basically just the same model with a rework of the lettering and his reaction was perfect, you mistake me for someone who gives a toss lol like that damn badging lol also he was quite fond of that car, as per what I remember with that car restoration show he did afterwards where he made a point to feature it in the intro of the show like he always had cool cars, and the one after was proper crazy too, an 83 Quattro someone had done up in E30 M3 Orange Red with a brown interior and mint green inserts like a BL nightmare special lol I know I saw the photos and found the ad for the stuntcar they wrecked which mentioned the color, like OH that's why that thing showed up so well in the night scenes, they literally went for the most bright hazzard red imaginable lol still would gladly have one though just like that, as the interior alone would be one hell of a talking piece lol

[@stuartjones8238]

Love a 'Tina!! My ol'man had a 1972 1600 XL...so we got the silver boot panel! It was an 3-speed automatic so had the 1600 Kent lump. Pre-facelift so three-pod dash. Total workhorse. Was "fun" during the snowy winter for 81/82!!

[@AdyB1978]

Nice review Matt, I own a 2.0 GXL, love the timeless 70s design and great fun to drive.

[@jehib8533]

My father had a 1971 or 1972 Ford Taunus GT 2-door for a while. That car had the same underpinnings as the the Mk. 3 Cortina, but the coke bottle styling was toned down a little. I'm not sure why they did that, as the MK. 1 Escort and Capri that came before the Taunus/Cortina were styled the same in Britain and Germany, and so was the Consul/Granada that came next. Maybe they wanted to avoid a situation like the one they had with the 1967 P7, which Ford had to restyle after just a year because the original styling was deemed too "American" for the German market. German Taunuses also had different engine options. My father's Taunus had the 2 Litre Cologne V6 with 90 PS. As it was a GT, it also had the "sporty" bucket seats with integrated headrests and a center console (tiny by today's standards) and front center armrest (basically a storage bin with a rather hard lid you could rest your arm on). You mentioned that, being a 1970s car, the Cortina/Taunus wasn't really a big car, and when I recently saw a 1970-1975 Taunus on the street I thought the same, but I remember that it seemed huge at the time (well, I admit I was a lot smaller back then), at least compared with the Opel Kadett B estate and Simca 1100 my parents had before that Taunus. Sadly our Taunus was already 10 or 11 years old when my father bought it, and it didn't last long. One rainy evening after about 2 years when we were returning from my grandparents, I felt a spray of water in my face sitting in the backseat. We discovered a large hole in the bottom under the driver's seat through which one could see the road surface. So that car was gone a few days later and another Opel Kadett (C 4-door saloon with a 1.2 litre engine this time) came in. Although I liked that car, too, it really felt like a two rungs down the automotive ladder after the Taunus.

[@TheStwat]

My dad had a purple 2000E with black vinyl roof. Lovely thing.

[@markbishop9859]

Had the same, was my first car aged 17!

[@Lot76CARS]

Bringing back great memories of learning to drive in my Grandparents MK4 and MK5, totally agree the seating position was on the floor!

[@TheSoundsnake]

Haha “9 times out of 10”! And bouncy. That’s why I really never understood why not everyone bought a Peugeot or Citroen. That’s 10 out of 10, already since the 50’s, much better brakes and comfy. Also the motoring press always praised the handling and comfort of those, but somehow people seem to see or prefer other qualities. My shortcoming I guess. I still own two 90’s Citroens. Even my wife (coming from a VW family…) gets a big smile when driving the Cits, and the complete astonishment of my father in law when he discovered only after a while that we were driving on a cobblestone street was priceless! Hard to beat, old Citroens and Peugeots.

[@polmacdhomhnaill3021]

There’s a reason why the steering wheel is that size, och! The fuel gauge was and still is the best. I love to get my hands on a mk3 today with the knowledge I’ve gained. I could never get to own a V6 or straight six which would have been great if it have been more common in UK, but had very other model, they were a lot of fun until the Astra came out as the Uk engine sizes let the car down massively, that was the turning point to get rid of these cars. Mk4 & 5 was never the same. Mk4 take a 1600 down the motorway and you’ll see what I mean about the engine sizes. They would also be a better car if they had the Audi 4x4 drivetrain

[@neilsheppard6673]

My first car was a nine year old mk4 1.6L on an S-plate (1977). It had lots of "character" ie. it only started when it felt like! But it ran well when it was going ok. The heater was incredible and I used to think how cool it was to have three stalks on the steering column! 😆😆

[@albertbekassy2709]

I have a 1973 Taunus XL 2-door, originally 1.6, but with a later 2.0 pinto engine. A head turner nowdays.

[@suznet]

I passed my driving test in a MK 3 Cortina, way back in 1973/4 & have only 6 Fords out of 30 cars owned since. :-)

[@lazycalm41]

I owned 3 MK 3's in my life. All were great cars, few problems, great to drive too. My fave was my Daytona yellow Mk3 2000GXL, complete with black vinyl roof! did some miles in that car.

[@friedjohn]

In my country, Denmark, Ford actually marketed both the Taunus TC and the Cortina Mk III, but motoring journalists found the "swaying hips" (coke-bottle) design vulgar and giving inferior rear view. This may or not may not be true, but I just love the Cortina's design, particularly with the early deep-set round instruments, and even prefer the lines of the two-door to the Taunus fastback, but of course the Taunus could be had with bigger V-6 engines. Ultimately the Taunus sold much better, mainly due to quality issues with the Cortinas (UK cars of Seventies, need I say more)

[@michael5089]

Yes, the vinyl seats !!lol my dad always used to cover them with tea towels in summer. Happy days💜😌😌

[@Tiffany.1970]

I knew a chap who customized a mk 3 and shoehorned a rover 3.5 v8 in his mk 3 sounded nice 👍😃🔥

[@bossdog1480]

Definitely a good shape. That was the TD model in Australia. They came with the 3.3L and the 4.1L engines. I had the TE wagon, (Mk 4), with the 4.1 and 4 speed. It was a brilliant car and I drove it for years with minimal maintenance needed.

[@ingopaul67]

No mention of the 2000 E, my Dad had a silver one with a black vinyl roof, which replaced the GXL when facelifted in late 1973. The facelift also included a new conventional dash (as in the car featured), earlier cars had a rather distinctive slope away dash which I remember well from my Uncle's earlier model estate.

[@fhwolthuis]

I remember seeing these sometimes on the continent, but we still got our Taunus of course, with the more square rear doors and boot styling. I think the Taunus was a more timeless design but the Cortina has its own quality.

[@furiousdriving]

The American exec in charge insisted on a different bonnet on the Taunus which gives it a more distinctive look, and you got the fast back too

[@fhwolthuis]

@@furiousdriving You mean Knudsen? That's how we call that Taunus, the Knudsen Taunus.

[@jfv65]

​@@fhwolthuis i really loved that style. My teacher owned a brown metallic 2.3L V6 GXL automatic with a vynil top. i clearly remember being impressed by that incredibly dashboard with all those recessed buttons and gauges.

[@brianknowles1727]

Had a brand new 1.6 L in carabean blue 1982: what a fantastic car used to travel from w Yorkshire to Newquay 80 mph all the way never missed a beat great memories .

[@christoguichard4311]

My dad had a yellow 1.6 GXL with black vynil roof. In 1976 our family all drove down to the south of France in it for a holiday. The trip lasted 3 weeks, and the car never skipped a beat.

[@Luke-PlanesTrainsDogsnCars]

At least they knew how to keep the headlining up in the early 70's From the 80's onward the manufacturers have a lot to answer for.

[@maxidyne]

I remember a school friend parents had one, they where sold as Taunus over here. It was a big car in it's day, at least for my country. Another great review Matt, thoroughly enjoyed it!

[@arunta5]

That was my first car. A 1973 Ford Cortina XLE with the 6cyl (Falcon) motor. The car had tons of power. The big problem was rust after afew years, it was really bad. I did work near the harbour (in Sydney) for several years , maybe that contributed to the rust problem.

[@ianthomas8743]

I had a 2000E auto white with black vinyl roof , hazard lights ,heated rear window and a rev counter. Now I drive a Tesla M3 how times have changed

[@ivanfernyhough3851]

Not for the better either.would sooner have had your cortina to your tesla anyday.

[@jimdavis5230]

I remember the Cortina well. I also remember the Escort well. Due to rapid corrosion problems I re-named them the Rustina and the Rustcort.

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

Guilty of the clicking of the rolling ashtray when travelling in my dad's various escorts of the 90's. Excellent Review as always Matt, a great looking Cortina.

[@furiousdriving]

Thats the biggest memory I have of my parents Fords!

[@domsphotography]

I had many a happy childhood moment in the back of a mk3 Cortina, my dad had three in the ‘70’s.

[@geriatricmotorcars9516]

Sold these , from 1300 to 2.0gt We're like a boat , they wallow round bends . Even the S GT The MK4 massive improvement . They did a 4.0 in SA

[@grimreaper-qh2zn]

I had the GT. Nice motor but eventually fell foul of the Camshaft problem (super small holes in the spray bar and the camshaft got starved of oil).

[@bigblueocean]

My dad had one of these in yellow. It lasted for more than a dacade. Went through several cam shafts. Utterly reliable otherwise. Great to see it again. Thanks.

[@Banglish123]

The dashboard binnacle and indicator stalks are not Mk3. They look like what I remember in a P100 from the 80s so probably Mk4/5. The original Mk3 had a single indicator stalk on the right with horn press on the end. Washer wiper control was from a rocker switch on the dash, and the speedo arrangement was more American style with 2 separate dials. The glove box when opened was voluminous the whole panel dropped down on the passenger side. A friend of mine had a SA Cortina with a 6 cyl 3.0 l engine which was impossible to drive in the wet.

[@coops206]

The last of the Mk3s had this style of dash. From about 1973ish IIRC.

[@furiousdriving]

Very late model, and South African so facelift and there will be differences

[@coops206]

UK models also got rectangular headlights too on higher spec models.

[@michaelbyrnes7944]

Beautiful little car with the Aussie falcon engine way better body then the Aussie torana of the similar year model here in Australia 🇦🇺

[@100SteveB]

My first car back in the 80's was a 1972 GXL, had so much fun in that old girl, even passed my test in it. Must admit I preferred the earlier style dash, the later ones seemed rather plain in comparison. Plus of course I loved the twin headlights on the higher end models, much such a difference to the cars appearance.

[@Pyjamarama11]

06:51 that's a nice Montego estate in the background

[@cinccave5459]

Thanks for the memories. As a Yank I was stationed at RAF Uxbridge in the early 80's and although I didn't own one many of us stationed there did.

[@robertpalmer5803]

I remember when the Cortina Mk3 first appeared..was a nice looking car...think it was 1971....i had a 1969 MG Midget sports.....Bob...Paignton....

[@Stevieweevietv]

Beautiful car. Do like the styling on this generation. The rear end especially! Slightly distracted by the biege Montego estate in the car park btw 🤣

[@benday1218]

surely 'coming soon' ;-)

[@furiousdriving]

sadly not, it had sold and was waiting to drive away!

[@mazambane286]

I don't recall a straight 6 Cortina in South Africa. I remember the Big 6. That was fitted with the 3 litre V6 Essex.

[@mrfairsthename7470]

It was the sound of the engine and gearbox what I remember that drivetrain was in many of my cars, I had a lot of Fords.

[@Skodaman79]

Great review Matt, thanks. The mk3 is a good looking car, my favourite of the all the Cortinas. Also the sound of the crossflow is lovely.... I never tire of the crossflow soundtrack, beats the LW/MW radio!

[@robertbardell9766]

My first car was 1973 1.3 cortina. Good car apart from door locks and ignition were poor security.

[@graemegibson5224]

I learnt to drive on one of these. It was the basest base model company car that my dad bought from his work for mum. It had a bench seat and a long extended floor shift, so you had to be very good friends with the middle seat passenger, had no radio. Got my licence in it and even drove it to school once a week. Was great fun at the time.

[@commodore665]

Ford South Africa and Australia both put the 3.0 V6 in the Cortina , they were also available in New Zealand

[@robertmaitland09]

An iconic car, they were everywhere in the seventies with some pretty wild customised examples. The Clash even mention the Cortina in their song Londons burning!

[@HowardLeVert]

Are you sure about that, Neil? It's definitely in "Janie Jones" - "But he's just like everyone, he's got a Ford Cortina/ that just won't run without fuel (fill 'er up, Jacko!)" Also an honourable mention to The Jam, where one with a fur-trimmed dashboard (amongst other things 😳 gets mentioned in "Saturday's Kids".

[@robertmaitland09]

@@HowardLeVert think you might be right, memory's not as good as it used to be!

[@paullacey2999]

What you need now is a Jag back end,jack the rear suspension high and get a set of slot mags on,maybe a white Nike stripe on the sides..Dont forget a furry dice.Perfect👌

[@golach420]

Great design, that and the MK1 Escort and Granada.

[@profrumpo]

When I was a lad my neighbour sold his immaculate sky blue Ford Zephyr (Mk 3) for new one of these a GXL in a metallic bronze. He wasn't impressed, the seat broke within weeks, and the whole thing felt flimsy and cheap compared to the solid splendour of the Zephyr.

[@timonsolus]

Was that the Mk III Zephyr with the split grille and single headlights? Or the one with dual headlights and one piece grille?

[@profrumpo]

@@timonsolus Now you are stretching my memory, I'm pretty certain it was the split grille single headlight version. I remember it had a bench seat in the front.

[@timonsolus]

@@profrumpo : The dual headlights and single grille version looks much better IMO, that’s why I asked.

[@Richie90090]

I had a 2000E back in the day and loved it!

[@stevesnelgrove]

Me too. Pale metallic blue, vinyl roof. Lovely car.

[@Richie90090]

@@stevesnelgrove Mine was a fairly bright red with black vinyl roof. My first car was a mk1 i had a mk2 after.

[@geoffclarke8934]

A school friend of mine had a late model 2 litre GXL as his first car in the late 80s. Always liked the styling of the Mk 3 Cortina and the 2 litre offered reasonable performance but the handling not so good with way too much roll.

[@milksheihk]

Australia didn't replace the mk3(TC) with the Mazda 626 based Telstar, that was much later we had the mk4 as a TD & TE Cortina & the Mk5 as the TF Cortina.

[@huwdavies6650]

Oooh a Beige Montego Estate! Maximum HubNut!

[@paulillingworth1242]

Awww the most awesome looking Cortina , mk3 always loved its styling , nostalgia but the coke bottle body style, and in the best colour too 😎

[@robingiles9444]

My 1st car in 1976 was a 1971 1.3 MK3 which was awful, so I upgraded to a 1974 1.6L MK3 which I loved and was in this colour so thanks for the memories 🙂