‘New Cortina is more Cortina.’ That’s what Ford promised us on the launch of the Mk2 Cortina back in 1966. And despite actually being slightly shorter than the ban-the-bomb car it replaced, that’s exactly what the Mk2 delivered: wider, better proportioned, more space for your elbows, it was an exponentially grown-up proposition. Furthermore, as with any Ford of the era, there was a spec level to suit every taste – from the bare-bones 1300 right up to the full-fat fanciness of the 1600E, with its GT running gear and walnut burr trim.
For a generation of budding car enthusiasts, the 1600E represented the apogee of saloon car perfection; if your dad had a lesser Cortina, or your neighbour came home one day with an E, there were all manner of conflicting emotions swirling about, because the fully-loaded range topper really was where it was at. Jaws universally dropped when this model was officially unveiled at the 1967 Paris Motor Show, with the spec list ticking all sorts of exciting boxes – the four-door saloon boasted lower and stiffer Lotus Cortina suspension, the tuned Kent crossflow from the 1600GT, bucket seats, walnut burr dash and door cappings, numerous additional gauges, a leather-trimmed aluminium steering wheel, front fog lights, and super-cool Rostyle wheels with radial tyres. It instantly became a legend, and that legend has endured: find an original 1600E today, and you’re looking at a one-way ticket to Coolsville.
Well, you don’t come across a 1600E like this every day. Not only is it in all-original spec, but its history can be traced right back to the very start of its life in 1970. The current owner has had the car for about a year and a half, and the logbook is showing two former keepers. In fact, those two people were father and son, so it had been in single-family ownership for its entire life up until around eighteen months ago; its first owner cherished it, using it relatively infrequently and always keeping it correctly maintained, and he then passed it down to his son. And while the car has had a few running repairs to the bodywork here and there, it’s never been subject to a full restoration. What you’re looking at, then, is a very low-mileage 1600E, unrestored and all original, in wonderful running and driving condition, with a fully traceable history. And when are you likely to find another Mk2 Cortina like that?
Remarkably, the car’s original bill of sale is included in the file of documentation. We can see that the supplying dealer was Adam Young of Dalkeith, and that the car was sold on August 21st 1970 for the sum of £1,160. The original buyer paid extra for the optional inertia reel seatbelts, bumper over-riders, locking wheel nuts, undersealing, roof aerial and speakers, and to have his own radio fitted – the Radiomobile 8-track that’s still in the car today.
The V5 is present, confirming the Cortina’s first date of registration matching that on the bill of sale, and there’s also a sheaf of old MOTs. The original books and manuals are present, including the service book which shows that the car was serviced at its supplying dealer in 1970, and thereafter at Cochrane’s Garages in Edinburgh and W.J. Clarke in Gorebridge. The documentation backs up the amazingly low mileage on the clock – just 53,600 miles in fifty-one years.
The 1600E came with a fabulously appointed interior as standard. The sculpted bucket seats are impressively supportive, and the rear bench is supremely comfortable. The seats are all in excellent condition too, with no undue wear, rips, tears or marks. The rear armrest lowers and stows correctly, and all the seatbelts are functional. The windows raise and lower as they should, and all the door locks are working.
A key part of the 1600E’s charm is the walnut burr dash and door cappings, and these pieces are all in great condition with no cracking, warping, lacquer peel or sun damage. The additional model-specific gauges in the centre of the dash are all present and working correctly. The carpets are very good throughout, as is the headlining, and the original steering wheel is fitted and in superb order. A particularly endearing feature is the Radiomobile 8-track stereo that was fitted when the car was new at the first owner’s request. Overall, a beautifully preserved interior, with nothing missing and everything in lovely condition. Inside the boot it’s all tidy and dry, with a Rostyle spare wheel fitted with an unused Avon tyre.
What’s particularly important to bear in mind with this car is that it’s an unrestored example; it hasn’t been torn down and rebuilt, but simply correctly looked after. As such, the bodywork isn’t concours-perfect, although to be fair it’s certainly not a million miles away. A key lure with this car is that it’s white, and it’s not all that often you find a white 1600E. Suits it very well, doesn’t it? And while there have been a few minor rust repairs over the years, there’s nothing to fear here. The eagle-eyed will spot from the photos that there’s a bit of filler in the driver’s side sill and the rear valance, and the inner wings have had some attention at some point. But these are small, localised areas, and it wouldn’t be an in-depth endeavour for a body shop (or home spannerer with the right skills) to rectify, and then you’ll have a proper show-winner on your hands. It wouldn’t require a full repaint either, as the original white paint is generally in very good condition throughout – it’d just be a case of colour-matching the repairs to keep it all as original as possible.
On the whole, the bodywork really is very good indeed – you can see from the photos that the panel fit is uniformly good across the whole car, the boot and bonnet are solid and so are the doors – it’s an impressively sound and tidy thing. There are no obvious dings, dents, scuffs or scratches, save for a very minor scrape on the nearside front wheel arch which would be simple to touch in. All of the correct chrome trim and badging is in place, and all the light lenses are in good condition – including the Wipac spotlights which are so often vulnerable to stone chips. The chrome bumpers are really tidy, and the window glass is all in good order.
The Cortina wears a very stylish set of original-spec Rostyle wheels, which are in excellent condition and wear quality Avon rubber with plenty of tread.
This is a very sweet little runner. Hey, with just 53k on the clock, it’s barely run in! The 1600 crossflow that the 1600E borrowed from the GT is renowned as a perky and eager little unit, and this one has all the get-up-and-go you would expect. It starts immediately on the first turn of the key, and after a quick throttle blip to clear the carb’s throat it settles into a happy idle. The gauges register the correct temperatures and pressures, and the car does a good job of keeping itself cool.
The gearbox is nice and tight; anyone who’s driven a Mk2 Cortina will know that these ’boxes are quite widely spaced, but that’s just the way they are and this one selects cleanly with no graunching or fighting back. There’s a little whine in reverse, but again that’s a Cortina characteristic, they all do that. The owner keenly reports that it’s a lovely thing to drive – it rides and handles well, the steering feel is good with no undue slack, the brakes are strong and even, it’s all just as you’d hope a 1600E to be.
The 1600E makes a very strong case for itself by virtue of the magnificent spec it was offered with. A true polymath, it fused a luxurious interior with a fast-road engine and a race-inspired chassis – there’s a reason why the E has gone down in the annals of motoring lore as an all-time great, they were just really fantastic cars right out of the box. And if you’ve got your sights set on a 1600E, then this is definitely the one you want. It’s extraordinarily rare to find one that’s all original and unrestored while also being solid, attractive and pleasant to drive. The fact that this one comes with such endearing history, including that original bill of sale and service book, is just something else. You’d better stick a bid in sharpish, because we’re quite tempted to keep it for ourselves…
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1970 Ford Cortina 1600E
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