Ford Cortina MkIII 1600 XL

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Time was when you would bump into a Ford Cortina on every street corner, but now either your driving has improved or the cars have disappeared.

The Cortina was once a mainstay of British motoring but their numbers have drastically declined. This 1972 MkIII XL is a rare survivor. The Ford production spec sheet comes with this car and details the original features: Blue paintwork, 1,600cc engine, 4.5” wheels with 165x13 Michelin radials, 35 amp alternator, heated rear screen, hazard flashers and heater. (Was a heater still an extra in 1972?).

Our vendor is something of an avid Ford collector and has owned this Cortina since 2010. He is only selling the car as he has found the MkIII two-door he always promised himself.

The car seems to have been cherished for much, if not all of its life. It comes with 28 old MOTs, but it is difficult to determine the exact mileage covered. There is a string of invoices from Oakwood Motors of New Milton dating from 1992 to 2005 which shows that the car had regular attention and it would appear this has continued to date.

The car is now MOT-exempt and had its last test in March 2017 when it passed with no advisory notices. It has covered 1,268 miles since. It is believed that the car has at some time been fitted with a 2,000cc Pinto engine and five-speed gearbox.

This is an attractive and rare example of a once popular model. The slightly non-standard colour scheme does it no harm and neither does the Pinto transplant, which simply makes it a lot more usable on today’s congested roads.