Ford Cortina MkII 1600 Super

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After getting off to such a flying start, it’s no surprise that Ford stuck to its winning formula with the second generation Cortina that came out in 1966.

Although the MkI was superbly engineered, its high-fashion styling dated rather quickly which resulted in a rather short shelf life – no bad thing when your business is selling new cars! Once again, the new model took its styling cues from America, design chief Roy Haynes clearly being inspired by the neat minimalism that was sweeping through the Ford empire at the time. So, a mere four years after the Cortina Mk1 rolled out of Dagenham, the Mk2 version followed suit.

With the advertising slogan, ‘New Cortina is more Cortina’, it did exactly what the copywriters promised, being wider with a more capacious interior, and a larger boot. Driver comfort and ease of use were also factored in, with the increasingly luxurious interior complementing the softer ride and more ‘grown up’ feel of the new car.

For the UK market, the entry level model made do with a 1.3-litre engine and the rest with a 1.5-litre unit but it was only a matter of time before Ford engineers were beavering away on an improved 1.6-litre crossflow version of its Kent four-cylinder. The new crossflow heads were introduced in 1967 and saw a corresponding expansion of the range. The most iconic of them all was the 1600E which topped a range that comprised of base, Deluxe, Super and GT, offered in two- and four-door saloon form, as well as a capacious five-door estate.

The new engine produced 78bhp in the 1600E and 60bhp in the 1600 Super. The interior was well equipped with a black dashboard and door cappings, vinyl bucket seats, sports steering wheel, additional dash instruments and a black grille. Production finally came to an end with the launch of the rather less characterful MkIII in 1970.

First registered in February 1968, this 1600 Super is a genuine BA95 chassis numbered example which looks stunning in Blue Mink paintwork and has had just three owners from new. The first, a Mr Smith of Woking, took delivery of the car from Cuff Miller & Co Ltd of Sussex and was to own it for the next 39 years, the original bill of sale and options selected forming part of the car’s impressive history.

The next owner acquired the car in 2007 and undertook some light restoration and mechanical modifications, replacing the original automatic gearbox with a 5-speed ‘Type-9 conversion’ from the Ford Sierra and replacing the engine with a brand new 1,700cc Kent crossflow engine in 2009 to upgrade this Cortina to the GT spec.

The car appears to sit on lowered suspension and looks very purposeful indeed on its 4-spoke JBW deep dish black and polished lip wheels (including spare) and recent tyres. Evidently an exceedingly cherished machine, it has won numerous trophies over the years and has also been featured several times in Classic Ford magazine (copies on file).

Sporting the revised black-painted front grille and single headlights, it retains the correct flat dashboard with additional gauges for revs, amps and oil pressure. A CD player has also been fitted under the dash (thus easily removable) and hidden speakers have been installed. The dash top remains in good condition, a known problem area on this model, while an aftermarket woodrim sports steering wheel really sets the interior off to a tee.

The car comes with three large folders of history including invoices, letters, awards, manuals, associated literature and even an original fuel ration book and 1968 tax disc, not to mention a methodically recorded pair of notebooks detailing each fuel fill up, mileage and maintenance. There are numerous spares in the boot along with the original steering wheel, jack and tool kit. A new battery was fitted in February 2015.

Said to drive as well as it looks with an MOT until February 2017 (with no advisories recorded), it certainly fired up promptly and ran beautifully on the occasion of our visit to take these photos. It also has no fewer than 39 old MOTs and MOT inspection reports dating back to 1979 at which time the car had covered 63,533 miles, the clock now showing some 139,600 miles (although, as previously stated, the engine and gearbox were replaced in 2009).

Complete with two sets of keys, modern V5C, old registration documents, original stamped service book, period handbooks in the original supplying dealer wallet, a comprehensive history, photographs of the car on loan to a Ford main dealer etc, this fantastic Cortina MkII looks excellent value at the modest guide price suggested.

Sensibly upgraded and beautifully cared for, it is sure to draw many envious glances on the show circuit this summer. Tempted? We certainly are!

AMENDMENT - Just to be clear, there are 24 Old MoT certificates in the paperwork.