Ford Australia built its own versions using both the UK four-cylinder engines 1. For Japan, the cars were literally narrowed by a few millimetres on arrival in the country in order that they fit into a lower tax bracket — this was done by bending the wheel arches inwards.
The fourth-generation Cortina was a more conventional design than its predecessor, but this was largely appreciated by fleet buyers. Many parts were carried over, most notably the running gear.
The raised driving position and the new instrument panel had, along with some of the suspension upgrades, already been introduced to the Cortina Mark III in , so that from the driving position the new car looked much more familiar to owners of recent existing Cortinas than from the outside. The most obvious change was the new body, which achieved the marketing department objective of larger windows giving a better view out and a brighter feel to the cabin, but at the expense of body weight which was increased, albeit only marginally, by approximately 30 lb 14 kg.
This series spawned the first Ghia top-of-the-range model, which replaced the E. The 2. However, 2. The Cologne V6 was certainly a much smoother and more refined power unit than the Pinto, but the V6 models were more expensive to fuel and insure and were only slightly faster, being about 0. Few cars were sold with the 1.
Two-door and 4-door saloons and a five-door estate were offered with all other engines being carried over. However, at launch only 1. Rostyle wheels were fitted as standard to all Mk. The dashboard was carried over intact from the last of the Mark III Cortinas while the estate used the rear body pressings of the previous release Taunus.
Throughout its production life, the Mk. Despite this, it is now the rarest of all Cortinas with only about examples left. Both Mk. Any Mk4 2. Of these, about 15 are Ghia versions, while the rest of them are the GL and S versions. The S models were discontinued when Mk. In their place, optional 'S' equipment packs were available as an upgrade for most Mk. Again, Ford Australia built its own versions with the 2. Interior door hardware and steering columns were shared with the Falcons and the Aussie versions also had their own instrument clusters, optional air conditioning and much larger bumpers.
A considerable number were exported to New Zealand under a free trade agreement where they were sold alongside locally-assembled models similar to those available in the UK.
The Mark V was announced on 24 August A large update on the Mark IV, it was really a step between a facelift and a re-body. The Mark V differentiated itself from the Mark IV by having revised headlights with larger turn indicators incorporated which now showed to the side too , a wider slatted grille said to be more aerodynamically efficient, a flattened roof, more glass area, slimmer C-pillars with revised vent covers, larger, slatted tail lights on saloon models and upgraded trim.
Improvements were also made to the engine range, with slight improvements to both fuel economy and power output compared to the Mk. For example, the 2. Ford also claimed improved corrosion protection on Mk. V models, as a result more Mk. V's have survived, however corrosion was still quite a problem.
Cars that were rust-proofed from new with treatments such as Waxoyl or Ziebart have tended to fare a lot better than untreated cars with only factory rust-proofing. By contrast, the estate models combined the Mk IV's bodyshell which was initially from the Ford Taunus with Mk V front body pressings. Variants included the Base, L, GL and Ghia variants all available in both saloon and estate forms , together with Base and L spec 2-door sedan versions this bodystyle was available up to Ghia V6 level on overseas markets.
Various "special editions" were announced, including the Calypso and Carousel. The final production model was the Crusader special edition which was available as a 1.
The Crusader was a final run-out model which buyers clamoured for in , instead of buying a newly-introduced Sierra. It was the best-specified Cortina produced to date and 30, were sold, which also made it Ford's best-selling special edition model. Another much rarer special edition model was the Cortina Huntsman, of which were produced.
By this time, the Cortina was starting to feel the competition from a rejuvenated and Opel influenced Vauxhall , which with the release Cavalier J-Car, was starting to make inroads on the Cortina's traditional fleet market, largely helped by the front wheel drive benefits of weight and grip. Up to and including , the Cortina was the best selling car in Britain. Even during its final production year, , the Cortina was Britain's second best selling car and most popular large family car. On the continent, the Taunus version was competing with more modern and practical designs like the Talbot Alpine , Volkswagen Passat and Opel Ascona , but the brand image of Ford's blue oval ensured the Cortina was a success in virtually every country where it was sold.
The very last Cortina — a silver Crusader — rolled off the Dagenham production line in 22 July on the launch of the ultramodern Sierra , though there were still a few leaving the forecourt as late as , with one final unregistered Cortina GL leaving a Derbyshire dealership in The last remaining Cortina remains in existence to this day, and is now in the ownership of the Ford Heritage Centre in Dagenham , Essex , not far from the factory where it was assembled. It was still selling well though, and the number one position had been taken by another Ford product: the Escort.
This car is also featured in the hit British sitcom Keeping Up Appearances. It is Onslow 's car, and it is black and blue with a bad muffler that backfires with a huge crash that typically attracts everybody's attention.
It also has a musical horn. The Ford Cortina was a very popular car in Britain throughout its lifespan. From to , the Cortina enjoyed an unbroken run as Britain best selling car every year. The final incarnation of the Cortina was Britain's best selling car for the and calendar years, and combined with Mark IV sales the Cortina also topped the sales charts for Even in , when during its final year of production it was pushed off the top of the charts by the Ford Escort , the Cortina was still hugely popular with buyers.
The Cortina was also a very popular selling car in New Zealand throughout its production and continued to be sold new until Although the last Cortina rolled off the production line in , thousands of them remained in stock with more than 11, being sold in , and the final six examples didn't find homes until As recently as the early s, Cortinas were still a common sight on British roads, and in May The Times newspaper revealed that the Mark IV and Mark V models were still among the 10 most common cars on Britain's roads.
By , however, the vast majority of them were no longer roadworthy. In August , following a survey by Auto Express , it was identified as the second most scrapped car to be sold in Britain since It was second only to the Morris Marina , which had ceased production two years before the Cortina and fared even worse with less than one in still registered.
A total of nearly 2,, Cortinas were sold in Britain, and in March it was revealed that the Cortina was still the third most popular car ever sold there, despite having been out of production for nearly three decades. This car is, today, used for racing, because of its powerful cast iron engine. The car can have imported cylinder heads, with hydraulic valves, which give an enormous power boost. The Cortina was also a popular car in UK Banger racing in the late '80's and throughout the 90's proving to be a competitive car and also lasting it out in Demolition Derbys.
The engines are also found in a number of British kit cars, and until recently was the basis of Formula Ford racing, until replaced by the "Zetec" engine. This model had a much wider grill to the front of the car, but also saw engine improvements in both fuel economy and power output.
The model also aimed to be more rust resistant, however this remained a problem. The best-selling run was, in fact, unbroken between and The popularity of the Ford Cortina is truly historic and we particularly love to see good-condition classic Cortinas available for sale on Trade Classics.
Over 2. This article was written and published by Emma Jones. Please create an account to bid on our auctions and stay up-to-date by receiving our weekly auction update. Already registered - login here. Login to Bid Register to Bid. Account Login. Please login to bid on an auction or manage your account. Related articles. Latest Drives. Ferrari Competizione review.
Cupra Formentor VZ2 1. View all latest drives. In total, almost 2. Aaron Smith. March saw the Estate car added to the range, the deluxe and the super , the latter being identified by the American style mock wood paneling on the sides and tailgate. The final model launched to complete the range was the 'Lotus modified Cortina'. July saw the the dispersion of all suspension and steering grease nipples replaced by ball joints with plastic seatings.
September saw the next set of modifications; childproof locks added to all rear doors and front bench seats with column gear change was made available as an optional extra to all models except the GT. December brought the introduction of the Borg-Warner supplied automatic gearbox. October saw the most significant changes in the Cortina specification.
0コメント