HAYNES DESCRIPTION:

The Ford Cortina arrived in 1961 and heralded a new range of family saloons. It replaced the heavy and expensive to make Ford Council Classic. Initially using a over head valve engine. This was quickly increased to 1.5 litres for those that needed more power. At 2 cwt lighter than its predecessor the Cortina was quite lively and the range expanded to include a GT version and an estate, a real wolf in sheep's clothing! The legendary Lotus Cortina with a Lotus twin cam engine. The series two version of the MK1 Cortina (which this car is) was released in 1964 and had the first cockpit ventilation on a British Ford. The omni-direction eye ball vents on the dashboard sounded the death knell for the quarter light window. So popular did this car become that, for some years in the early 60's, it was Britan's fastest selling car worldwide and gave birth to a range of cars that were the best sellers in the 1980's.