Cortina MK1 History

The Cortina MK1 was introduced in September 1962 in a standard & deluxe form. Originally to be called "The Archbishop", Ford decided to stick to the tried and tested formula of the very popular Anglia 105E with an overhead valve engine, four speed gearbox, MacPherson strut front suspension and recirculating ball steering. Available in 2 or 4 door saloons the Consul Cortina was to be one of Ford's most successful models. (Ford were later to drop the 'Consul' nametag.)

Up to January 1963 all models were fitted with an 1198cc 3 bearing crankshaft engine similar to the one in aforementioned Anglia 105E. Then for a cost of £84 you could have had an optional extra of a 1498cc 5 bearing crankshaft engine.

The bodystyle for the Cortina had an angular look with tapering flutes along the sides and the immediately recognizable rear 'Y' light clusters.

Also launched in January 1963 was the 1500 Super that was immediately identified by the chrome tapered strips along the side flutes. Later in the same month came the GT launch. The 1500 engine under the bonnet of this sports Cortina was fitted with twin choke Weber carburetor, disc brakes on the front wheels, remote gearchange and modified suspension.

March 1963 saw the Estate car added to the range, the 1200 deluxe and the 1500 super , the latter being identified by the American style mock wood paneling on the sides and tailgate. 'Woody' paneling was available only as an optional extra on the 1200 models.

The final model launched to complete the range was the 'Lotus modified Cortina'.

July 1963 saw the the dispersion of all suspension and steering grease nipples replaced by ball joints with plastic seatings. September 1963 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 1963 brought the introduction of the Borg-Warner supplied automatic gearbox. A price of £82 was added to the 1500 for this optional extra.

October 1964 saw the most significant changes in the Cortina specification. Front disc brakes were added to all models as standard, the front grille was redesigned from the two standard slats and deluxe chrome into a single chrome to incorporate a widened bottom to surround the side lights and indicators. Also introduced was the Ford 'aeroflow' ventilation system thus ensuring fresh air entered the car and was then expelled. In it's final year of production the Cortina GT was given even larger front wheel disks and self adjusting rear brakes.

Finally in October 1966 came the biggest change to the Cortina, after 1,010,000 Mark1's being made came the introduction of the Cortina MK2.

Owners Club History

The MK1 Cortina owners club was established in 1982, and has members quite literally worldwide. Recognised by the Ford Motor Company & the DVLA, the club welcome's all Mk1's from standard models to Customised, including rally and racing cars. We have Club stands at many Classic Car Shows and members are always welcome to join us. There are a number of 'pub Meets' held around the country which provide the ideal opportunity to swop stories, discuss car know how and exchange spares. Once a year we hold our National Rally, this is a weekend event not to be missed and is this year being held at Stratford On Avon racecourse on the weekend of the13th & 14th August 2011, and this year will also be held in conjunction with MK2 Cortina O.C & the Anglia 105e O.C. Whether you attend with your Cortina or not we are pleased to meet members old & new. Members from around the world attend, there are Concourse classes for those who wish to enter or just a chance to make new friends. We hope you will decide to join us and help us to keep one of Ford's most successful cars on the road for years to come.

Important: All elements of the MK1 Cortina O.C. are run entirely by volunteers in our spares time, we are not a business and employ no full-time staff.

Your membership will give you access to the spares that we offer, you'll receive A bi-monthly newsletter that lists the latest spares and regalia available as well as member's letters, stories, technical tips, cars and parts for sale or wanted.
The price for membership is the same whether you live in Australia, the U.S., Europe or anywhere in the world, and we ship spares literally worldwide too!

The main aim is to keep the MK1 on the road, therefore we source spares and pass them on to our members at competitive prices. When necessary we re-manufacture parts no longer available for example:We stock remanufatured MacPherson strut top supension mounts, bonnet badges, rear number plate lights, coolant hoses, genuine GT profile camshafts, heater matrix's and much more all of which are unique to this club Just take a look at our website www.mk1cortina.com to see the full list of what we offer.

On the whole we concentrate on MOT related items, but of course we cater for many of your restoration needs too. The volunteers that run the club operate a friendly and informed service, including unbiased technical advice from Cortina Experts who use their cars everyday.

For more information on membership: Click here