• Buying a Mk.I Cortina - Summary & Australian Price Guide
• Buying a Mk.II Cortina - Summary & Australian Price Guide
• Body (all models)
• Mechanical (all models)
• Interior (all models)
  
• GT
• Lotus-Cortina
• 1600E
• UK Price Guide
• Comments

Summary:
Try and find one with good bodywork and paint, keep up to it mechanically, and you should have a nice little classic to be proud of, and it won't break the bank.

'Unique Cars' quotes the price of a two-door GT in very good condition as being A$7000, and a four-door GT in very good condition A$6000. There were very few GT500s ever made, but most are believed to still exist. They rarely come on the market, and a good one will set you back about A$12000. If you've got way too much money to know what to do with it, try a Mk.I Lotus-Cortina:

Buying a Mk.II Cortina
'Australian Classic Car' July '95

Summary:
Good little classic which is cheap to run and easy to service. Like most Ford models, Cortinas are well supported via their various clubs throughout the country.

For a Mk.II Lotus-Cortina, try the following:

1. Top mountings for the front suspension
2. Body mounting points for the anti-roll bar
3. around the headlamps (mud collects up behind them)
4. Leading edge of the bonnet
5. General area around the A-pillar, inner front quarter-panel, and bulkhead - get under the dashboard, under the quarter-panel, etc.
6. Bottoms of the front quarter-panels near the door
7. Bottoms of the doors
8. The sills
9. The floor, in particular the jacking points
10. Rear wheel arch seam and the 'chassis rails' in the same area
11. Boot floor, in particular the wheel well and, in the case of the Lotus-Cortina, the area around the battery

See a nice diagram that shows you all these trouble spots

A clever way to tell if a quick 'n' nasty rust cover-up has been done to the top mountings for the front suspension, such as a less scrupulous seller might try, check to see how well the bonnet sits - if the suspension mounts are bulging upwards, the bonnet's not going to sit quite right, is it? And make sure if it has been repaired that it has been done properly, not just reinforced with plating.

Original panels basically don't exist any more, but there are plenty of old donor cars around, and the business of supplying replacement panels and sections seems to be forever growing.

Also check the condition (or even the existence) of the exterior trim items, such as the tailight bezels or stainless steel trim strips. Some of these items can be difficult and / or expensive to replace.

Mechanical Inspection

The Mk.I has pretty long lasting mechanicals, with the motor in particular having a reputation for taking abuse. When checking the engine, do all the 'usual' stuff:

• check the oil warning light goes out as soon as the engine starts
• listen for bearing noise
• look for excessive smoke

Timing chain rattle can be a minor problem. To eradicate replace the chain, and both camshaft and cranshaft sprockets. A more serious sound is piston 'slap', which can appear on an engine less than 50,000 miles old. It should be seen to immediately, because this is often an early warning sign of more serious problems with pistons and rings, including breakages, and cylinder bore wear. Look for engine fuming and high oil consumption.

With a crossflow motor that's getting past 60,000 miles, listen for cracked cam followers, indicated by an intermittent 'clacking' noise form the top of the engine, which becomes more persistent as time goes by. This is an expensive repair, as the engine has to be taken out to get out the camshaft and followers. Well, it doesn't have to, if you don't mind having your whole car turned upside down.

On high-mileage and estate cars / wagons it is a good idea to check the rear ride height, as the leaf springs can sag. Up the front look for wear in the bottom joints. Also check the upper bearings / mountings. Brakes and steering are generally not problems, but nevertheless check for excessive play in the steering, because it can be expensive to overhaul.

The handy thing about the Cortina is that it shares a lot of its mechanical components with other common Fords, such as the Corsair. Well, common if you live in the UK or Europe - those in the USA or Australia can't benefit as much from this.

With Lotus-Cortina engines, look for signs of oil burning, noisy valve gear, and high fuel consumption. Avoid a car which has had its rev-limiter detached. Take extra care to check the clutch in a car fitted with the early close-ratio gears. Synchro can be suspect in second and third.

If you are looking at a V6 Savage, the following points should be looked for with the V6, besides all the usual places that suffer with high mileage: scuffed bores and pistons and damaged piston rings from local overheating; if still fitted, worn fibre cam timing gears can lead to bent valves and piston damage; a dodgy oil pump drive - always replace during overhauls, but don't use a cheap one; high oil consumption, due to badly fitted inlet manifold gaskets; worn valve guides, as they are cast in the head, and so have to be machined out and new guides pressed in. Of course, if you find a Savage in good nick, the condition of the engine might be one of your lower priorities.

Interior Inspection

GT Inspection

Assuming it hasn't been tampered with, the vehicle identification plate on the driver's side of the engine bay will tell you whether you have a genuine GT on your hands or not. Here's how to decipher it all, well, for UK Mk.I models at least. For cars up to January 1965, somewhere on the plate it will say '118E', which denotes a RHD 1500, or '119E' for a LHD car. The vehicle number will be prefixed by four characters. The first is an assembly plant letter, (Z=Dagenham), the next two characters are numbers ranging from 71 to 89 indicating the model type (77=two-door GT, 78=four-door GT), and the last a letter gives the year of manufacture (B=1962, C=1963, D=1964, nb. that I, O, Q and U were skipped). After the vehicle number came a letter representing the month of manufacture. A four-door 1966 GT could have the following vehicle identification:

From January 1965 a new system was employed which better allowed for different countries of origin. The first letter pair gives the country of assembly and the assembly plant (BA=Great Britain, Dagenham). The following two digit number gives the model type, as per the previous system, but for Mk.IIs the numbers changed (96=two-door GT or 1600E, 97=four-door GT or 1600E). The next letter is again the year of manufacture, and the next letter again a month code. A vehicle number then followed. A British-built four-door 1968 Mk.II GT could have the following vehicle identification:

A further sequence then used character codes under the headings 'Drive' (1=RHD, 2=LHD), 'Engine' (5=1500), 'Transmission' (4=remote-control change gearbox), and 'Axle' (S=standard final drive ratio). For Mk.IIs the codes changed: 'Drive' (R/1=RHD, L/2=LHD), 'Engine' (G=1500 GT, N/X=1600 GT), 'Transmission' (A/1=floor change), and 'Axle' (A/2=3.9:1, A/J=3.89:1). Mk.IIs would also have on the plate one of the following: '3016E' - RHD pre-crossflow GT, Dagenham-built; '3017E' - LHD pre-crossflow GT; '3036E' - RHD crossflow; or '3037E' - LHD crossflow.

Worn synchromesh and propeller shaft bearings, indicated by driveline vibrations and free play between the two halves of each joint, are common on used and abused GTs.

Lotus-Cortina Inspection

When buying a Lotus-Cortina, take care - it's one of those particular cars of which more examples seem to exist now than when they were made. This is understandable considering how much more Lotus-Cortinas are worth over regular Cortinas. Again, check chassis plates and registration details, and look for the bulge in the boot floor to give clearance for the lowered suspension, as well as the associated reinforcing. And remember, there is no such thing as a four-door Lotus Cortina! It's probably a good idea to check with the UK-based 'Lotus-Cortina Register'.

The vehicle identification plate should be inspected for the following codes: '125E' - Mk.I Lotus-Cortina, Cheshunt-built; or '3020E' - Mk.II Lotus-Cortina, Dagenham-built. Cars with the first type of number sequence should include a '74', indicating a Lotus-Cortina body type, while a Mk.I with the second type of number sequence will also be a 74. A Mk.II Lotus-Cortina will have a '91'. Under the heading 'Engine', a Mk.II will also be denoted 'H' or 'P/Y'.

Take care also to make sure the Lotus-Cortina you're looking at has all the goodies it's meant to, and not, say, the wrong gear ratios. You might also prefer to buy one that hasn't been used in competition, especially rallying, in the interests of durability. Look for the holes left behind after the removal of competition equipment.

1600E Inspection

Once upon a time the biggest hassle you'd have with the body of a 1600E was people pinching bits off it, like the wheels. These days though, the problem is that red flaky stuff. Some people believe 1600Es were better rust-proofed or used better steel than other Mk.IIs, but this is a myth. The problem spots are typical of the early Cortinas - around the headlamps, the inner front fender panels, the outer front fender panels in the area behind the wheels, door bottoms, sills, rear wheel arches, and the jacking points. Check also the chassis end-piece for the rear spring hangers. Repairs here and around the top mounts of the front suspension should be done by welding in new metal, both for safety and for M.O.T.s and the like.

As noted elsewhere, with a tired crossflow you'll get timing chain and valve gear rattle. The gearbox can get sloppy over time and may buzz a bit. Clonking in the transmission is also a sign of old age. The front struts can get soft and the bottom ball joints worn, and this shows itself by a loss of crispness in the handling. Check the state of the suspension swivels with a large screwdriver by levering the suspension links up and down. The steering box can get sloppy too, which can make the car feel a bit like it has a mind of its own - you don't want more than an inch or so of free play at the wheel.

Price Guide (UK)

The following values are quoted in 'Practical Classics' (UK), with all values in UK£:

• Condition 1
  In excellent condition in every respect. They're not potential concours winners - negotiate your own price for those - but they are superbly maintained and free from major faults.
• Condition 2
  Capable of regular use. They may have a current MoT certificate, but might need work and or original parts to make them Condition 1 cars.
• Condition 3
  Usually need a complete rebuild, although they might be driveable.

Other Comments

In summary, as is often the case for cars of this type, pay more attention to the condition of the bodywork. A car may be poor mechanically, but if the price is lowered accordingly, mechanical work is quite straightforward and the most parts are readily obtainable. This was the case with my GT (Herb), whose donk was on its last legs at the time of purchase, but had been lavished with $3000 of bodywork and paint, which need I point out is a lot more than the cost of rebuilding an engine and replacing some parts. This may not neccessarily apply with the Lotus-Cortina, however, with its associated specialised components.

Some unusual cars to look out for, for which you might expect to pay a little extra, are the Standard models, which are extremely rare (they were only £30 less than the Deluxe), and estate cars with the fake wood trim. There is little price difference between Deluxe and Super Deluxe models, and between sedan and estate models. Estate models might only be worth 10-15% more. Choice between early and late model Mk.I's is a matter of personal preference, but I'd go for a later model (which I did) - disc brakes, nicer dash, the Airflow ventilation (which is actually very effective). If you have a choice of a 1200 or a 1500, always go the 1500. My GT 1500 has a nice turn of pace but by today's standards is not really a fast car. You'll find the 1200 a bit of a slug if you want to use it for daily driving, and perhaps also a bit less durable than the 1500, as discussed previously. And it's not really that much more economical. You may find, especially in the case of GTs, that a two-door is worth a little bit more than an equivalent four-door. This is because the body is a little bit stronger and a little bit lighter, and looks perhaps a bit cleaner design-wise, and in addition they are harder to find. If you want the rarest Mk.I, go for an 'A-bracket' Lotus-Cortina, while in the Mk.IIs you can look high and low for a GT Estate. But hey, any Cortina is a desirable Cortina.