After more than a million Mk.I Cortinas, the Mk.II appeared in autumn 1966, sitting on the same floorpan, but looking a whole lot different. It was the same length and had the same wheelbase, but two inches of extra width (64.9") and increased track widths (52.5" front, 51" rear) managed to make it appear larger, with its simple, clean, contemporary styling - perhaps not as interesting a design, but still easy on the eye. In fact, not all that much had changed under the bonnet, either. Same engine (64 bhp at 4500 rpm and 89 lbs/ft at 2500 rpm for the 1500), same gearbox, same rear suspension with a few adjustments for a wider track, but a few changes had been made to the front suspension. Steering was lighter, and the turning circle was smaller. Top speed was about 85 mph, 0-60 mph was around 19.0 - 19.5 seconds.

In 1967 everyone in Dagenham took a bit of a holiday for the summer of love, perhaps to listen for hidden messages in 'Sgt. Peppers', but they all re-emerged in August with what is now commonly called the 'crossflow' version of the Kent engine. This engine used a new cylinder head which had virtually no combustion chamber, and used crossflow porting. Combustion now took place in the top of the piston crown, and while the exhaust manifold remained on the left side of the engine, the inlet manifold and carby were over on the other side. The battery also migrated across to the left side of the engine bay. The new engines had also been stroked, the 1200 (1198 cc) engine becoming a 1300 (1297 cc), and the 1500 (1498 cc) growing up to 1600 (1599 cc). This new engine improved both performance and fuel economy at the same time. The 1600 lifted the top speed slightly to 87 mph, while 0-60 mph dropped down closer to 18 seconds. Bhp was up to 71 at 5000 rpm, while maximum torque was 91.5 lbs/ft at 2500 rpm. The carburettor was now an Autolite instead of a Solex. Other changes were more padding in the dashboard and recessed gauges and instruments.

October 1968 saw a small facelift, with a new grille and new interior, and the handbrake was moved to the transmission tunnel at long last (although Ford Australia's Falcon still featured an under-dash handbrake into the early 90's, so don't complain). A slicker shifter was installed, along with an automatic choke, a high-output generator, an aluminised exhaust system, and a heavy-duty heater.

Late '69 saw the replacement of the generator with an alternator. The Mk.II made it into the first year of the '70s, and like the Mk.I, over one million were built.

Ford managed to shift about 17000 Cortinas in 1968, with the biggest market competitor being Volkswagen. Morris (1100 and its derivatives), Hillman (Hunter) and Vauxhall (Viva) were also contesting in the same market segment. By this stage Mazda, Datsun and Toyota were also making their presence felt. The Mk.II sold through to late 1971 in Australia, when it was replaced by the Mk.III, more commonly known in Australia as the TC Cortina, which was followed by the TD. Just for interest's sake, I'll mention that all Mk.III and Mk.IV Cortinas (TE and TF) Cortinas were available with 200 ci (3.3 litre) and 250 ci (4.1 litre) straight sixes as used in the local Falcon models. Don't get too excited - sure they were quick, but the handling sucked...

PACER FROM FORD'S BRITISH STABLE - In the compact Cortina, the company is betting it has another Mustang-type winner. And the devaluation of the pound may give it an edge over rivals VW and Opel in the U.S. import market. 'Business Week', November 25 1967

The Mk.II Cortina was introduced to the US market in mid-February 1967. As evidenced in the image below, sent to me by Ron Bruner, each Mk.II Cortina was driven into the Atlantic, and emerged somewhere on the East Coast ready to sell (after the barnacles were removed from the underside of course). As evidenced by the image on the left, also sent to me by Ron Bruner (thanks mate!), the car was promoted as the 'Model C', which is just what in seems these days - a lame attempt to give the car some sort of 'vehicle for the masses' aura like the Model T. Available were two and four-door sedans ($1815 and $1935), a wagon ($2152), all with optional automatic transmissions, and two and four-door GTs ($2172 and $2291). The new model, touted as having a 'distinctly American flair', actually lifted EnFo sales quite dramatically, from 7932 in 1966, to 16193 in 1967, with the Anglia 1200 being the only other model sold.

Early 1968 saw the Cortinas worldwide pick up the crossflow engine as detailed elsewhere, but later in the year the American models subjected to a number of changes due to Federal safety regulations. Two separate amber turn signal lamps were mounted on the grille, inside each headlamp. Side markers went on each front fender, and at the rear of the station wagon. Cortinas in all markets around the world also received more dashboard padding and recessed knobs and gauges this year, perhaps done by Dagenham at Ford USA's behest? By now the Cortina was the sole EnFo product, and 22983 were imported into the USA, making this the peak year for Cortina sales in the USA.

For 1969 the park/and signal lamps migrated down to under the bumper. The success of the Cortina in the previous year obviously encouraged Ford to expand the Cortina line-up, and two new base models appeared this year, though all cars featured the 1600, the smaller 1200/1300 never being available for the Mk.II in the USA. The old level of appointment became a 'Deluxe', accompanied by a hefty price hike, but the new standard models were less than the previous year's models. The range was the standard two and four-door ($1849 and $1964), the two and four-door Deluxe ($1932 and $2047), the station wagon ($2270), and two and four-door GTs ($2313 and $2430). An automatic cost $216. This expanded line-up didn't improve Cortina sales, which remained steady at 21496.

1970 was the last year a Cortina was sold in the USA. Sales dwindled down to 10216, and the notorious Pinto took up the slack - a superior car (that is, if you think a car that bursts into flame when hit from behind is superior). This signalled the end of EnFo operations. This year's cars had larger side marker lenses, the generator replaced with an alternator, and were fitted with emission control equipment. Prices rose again, the standard two and four-doors being $1889 and $2004 respectively, the two and four-door Deluxes being $1977 and $2092, the wagon $2304, the two-door GT $2358, and the four-door GT $2475. An automatic was still $216, while the 'Standard Catalog of Imported Cars' notes that whitewall 'tires' (I hate that spelling) were $33. Cool.

David Alexander (Alberta, Canada) supplied the following information:

GT and Deluxe models in 69 and 70 had 'deep embossed' vinyl on central portions of seating surfaces, and switched to a locking steering wheel/long ignition key in 1970. The headliner switched from a stars design to spongy look around 69. GT models had full length console in 69 and 70 with shorter consoles on earlier units. Starting in 69, GTand Deluxe models sported the bright metal trim on window frames, wheel openings/rocker panels and the 2 horizontal strips on the rear with the matte black center. Radial tires became standard on GTs here around 1969. Any comments or corrections, feel free to e-mail me at chrisndave@shaw.ca