Ford Cortina 1979 - today's tempter

By: Guy Allen, Unique Cars magazine

Date: 25.06.2017

Where did all these things go?

The combo of the 2.0lt engine and four-speed manual is a good one.

Ford sold more than a few truck loads of this era Cortina, the MkIII or TC-onwards series - but they're not exactly thick on the ground these days.

The glam models were the ones with the big sixes in the snout, either 200 or 250 cubic inches (3.3 or 4.1lt), though our own Dave Morley rates them as the original lead-tipped arrows.

That said, the sixes have plenty of fans and they are quick.

Some would argue, these days, you might be better off the with the relatively humble Pinto 2.0lt four which was good for about 100hp in stock form. That wasn't a bad number for the day, and you can get more out of them. The much lower weight in the snout means you should have a better-balanced car.

This TE caught our eye because it has what we'd see as an ideal combo - the Pinto with a four-speed manual.

Its NSW-based owner says this is a good resto project, which may be a good or bad thing - hard to say until you take a look. In any case, a well set-up one is potentially a fun and cheap classic.

Priced at $4000, you can find it here.

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