Nasser Elskaf's 1973 Ford Cortina - Reader Ride

By: Guy Allen, Unique Cars mag, Photography by: Ellen Dewar and Alastair Brook

Date: 01.06.2023

Nassar Elskaf has owned his 1973 Cortina from new

Nasser’s relationship with his Cortina goes a step further than for most owners: he was actually on the production line when it was built! "I worked for Ford nearly nine years from 1968 to 1977," he explained.

At the time he was in the paint shop and recalls doing a huge amount of overtime putting stripes on GT Falcons.

"I put the order in for the car (a 2.0lt auto with a bench seat up front) and started to watch it as it went down the line. I had a friend in the welding section and he stopped the line and went over every weld. The foreman was very upset, ‘Who bloody well stopped the line?!’

"It was checked after the first run through the paint shop and was rejected, so it went through again. Five times it went through! Then the inspector came up and said, "My friend, that’s enough – I can’t do more than that.’"

The Cortina that never stopped

That went on the whole way down the production process – even the automatic transmission was built by hand.

"It was a beautiful car when it came out," says Nasser with a grin, "It always started straight away and never stopped.

"At that time the wages were $70 a week, and that car cost me $3100 on the road. I couldn’t afford a Falcon or GT."

Why did he hang on to the car for so long? "Because I love it. It was cheap on petrol and went well. I just never needed to change the car."

He did at one stage consider selling after the car was stolen in the late 1990s and eventually returned. For whatever reason, that incident seemed to temporarily break the long-term bond. While the Cortina had been returned, the bench front seat and some parts out of the engine bay had gone missing. It was put away in a shed and forgotten about.

Nasser’s wife convinced him to keep the car for son-in-law Gabriel (whose superb HT Monaro feature in issue 467), despite offers of $200 and $500 over the years.

Then, finally, five years ago, Gabriel got the ball rolling for a full restoration. Everything needed to be done: body, paint, mechanicals, trim. Weirdly, getting a replacement bench seat for the front was by far the most difficult part to source.

Trim in great original condition thanks to a recent resto. Bench seat and auto trans combo along with some lovely styling details

Nasser of course has had other cars since, none of which have stayed for any great length of time. And he admits it was a bit of a shock to drive the Cortina again after a long lay-off. Though running perfectly, it was very different to his more modern cars with power steering and lighter controls.

"I’m very happy to see the car going and know where it is." For the time being it’s Gabriel’s car, though Nasser jokes about demanding it back. In any case, it’s living in his garage and we suspect it will end up in the hands of the next generation, or two…

From Unique Cars #478, May 2023 

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