Tag Archives: Cortina

Petrol In My Blood – Eric Jackson

Petrol In My Blood, Eric Jackson

When I was a kid I was lucky to be taken by my parents on several epic road journeys including Athens to London in an Austin A40 Countryman and Durban to Mufulira, I’ll let you look it up, in a Ford Escort Estate.

These were sedate trips compared to those made by Eric Jackson and Ken Chambers who drove a Ford Cortina GT to set a new record for driving from London to Capetown in 13 days 8 hours and 48 mins, 14 mins faster than the previous record. Jackson and Chambers record stood for 47 years until the record was lowered to 11 days 14 hours and 11 mins in 2010 by Mac & Steve Mackenney with Chris Rawlings driving a Land Rover Discovery

“Petrol In My Blood” by Eric Jackson retells his life story from humble beginnings in Barnsley where he was the son of a traveler to becoming one of the country’s leading Ford dealers.

The gripping story covers many other tales including; racing the RMS Windsor Castle from Cape Town to Southamptonand driving a Ford Consul around the world in 43 days.

Erics adventures in a Ford Zodiac Mk 4 which included a Monte Carlo Rally and a 100 mph average speed record for seven days and nights set at Monza with Ken Chambers, John Beckhart, Michael Bowler and John Maclean all sharing the driving are also included.

In between the records Eric also won the RAC Rally Championship and narrowly missed out on becoming a shipping tycoon. Petrol In My Blood could hardly fail to be an interesting read and a further taster of the books contents can be found on the Damn Long Way website linked here.

The book is self published and available from lulu.com in hardback £27.07 or paper back £12.09 my soft back came through in a couple of days.

Thanks for joining me on this “Petrol In My Blood Edition” of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

The English Ford Line – Lotus 28 #17

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I first featured a Ford Consul Cortina by Lotus, Lotus Type 28, just over a year ago and believe the model is worth a second look today because the car featured here is thought to be the 17th of 1000 that were originally scheduled to be built.

Furthermore this car registered ‘166 RUR’ is the first, of a team of twelve works Team Lotus racers, that was built in 1963.

“166 RUR’s” racing career started at Oulton Park on the 20th September 1963 with inaugural, 1958, British Saloon Car Champion Jack Sears at the wheel. This ‘Lotus Cortina’ along with an earlier Ford Cortina GT and Ford Galaxie helped Jack become the British Saloon Car Champion for a second time in 1963.

The week after “166 RUR’s” debut 1963 World Driver Champion Jim Clark took over the wheel at Snetterton, Jim would become the 1964 British Saloon Car Champion driving Works Lotus Cortina’s.

This cars next appearance was as a part of “The English Ford Line” team entered for the Sebring “250” on the 22nd March 1964 with Dan Gurney at the wheel. Dan came in 16th while Clark in the sister team car came home third behind Augie Pabst, driving a Galaxie, and Walt Hangsen driving a Falcon Sprint.

Dan Gurney’s 1964 presidential campaign started by Car and Driver Editor David E. Davis Jr did not get under way until May 1964, just over a month after Dan drove this car.

A variety of drivers continued to campaign “166 RUR” through 1964 including Sir John Whitmore winner at Pensacola, Grand Prix driver Peter Arundell, 6th at Riverside, abd towards the end of the year future TV pundit David Hobbs shared the car with Dave Clark, no relation to Jim, for a 9th place finish in the Marlboro 12 hours in Virginia.

Thanks for joining me on this “The English Ford Line” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now.

A New Peak – Ford Cortina Mk III

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Barry Gill talking in a Ford promotional video claimed Ford had brought motoring to a new peak when they launched the Cortina MK III in 1970 and sales would prove that the claim was not without substance in the minds of the paying public.

The new car with late 60’s wide hip US Ford Torino influenced styling was several inches wider and lower than the million plus selling Ford Cortina Mk II.

As with the Cortina Mk II there was a plethora of different models L and XL models featured a pair of head lights while the GT, GXL variations featured twined pairs of headlights and Rostyle wheels as seen in the photo below. The XL model in the top photo appears to have a set of out of period RS wheels.

The Peak Performer came in 2 door, 4 door and 5 door estate versions while specialists like Crayford would be more than turn a Saloon / Sedan into a convertible. In South Africa a pickup ‘P100’ variation of the Mk III Cortina was also built.

In late 1973 the Cortina recieved a mild face lift known as the TD, the Cortina (TD) 1300 above seen in Malta is almost indistinguishable from the XL at the top of the post the GT and 2000E which replaced the GXL featured square headlights in place of the twined pairs of head lights of the original Mk III.

In the UK 4 cylinder overhead valve Kent and single overhead cam Pinto engines from 1.3 litre / 79 cui to 2 litres / 122 cui were available dependent on the different trim specifications.

Despite the Peak Performance tag Mk III Cortina’s were never intended for competition although Radio Presenter Noel Edmonds gained a fair amount of publicity for driving one in production saloon car races and Ford did organise a celebrity series called the BAE Trident trophy when the Mk III was launched with participants including Formula One champions Graham Hill and John Surtees along with British Rally ace Roger Clark. Those in the UK wanting larger motors had to turn to Jeff Uren who fitted Essex 144 hp 3 litre V6 motors which could be specified with Westlake cylinder heads giving 190 hp or additionally with Tecalemit fuel injection under an impressively ventilated bonnet / hood to give 218 hp and a zero to 60 mph time of 7 road burning seconds.

Those living in Australia could order their Cortina’s with a factory fitted straight six Ford (Australian) Falcon 4.1 litre / 250 cui motor while in South Africa a Essex V6 versions of the Mk III Cortina were built with the top of the range 3 litre / 183 cui carrying a Perana badge. Like the Mk II Cortina sales of the Mk III Cortina reached well over a million by the time production ceased in 1976.

Thanks for joining me on this ‘A New Peak’ edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I shall be looking at Ford Torino a US contemporary of the Mk III Cortina. Don’t forget to come back now !

09 05 12 PS I did not know it at the time of the original post but a Ford Cortina features in a car chase in the 2011 Robert De Niro action movie ‘Killer Elite‘.

Armless Fun – Ford P100

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The origins of the car based Ford P100 pick up lie in South Africa where the first P100’s were built using the front half of a 2 door Ford Cortina Mk 3 and a ladder chassis for the rear in 1971.

Similar vehicles followed with the front half of 4 door Ford Cortina Mk’s 4 and 5 from 1977 and 1980 respectively, with export of the model to Europe beginning in 1982.

In 1988 with the withdrawal of Ford from South Africa a new P100, designed by Ford of N
Britain such as the one featured today, with the front half of the 4 door Ford Sierra shell was built in Portugal and offered with either a heavy duty 205 block 2 liter / 122 cui Pinto or 1,8 liter / 109 cui turbo diesel motors.

The running gear for the P100 came from the parts pins of the Ford Granada saloon sedan and Ford Transit Van models and the pick up was given a 1000 kg / 2200 lbs load capacity.

With so much of the P100 being based on a car it does not cost an arm and a leg to run a modified one with lots of competition parts, Armless Fun has front panels below the bonnet hood that come from the Ford performance ‘RS’ catalog including the aggressive twin head light units.

Armless Fun seen here at last years Silverstone Classic goes further than most in the modification stakes having a supercharged 4.6 liter / 280 cui Rover V8 derived motor under the bonnet / hood providing just enough power to make Armless Fun UK Burnout Champion from 2007 – 2010.

Thanks for joining me on this ‘Armless Fun’ edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’ I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a vintage MG. Don’t forget to come back now !

The Car You Always Promised Yourself – Ford Capri 1600 L

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The concept of the ‘pony car’ is generally agreed to have been formulated by Ford when it popped a sports car body onto saloon / sedan running gear of the Ford Falcon and called the result the Ford Mustang.

By 1969 Ford in Europe emulated their US cousins by plonking a cool coupé body on the running gear of the evergreen Ford Cortina Mk2 Saloon / Sedan and marketing it as the “Car You Always Promised Yourself“.

And for many people it really was over 1 million of the Mk1 versions were sold between 1969 and 1974 with a range of engines from 1.3 litres / 79 cui to eventually 3.1 litres 189 cui with an extremely limited edition homologation racing special having a 24 valve 3.4 litre / 207 cui motor fitted.

The Rostyle steel wheels on this example were identical to those found on the Cortina 1600E and usually fitted to the XL Capri variants, this 1969 1600 L fitted with 4 cylinder ‘Kent’ motor normally would have far more utilitarian steel wheels fitted with hub caps when it left the factory.

The intakes ahead of the rear wheels are dummies, just like those on the original 1964 Ford Mustang which inspired much of the design philosophy of the Capri.

The Capri Mk 1 was sold without the Ford Badges in the United States by Lincoln – Mercury Dealers and was marketed as the ‘Sexy European‘ perhaps reflecting the popularity of this model among the stereo typical hedonist ‘Medallian Men’ of Europe.

Thanks for joining me on this ‘Sexy European’ edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’, I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow when I will be looking at a rare contemporary American GT racing car. Don’t forget to come back now

New Cortina is more Cortina – Ford Cortina Mk2

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The Roy Haynes designed second incarnation of the Ford Cortina MK2 was launched in 1966 with a range of 4 cylinder ‘Kent’ motors ranging 1.2 litres / 73 cui to 1.5 litres 91 cui.

Above is a 1966 1500GT with a Crayford Cabriolet Conversion seen last year at the Goodwood Revival.

The 1300 cc / 79 cui Cortina above was acquired as a used model by London based Australian Dental Surgeon ‘Doc’ Merfield who raced under the Team Boomerang banner. The ‘Doc’ fitted one of the five prototype Coventry Climax V8 ‘Godiva’ FPE Formula One motors and raced it from 1969 and 1973. In 1979 the car was discovered in East London without the engine and has been restored with a Donovan V8.

In 1967 Ford marketed a performance version of the Mk2 Cortina known as the Cortina Lotus, the reversal of the Mk1’s Lotus Cortina branding signifying that these cars were wholly manufactured by Ford where as manufacture of Mk1 Lotus Cortina was completed on the Lotus premises. The 108 mph Cortina Lotus like the one used the same Lotus developed motor as the Mk1 and the Lotus Elan. Later Cortina Lotus models were rebranded as Cortina Twin Cams. The Cortina Lotus was widely used in racing and rally competition until it was replaced by the smaller Ford Escort competition models in in 1968.

For those not interested in competing with their Cortina’s the 1600 GT powered by a ‘Kent’ motor was the performance Cortina of choice, Blown Hell above started life as a 1600 GT but has since been fitted with a supercharged 3.5 litre / 215 cui Rover V8 for drag racing.

The Cortina Estate / Station Wagon above was highly rated for it’s then unparalleled load space the car seen above at Shakespeare County Raceway started life as a Cortina ‘Super’ but has since also been fitted with a 3.5 litre / 215 cui Rover V8.

The most refined of the New Cortina models was 1600E launched in October 1967, this featured a 1600 GT Kent motor, Rostyle wheels, twin fog lights, bucket seats, sports steering wheel and instrumentation, along with luxury walnut woodgrain trim. I remember when my neighbor’s Dad showed up with a 1600E in 1968 every kid on the block including me could not wait to be taken for a ride in it !

Thanks for joining me on this New Cortina edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’ I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

PS Don’t forget …

Automobiliart GALPOT Seasonal Quiz

December 26th – January 2nd

Win a set of Paul Chenard Greetings Cards

Set 1 Sports & GT Cars

Set 2 Phil Hill World Drivers Championship 50th Anniversary Edition

Set 3 1934 Season

Set 4 Grand Prix Engines of the 1950’s

Set 5 Mike Hawthorn’s Race Cars

The Automobiliart GALPOT Seasonal Quiz will comprise 8 categories.

Overall winner chooses one set of Paul Chenard Greetings Cards from the five sets shown above.

The cards measure 15.24cm x 11.43cm, come in packs of 12 with 3 copies of 4 designs in each set, plus A6 envelopes.

Which set will you choose ?

The free to enter Automobiliart GALPOT Seasonal Quiz will run from December 26th – January 2nd Entries close January 8th 2012, Winner announced January 16th 2012.

Full details on December 26th at GALPOT.

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged 1300, 1600E, 1600GT, Automobiliart, Cortina, Ford, GALPOT, Haynes, Lotus, MK2, Quiz, Roy, Seasonal, Super on January 4, 2012 by Ralph.

Developed by Lotus – Ford Consul Cortina Lotus

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It never ceases to amaze me how little I know about motor vehicles despite a lifetimes interest, for example when I took the photo’s featured today, I was sure I was taking pictures of a Lotus Cortina, the clues being the Green Stripe and Lotus badges.

However when I got home I was surprised to find the name plate on the front of the car read ‘Consul’. Thanks to Brian C at the Official Lotus Cortina Register Forum I have found out that the original Lotus Cortinas were badged as Consuls and indeed the car was marketed as the Consul Cortina – Developed by Lotus.

The original Lotus 28, Consul Cortina package based on the 2 door Consul Cortina body launched in 1962, included a 105hp 1558cc / 95 cui twin cam version of the Ford Kent ohv engine as used in the Lotus 23 racing car and Elan production car with a close ratio gearbox also from the Elan.

A unique A frame rear suspension was developed for the Consul Cortina by Lotus that proved so fragile that it was dropped in favour of the Cortina GT semi eliptic rear suspension when the model was upgraded in 1964 and rebadged as the ‘Cortina’ by Lotus.

The boot, bonnet and doors were made in light weight alloy with additional dash gauges, tachometer, oil pressure and water temperature included with a wood-rimmed steering wheel to complete this highly desirable 100 mph saloon car.

The thinking behind this model was that it should be used for racing and works Lotus driver Jim Clark was one of many to drive a Consul Cortina Lotus to victory lane.

All bar one of the original Consul Cortinas designed by Lotus were painted white with a green stripe, one suspicious customer had a dark blue stripe and Ford built several cars for racing painted red. The Consul Cortina by Lotus was not the most reliable of vehicles, the perceived performance bonuses were credited in the publics mind to Lotus while the unreliability problems were credited to Ford much to the latters annoyance.

My thanks to David Roots for his invitation to attend the recent Classic and Sports Car Action Day at Castle Combe and to Brian C at the Lotus Cortina Register Forum for his help identifying today’s featured car.

Thanks for joining me on today’s Consul edition of ‘Gettin’ a lil’ psycho on tyres’ I hope you will join me again tomorrow for Ferrari Friday. Don’t forget to come back now !

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged 28, Art, Clark, Consul, Cortina, Elan, Ford, GALPOT, Jim, Kent, Lotus, Register, Tidesco on June 30, 2011 by psychoontyres.

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Gettin' A Li'l Psycho On Tyres

Art Tidesco blogs on all things motoring

Tag Archives: Cortina

Petrol In My Blood – Eric Jackson

The English Ford Line – Lotus 28 #17

A New Peak – Ford Cortina Mk III

Armless Fun – Ford P100

The Car You Always Promised Yourself – Ford Capri 1600 L

New Cortina is more Cortina – Ford Cortina Mk2

Developed by Lotus – Ford Consul Cortina Lotus