I worked for a Ford dealer in Sunderland, England for a while and had to deliver new Cortinas for preparation for sale to the workshops some miles away and later run them back to the showroom. We hammered them through the gears and raced each other when ever there were a few to deliver!
We called the Cresta Batmobiles in the 60s and my father a Cortina GT which made me the envy of my friends. It was good to hear the voice again, much missed R.I.P. JP.
My first car was a Hillman Super Minx love that era,being a teenager at the time I abused it crashed it twice.Part exchanged it for a Vauxhall viva HC (the worse car I have had),wish I had the Hillman now ! Have had 3 MK 3 Cortina's and 2 Corsairs in my time happy days,the rust worm killed them,modern cars are good just wish they had more style.
The Vauxhall Cresta PA was the most American looking British car, with possibly the Ford Zodiac in second place. A two tone pink and white Cresta contrasts sharply, with a black, grey, blue or green Standard 8, one of the bost boring cars in c1960.
The slightly later Cresta PA was my preference. (The one with the beautiful Smile ;-) ........ I've had several, and have a picture of one above my PC screen at present, as a GOAL I want to achieve ASAP! ..... Mind you, it's been there for a few years now, and unless I win the lottery it'll be my 'only' Cresta as the £££prices are going STRATOSPHERIC! :-)
I had a Consul Cortina with rectangular rear lights but I've never seen another one. It was pre letter but I can't remember the year. Wish I still had it.
They still produce cars with hood ornaments, but they are spring-loaded, so they flip back in the event of a collision. I'm surprise no-one thought of that at the time. By the way, where is Part 1 and 2?
People call Vauxhalls and ive had 2 and to be honest they are very very reliable. Ive had almost every make of car in my lifetime including Honda (had a Type R EP3) which are suppose to be bulletproof engines. Not after 100k miles there not, they suffer from worn pulley cams making the timing chain slip after so long. Still got a Vauxhall now got the GSI and absolutley love it.
@Darwinion Hi there, a check on the DVLA records (at vehiclelicence.gov.uk) shows that the Cortina is SORNed. Probably not scrapped as it's still on the DVLA register, but probably off the road awaiting repairs/restoration.
I had one back in the late 1970s while an impoverished student at the Polytechnic of Central London. 8TRO its reg. Paid £125.00 with all my grant money for it! I believe its still on the road ...
I have owned all these cars between the 1950s 1960s and 1970s + Humber Super Snipe and Mk10 Jags also Mk1 and Mk2 Jags also Hillmans Singer Hunter Ford Zephers and consuls Morris Oxfords and Austin cambridge standed 10s and all the others too many to remember,they were all okay and all had there faults as in any car,I also had all the 1950s 60s 70s Motor bikes as well as the cars. Regards J N White
The Crests was as art car ,but its bodies were suspect to rusting from inside the body panels . It’s suspension road holding at speed was not good , rolling was felt ?
We had Farina Westminsters at the start of the 60's. My father thought the PA Cresta "vulgar". Vauxhall marketed it as an expression of modernity but in fact it was overstyled and underengineered.
Why is the video titled "Classic British Cars" ?... These are CLASSIC ENGLISH CARS, as they're made in ENGLAND, and have nothing to do with Northern Ireland, Scotland, or Wales.
@Jack Beanstalk And Buick was from Scotland. And as an American I would,nt set a foot inside an ENGLISH DUSTBIN as ENGLISH cars are only glorified GO-KARTS.
5:12 who's that guy? he had nothing to do with the cortina, the cortina was designed by an American named Roy Brown who had previously done (god forbid) the Edsel
Those sixties cars looked Bueatiful ! And some of the late 50's cars ! 70's cars were awesome looking too. Some like these dome mobile dum cars, vehicles now days over the3 decades! 2 More so ! Stupid government try destroy are history, things we love mos in this world !how about we get rid of governmens & council! ! 😄😂😂😂😂😂👀👍👌✌
Ça ne valait rien comme voiture. Dans le climat canadien ça ne fonctionnait pas. Par temps froid ça ne démarrais pas et ça n'avait aucune protection contre la rouille.
The cortina was crap!!!!!!!! no power no road holding, when rained and the wipers were on, if you put your foot on the gas the wipers would stop, the brakes were crap, it was also a rot box d'ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
