Ford's 1970's fleet favourite! 1978 FORD CORTINA 1.6 L - put through its paces! 

It's straight outta the 70s when everything was brawn, paints brown, trims brown, even the Dagenham rust was brown, trade unions ruled the roost and everyone was on the take, including the vicar, I smoked, me muvver smoked, even the baby brother smoked, Thatcher was on the scene to ruin the bloody lot and we can only look back, ace car.

My Father had a 1978 2.3 Ghia in Silver... The main thing I recall was that despite not being old how quickly it rusted. Especially in unusual areas.

Lovely to see an honest survivor, like this one, still going strong.

I remember these cars really well in the 1970's being 64 now. The 1.6 Cortina was a good standard utility car hence its mass appeal in the era.The old Pinto engine spanned nearly 30 years of use over the range of Cortinas, Granadas and Capris! Cars back then were relatively less reliable than today of course but the we had to used carburetors, manual chokes and contact breaker points which needed changed regulary to keep the cars running smoothly. The 1.6 was actually 78 BHP and the 2 Liter was 98BHP. Small power ouitput today but the 1.6 could easily reach 100MPH. Many great memories!

No fancy electronics to go wrong

Oh my.. that steering wheel position..:D

Interesting to see a UK Cortina up close like this. We had these in Australia and they were sent here as knock down kits and then assembled here by Ford or some by Renault Australia in the case of the wagon, but Ford Australia did make changes to trim and other items by using parts of the locally built Ford Falcon. Things like the inside door handles were Falcon parts out here and as a result the car had new front door cards for example. We also had the choice of the 2.0 litre four cylinder Pinto as the base engine and two six cylinder engines in 3.3 and 4.1 litres taken from the Falcon. To fit the six cylinder engines they pressed a new bonnet for the Cortina in Australia with a bulge in the centre. The sixes made the Cortina a quick car, but that wasn't really a great idea, as the Cortina's suspension was pretty crude even before all that weight in the nose and power to the rear was applied. I owned the model after this (TF Cortina in Australia) and while I loved the car, there was no question that the local Falcons were a much better handling car as was some of the Japanese cars of the time. Anyway, cool video.

My Dad had a 1977 1.6L Ford Taunus, so I grew up with that car. 😂

My dad gave me driving lessons in his mk4 Cortina and I Passed first time. I remember the Saturday that dad and I went to the Ford dealership to collect the brand new fern green 1.6L. We were invited to the unveiling the following weekend of the then Ford Capri. ..... Happy days

Ah wonderful memories! I had a blue 1.6L in 1983. Sky blue. Same year: JFE 433T. I was an estate agent at the time and I bought this off the firm as an ex fleet vehicle. I think I paid £1000. It had done pretty high mileage and I had all sorts of issues with brakes and damp. It drove well though and at the time it felt like my first ‘grown up’ car! Thanks for the memories. 😊

Great fun - had one back in the day. I'm no expert, but I think those wheels / chrome outer trims on the wheels are actually off a GL. From memory the L had more basic steel wheels and certainly no chrome trims. Anyway, I'll get my anorak 🤣

We had a Gold 1600E with restyle wheels in the 70's complete with walnut dash, loved it.

I had a Mk 4 1.6L Cortina in dark green, with green cloth seats, RRA 55R, first registered Nov 1976, from July 1980 to August 1986. It was stolen in Feb 1981, but found shortly afterwards, undamaged. It was stolen for the second time in August 1986 and never heard of again. Great car to drive, but in ice and snow, it was a good idea to put 2 bags of sand in the boot to help roadholding, as the car was front heavy. No wonder it was a best seller in the UK, although the limited number of 1.3 engines were best avoided, as they were underpowered.

When it came to Australia they stuck a 4.1 6 cylinder in it. And in that form, it was blast.

Miss these! First started driving in the mid-to-late 1980s when they were very much all over the place on UK roads. The top of the range Ghia was my favourite.

On today’s roads it would shake it to bits. I had one in the day mk 5 BBT803V . They was known to rot and the tracking was always an issue but had some good memories.

I owned a Mk5, HFD 775V in Corsican blue. It was like driving a partially sunk lifeboat. Never ending ignition issues. Although as a young fellow I remember it being a bit of a 'bird puller' at the time. Mirror aviator shades and Lacoste track suit 😆

I remember when that car was for sale by Affordable Classics in Essex , then someone else was trying to sell it for years. I had a mark 5 I should have kept but was in the business of buying and selling at the time.

I bought a 2 year old estate in 1984, I loved it

great review, i had a mark 5 1.6L,reg GAS703X,biggest problem was rot,car was fairly young and had holes in doors due to corrosion,easily fixed with newspaper and plastic padding

I owned 4 Mk 4 Cortinas. They were so easy to work on. My last one was a 2.0 Ghia Saloon, in Roman Bronze and beige vinyl roof. I still have dreams about it.

This was our family car growing up - except ours was sky blue and an r reg.

My dad had a red 1979 T reg 1.6GL. He owned it for 5 years and gave it to me in 1986 after I passed my test. I absolutely loved it and kept it for two years. It never broke down once but the car just slowly rotted away to the point where it was no longer viable to weld it at every mot.

I had two Mk4 Cortinas back in the day. A 1.6 manual and a 2.0 Auto. They were both great but the 2.0 auto was just amazing!

Great rep’s car. I had three over three years no problems over the three years. The only problem was in heavy rain when it turned into boat. Every rep would either carry a boot load of literature, or a concrete block.

We had a brand new 1980 V reg Cortina , I learnt to drive in it, the ride always was wollowy and the steering vague. The next car a Sierra was a massive leap forward in driver experience!

Holy steering wheel-on-the-piss batman

1.6 pinto very good strong little engine a pleasure to work on.

That car was in need of some serious maintenance - steering alignment would improve handling as would new shocks all round. I had a MK 3 Estate for many years. As well as regular servicing, a new clutch and a new prop shaft with new joints was all it ever needed. It handled a dream on rough Yorkshire lanes. Later i had a MK 4 Estate which was never as good as the Mk3.

I had two of these back in the day, both estates both 2.0 pintos The first was a bit of a shed but a bit of work and it was fine. The second was a nearly new crusader Mk5 just a lovely car.

Yep as a rep I had the 1.6L mk4 cortina…. Good little tub😎👌🏽

I had a MK4 back in the day. I still remember the registration, PKO 95R. The pinto engine was known for snapping cam belts though, and I had it happen on my car. Fortunately, on the 1.6 it wasn't terminal, but it was on the 2.0. They were good honest cars and cheap enough to run and maintain.

I had quite a few Cortina's (1xMk3, 3xMk4 [including an estate] and 1xMk5). I also crashed my dad's (company car) Mk5 2.0L in a ditch! They were easy to work on and the gear boxes were excellent, but they were never the best on fuel consumption compared to the main competition, Vauxhall Cavalier, which were also nicer (and quieter) inside. My favourite was my (powder blue) Mk3 which cost me £15. I painted it dark blue (with a brush) and it looked sh*t but it never let me down. Circa 1980 - happier days.

I love everything about this car. Even it's small cooling fan.

You could buy these in Australia with a 4.1 lt straight six 155 hp, the weight over the front made them understeer badly, the 2.0 lt was the sweet spot for the chassis.

My Dad had an estate in the same colour as a company car for a while. Huge in the back, but best not put anything too valuable in it because you could unlock it with a spoon handle.

I learned to drive in my mum's MK4 Cortina. Blue, tan vinyl roof, 2 litre, 4 speed manual. It was a beast 😂

My father had this car for 30 years, he had the 1.3L and then he fitted a 1.6 engine on it. I have not seen a car with less issues than this one, this is the epitome of reliability and customer respect. Personally, not my dad, i found the 1.3 engine a bit slow, but when we changed the spark plugs with better ones the car was really transformed!

My second car, same colour, 1.6L on an S plate VRU 883S. Loved it - had some very, er, "happy" moments in it! - but it had problems with transmission which cost a fortune to fix. The other thing was the seat, which had a broken spring - 40 years later, I still have a bump on botty! Oh - and it rusted REALLY badly!

Great car the Mk4 Cortina...

Always loved Cortina's, back in 70s early 80s had a MK1,1500GT, a Mk2 1600E, a MK3 which started life as a 1600GT in Daytona Yellow with black vinyl roof, it ended up with a 2.1lt Pinto with a pair of Weber 40DCOE carbs, which I keept for 6 years and had 1 MK4 loved them all, wish I still had the MK3

Can't believe who it was just popped up on my recommendations. Hope you are all well and best of luck with RU-vid.

My first car! Wheels on that one are GL, carb was single venturi and the head off the 2.0 fits the 1.6 and it gives the 1.6 a little extra 👍

My parents had a ford cortina MK4 estate bright red colour We went everywhere in it as a family Holidays days out ect Fortunately we have many old photographs of it to remember happy days ...

I had a crystal green mk5 2ltr Ghia twenty years ago. It was awesome! Colour really suited it and it was well equipped (manual windows but electric mirrors!). Loved that car, a bit slow by modern standards and still only a 4 speed manual. A car I wish I still had.

Brings back memories.me dad liked cortinas.he had a mk2 1.3 deluxe then a mk 4 1.3L then a brand new mk5 cortina 1.6 crusader.that was a lovely car.the pinto engine is indestructable.very comfortable cars for the time.ride was very exceptible back then.maybe the tyres are pumped up to much and hard with age on that one.good review.👍

My dad had a Mk5 Crusader 😊.Unlike the 2.0, its a non interfering engine. Handy when the cambelt snapped one day. AA man put a new belt on and we drove home. When the alternator went, AA only had a Granada one which fits the opposite side. He rotated the bracket 180 degrees, fitted fine. In NZ these had a 4 litre engine 😂😂

First car i drive..16 years old..1984..😊..

Lovely car,one of my favourite of the day. Plain,simple. None of all the technical, computer Bs in todays things!😊

If that were my car, I couldn't live with the steering wheel like that. It would certainly be going in for alignment.

In Australia they had a 2litre ,4 cyl ,or a 250 cross flow ,6 cyl...

Growing up in South Wales in the 70s, these old dogs were everywhere! Everyone had one! My dad had a few Cortina's, they were reliable but above all, easy and cheap to fix. By the time I was 14, I could fix one of those Mk 4s! The only downside, like all period Fords, was the Tin Worm. Later, my dad bought a Vauxhall Cavalier mk2 from 1977....it was a better car to drive than the Cortina. The Mk 5s were nice, but dated badly by then. The Sierra was a gamechanger.

I remember these coming out in late 1976 on the R plate - imo they were a very handsome car with some Mercedes overtones and better looking than the Mark 3 that was horribly outdated. I ran a series of these in the eighties from a1977 1.6L to a 1980 Mark V ('Cortina 80') 2.0GLS. The L had rubber bumper trim inserts, reclining seats with cloth trim, side coachlines, the stainless trim around the windows, halogen headlights plus inertia reel belts and that storage cubby tray in front of the gearlever. There were a few other tiny trim differences but bugger all really. Some of the car mags were snotty about the Cortina but it was a good solid car that was pleasant and easy to drive, plus it was generally reliable and easy to fix.

Love it. My Uncle’s pride and joy. Kept it immaculate. Am hunting for a good one as we speak! Great review mate. Very nicely done!

I saw these being made in Dagenham in ‘78. It was a Technical college trip, and quite an eye opener.

3.0 was SA only 👍 Good vid 👌 1.6 was single choke on all except the Ghia and S 👍

Had a 2.3 V6 Cortina Ghia in white with a black vinyl roof and deep red interior when I was 21, OUJ118W, loved it, lovely car to drive if a little thirsty. Had a 110 mph out of it once, the spare wheel for it is still in my mum’s garage 30 years after I scrapped it.😂Great review 👍

I owned three, be it in the Taunus disguise, I’m in Holland. The first one was a 1975 model, that model differed quite a bit from the British equivalent bodywise but underneath they were identical (minor detail, the Taunus had a Bosch startermotor and the British Cortina had a Lucas startermotor, the sound differed). The second one was a 1976 one, that model was exactly the same as the British Cortina. The third one was the last Taunus model, I bought it when the Sierra was already there. It was a bargain! The ride was pretty comfortable as long as you maintained them well. Rear axle rubbers needed to be in good condition, otherwise the back end could be pretty nervous. All were 1.6’s and very reliable. I wish I still had one. Oh, the Taunus/Cortina, as far as I know, never had the 3.0 litre V6 Cologne engine. The largest engine available was the Cologne 2.3 V6. Greetings from Hekelingen, Holland. Bye, Willem.

Beautiful car. It's always been one of my favourite designs.

Love the Caramac colour.

I'm probably a generation older than most of your commenters, but I think the mark 3 was the best looking cortina after the first model in the 60s. The mark 4 and 5 were only mark 3s with different body work. The soft and wallowing ride and iffy steering was similar to the Morris marina with its Morris 1000 set up in use if not design. I know as I had both. The mark 4 felt more roomy than the mark 3 but only because of its more square appearance as they were a similar size inside. They were easy to work on as I could remove and replace a engine on my drive in a day with a few mates paid in beer. Mine had been deemed a write-off at 2 years old after a crash but a new front end apart from the bonnet which survived and a respray in original bronze had it looking brand new. Great cars cortinas, first to last.

Great review. Loved my Mark V 1.6L.

Great cars in their day loved them. will be subscribing.

My first car 77 mk 4 1.6L in Forest green. RDA 275R purchased by my parents for my 18th birthday in 88

Had a 2 litre Cortina from Ford Australia and it was gutless. Kept it for 2 years and got rid of it.

Had a mk5 X reg 1.6 L that must have been about 10 years old when I bought it.The rust was in it but one of the best cars I’ve owned,agree with what you said about the ride and driving position and just loved the gearbox. Then onto a mk5 X reg 2.0 gl auto loved that one too and got me into liking auto gearbox cars. Thank you for the video looking forward to seeing the next one

One of the nicest looking cars ever.

If I remember rightly, "back in the day on the motorway", it'd be doing about 97 flat out!🤣

"Allo John, got a new motor?" This used to be my car, in faded blue. I miss it.

That takes me back to my youth! Ford engines back then definitely had a distinctive and pleasing note to them and they looked like they would perform and handle better than they actually did. Also loved the clear ergonomics of the dash and of course the higher spec models with the rev counter looked all the nicer. Cruising at 70-80 mph back then would have been doable. The one thing you mentioned about the competition, I agree the Cavalier was the main rival but I think the Marina was more of an Escort competitor than the Cortina. Perhaps the Princess would have been a more suitable rival?

OMG ..memories flooding back now ..going on my hols in one of these as a kid ..Car probably needs shocks and new springs wheel alignment is mile out 👍

I had the mark 4&5 great cars apart from rust great to see this one still going

Think it needs the tracking sorting out the way that steering wheel is set while your driving straight 😂😂😂👍👍👍👍

My first car. I loved it. Took out the interior and replaced it with Ghia. Not great on the motorway. Destroyed the engine and replaced it with a 2.3 with auto box. Very comfortable.

Nice video. I think that might have had a twin choke Weber conversion and with the KN air filter that contributes to the throaty sound under acceleration. A good job the fuel gauge works!! Not a perfect example for reasons others have said but a great survivor and very presentable - lovely to see it!

Apart from the colour this is the car I grew up with. I don't remember the ride being bad, that might be age. I do remember the noise of that engine though ❤

Has a MK5 2.0 GLS, loved it, looked the part with the spotlights etc.

Great vid - I agree just a good period colour, a survivor! It’s on GL steel wheels also period.

I had a cortina crusader. 2 tone green. Great car!

The number plate reminds me of one I saw in the 1980s on a fairly big car; it was FAT 61T - fat git! The next door neighbours at the time had a lime green Cortina 2.0 Ghia, which was rarely if ever washed and the Pinto camshaft clattered and exhaust smoked like anything, yet it would somehow always start even on a cold winter's day with a nearly flat battery, which was impressive.

Yep, had a few cortinas. Mk4 and 5. 1.6 or 2.0 L, GL and Ghia. Great cars. Single or twin chokes. The twin you could modify to make them open at the same time so it was quicker at pulling away.

Spent most of my childhood in a lipstick red 1978 1.6S 2-door. I remember my dad flicking through the catalog, pointing out the car he chose. Apparently it had to be delivered from Germany, as the “S” models were not produced in Genk, Belgium. It lasted 18 years, he gave it to me after buying a Renault 25, I drove it for a while, driving it much faster than my dad ever did, the thing just kept on going. It was written off after I crashed it..😕

I had a 1.6 GL,,,red with a black vynal roof. That car never let me down. RLO492 R Idon,t suppose it still exists now but it was one of the best i have ever owned.I did alot of miles in that car and it just kept going. Its a pity that Ford don't make cars like that today.

My 1st car was a 1982 1.6 Mark 5. Cracking car.

My first 2 cars! First was a 1.6GL, then the 2.3 Ghia. I think you have GL or even Ghia wheels on that one. Very good nick though. I'd love to have another go - even without power steering. Glad to see they still look quite roomy as well, nice work.

Bushings used to go in suspension making them wobble about mine was the same colour as that I loved it was my first car back in the 90s.

I did think about buying one for my first car and in retrospect I think I may I should have done. 😊

Love the car!!!!

A very nice example. Mk4 being a rare variant. I have a Mk3 Estate myself with the same engine and I love the sound of it. Also rather bouncy but I like that.

Loved the video - I drive her big sister (Granada 2.0L, almost same poverty spec except for headrests, rear armrest and TWO (count em) interior lights 😂) Awful lot of what you said reads across, same lovely Pinto sounds and smells, twin venturi Weber on mine, but some key differences - brakes are superb for its age, really good servo assist, front discs. Suspension is independent coils on each wheel (from the MK1 3.0S) probably the best riding car I've driven, especially on poor surfaces, but a little vague in corners. Probably same box and clutch, 4th is high geared but no idea on motorway revs due to poverty instruments 😅

Good video

Mk 5 W reg, think it was about 6 years old at the time. Jacked it up to do something on the front wheel, busy looking into the wheel arch checking stuff.....why's the wing dropping down into my line of sight...managed to throw the wheel under the suspension to stop it dropping totally on to the ground. Hole for the jack on the chassis leg had torn letting it fall off the jack. Yep, they were rot boxes even at that relatively low age-certainly compared with nowadays- though probably no worse than a lot of other 70's stuff. Yeah, ride wasn't that great from memory- live rear axle- and tail happy as soon as there was any moisture on the road...ask me how I know....Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

My Dad had a 1.6 blue estate. I learnt to drive in it. Sometimes it would pop out of 2nd gear on the over run. Rusty but easy to work on.

Had a white 2.0 litre Ghia with a tan vinyl roof and factory sunroof. It was fantastic.

I have owned 5 of these, a 1.3L, 2 x 1.6L (one of these was an estate), a 2.0 GL and a 2.3 Ghia. The last one was the 2.3 Ghia in 1997. The 1.3 was woefully slow and underpowered and ended up using just as much fuel as the 1.6 because you had to rev it hard to get anywhere in it. The 1.6 models were good and reliable, the 2.0 was a really nice car and drove really well. The 2.3 v6 was a pretty quick car for the time but it ate fuel and I used to only get around 18 to 22 MPG from it. They all were nice cars though and always felt good to drive. I now have a BMW e46 325i

Spent most of the 70's and early 80's being ferried around in Cortina estates (a Mk3 1600 XL, then a Mk5 1.6GL) - both had the same dashboard as that Mk4. Reliable family motoring, but fully loaded up for family holidays they were pretty gutless.

Yeah, my parents owned a 1979 2.0GL for 1979-1985. (It replaced a Mk3 2000 GT and tbh the subjective performance was disappointing after the Mk3). It was a very bright Signal Yellow, and had brown interior trim, with wood inlay across the dash looked really good. We had it Ziebart rust treated. I did most of the driving and from recollection the car covered around 60k miles during our tenure. The GL had more instruments, a 4-spoke steering wheel, and some chrome embellishments on the bodywork. I believe those wheels were not standard on the L btw, but were from the GL upwards. Ours did not have the chrome embellishers on the wheels, they may have been an option on the GL but standard on the S and Ghia. We had “heavy duty” suspension factory fitted as we did lots of camping trips and wanted good ground clearance as we tended to go up unmade roads/tracks in our pursuit of wild camping places in the depths of mid-Wales! At the time I enjoyed driving it, fun in its own way. The ride was very bouncy though. Not a sporting drive but I was happy to tank along at good speeds nevertheless and enjoy A and B roads. 75 indicated was sweet spot on motorways. Most reps were overtaking us though in their 1.6’s lol. We got around 31-32 mpg overall. I recollect the advertised 0-60 was 10.8 secs and 106 top speed. The gear change was a peach, class leading in its time. Boot space amazing. Seats very little support. It was not until I got my Mk3 1.6GL Escort in 1983 that I realised how terrible the vague steering was and how bouncy the ride too. So much so that, particularly in the wet, the Cortina felt very unnerving at times. The salesman who sold us both Cortina’s is still around and lives less than half a mile away from me now!

Had a twin tone Crusader….loved it.

My first car was a MK4 Cortina 2.0GL reg number GBY 215T Myself & an equally clueless/hamfisted mate removed the tiny rear light clusters & used an angle grinder to cut the metal away all the way up to the rear numberplate. We then bodged into place Granada rear lights. Making the whole of the rear end lights city! 🤗 Inside the boot they were held in place with body filler & Meccano. But let's not get hung up on such minor details eh 😗 It also ended up with the front grille from a MK5 Cortina, the wooden dashboard from a MK4 Ghia, a black vinyl roof & a steering wheel made from a length of welded chain. Plus a very sexy set of Wolfrace Slot Mag alloys! 🤗 Once I'd finished modifying (bodging) it. Some lowlife stole it! 😡 I eventually got it back in a pretty sorry state. Fixed it up then rolled it which resulted in it being written off, as it caught fire! 😳 The flush of yoof eh! 🤣

So much brown, reminds of the type of car when I started driving. Had a blue princess ( that ended up with a two tone brown drivers door) with blue interior and a red bedroom carpet that my parents were getting rid of.😁 One of the most comfortable cars I had ridden in after the hydragas was sorted Yes you are right, somehow the 13'' wheels don't seem too small for the car. Very clever, not sure if its the colour or clever body proportions. Think the high profile tyres help. Great condition though for nearly 50 years old.