Real Road Test: Mk3 Cortina. Includes Pete C! 

I have a feeling that Cortina is in better shape now than when it left the factory.

My name's Gene Hunt and i'm Your DCI. it's 1973, nearly dinnertime, I'm 'avin Hoops...

I’m not a ford man hubnut... but those GXL,s are a bloody lovely design and that 70,s color is awesome even the interior is so cool. Great vid

Life ... I watched this episode on the same week you published and now I have both models in my garage today. Thank you God🎉

Can see why people rave about these, that GXL is stunning - what a plush interior!

Can I please thank Ian for this great review. Im biased of course, but, im impressed how astute Ian is. I only briefly mentioned the tech info (and there was a lot!) and Ian managed to recall a lot of little details with aplomb. Well done Ian. I should have told mr hubnut, RE the cruise, you only need to touch the brake pedal very lightly to cancel, then pull UP on stalk to resume previous set speed. Whole cruise system is a hoot to use, pure JOY, THANK YOU HUBNUT for reviewing the car! And thanks to Andy for drone footage. RE auto wash system, the secondary stalk has control of the automated rain sensing system, the 'one touch wash wipe' did actually give you the final wipe, the time settings can be varied. If heavy rain hits the screen such as tyre spray from trucks etc, the system will take over and activate a fast wipe, the whole system can be deactivated by pushing stalk down, default setting is off unless primed with the one touch wash wipe. sounds complicated but its not. the bleep bleep was an attempt to connect to your phone. Cruise control, after a year or 2 testing has been faultless, and will hold speed to tolerance of 3 mph theres more but it can be seen on the build vid!!!

all of a sudden i’m six years old again thank you. beautiful car ❤️

What a beauty Ruby is. I love the dash so 70s so cool. Watching you two bounce along was like watching an episode of the Sweeney but with Viven and Neil instead of Jack and George.

My first car was a Mk3, 1300L. If you were unlucky, the gearstick would come out in your hand. Happy days.

I always consider 1970 as the high-water mark of UK post-war optimism and growing prosperity outside London, and I think the mk3 Cortina was born of that era, and remains an icon of it.

My 2 favourite channels collide 😍 this is wonderful. Thanks for reviewing Ruby Ian I thoroughly enjoyed it.

As a very young child I was hypnotized by the glow of the heated rear window switch, down on the right of the steering wheel.

I love seventies Fords. MkIII Cortinas, Mki Granadas and MkI and MkII Capris. All fantastic looking cars.

My Grandfather (Pop) had a brand new orange Mark 3, and as a nine or eight year old (1970 or '71) I was suddenly called upon to give the thing a steer as we were travelling through some country roads in Kent.

What a super tidy Cortina, love the subtle resto-mods like heated seats and the Granada cruise control. Can't beat the Mk1 for sheer style though, especially in Lotus livery.

A fantastic restoration but one thing for sure is that MK3 Cortina's had a very compliant ride unlike the car you drove. The foot operated windscreen wiper had a steel ring around the rubber wash actuator and was a unique feature for operating the wipers by simply tapping it. If you wanted full washy-wiper press the rubber doughnut

That really is one of the nicest looking cars of all time. Great film, very much enjoyed it.

Hi Ian, here in Australia we also got the Cortina in a 6 cylinder up to 250ci! Quite the handful

hubnuts smile when pete floors it

Lovely GXL still looks good today, nice curves and lines. Proper 70's colour too, good decade.

The mk3 GXL was one ford Ford of England's best ever looking cars

Lovely!! Eddie Shoestring drove the estate version in that long forgotten tv series.

I never thought I'd describe a Mk III as a truly beautiful car.................. Fascinating!

The little diamond air freshener brings back memories for me, can't believe they still sell it! My dad had one in the first family car and I remember the day he swapped it out for a new one and I asked for the old one to keep because I thought it was a real diamond inside. I wasn't the brightest of kids.

I was a big fan of the Mk3 GXL and the later 2000E. I owned a Mk4 GL, which was a very comfortable car. Great to see Pete C on your channel.

Pete C is a legend

Magnificent. Spent many hours in these when I was a kid. My old man had estates, then moved up to Granadas..... got me into cars in a big way. MK1 escort was my first car.....

Really enjoyed the drone fly over .sounds great when opened up fantastic restoration

The Mk lll Cortina was a stylish car as long as you avoided poverty spec ones. They were comfortable around town but the handling could be a bit hairy at speed and the engines didn't like revs. The pedant in me can't help correcting you about the estate. The Mk lV used the bodyshell of the Taunus, the less curvy German version of the Cortina

I miss my 1975 2.0L Cortina! I also drove a 250 ci straight 6 with 4 speed toploader once. Went like stink in a straight line!

Gonna give Pete C a follow now! Cheers for that endorsement. Combining the gorgeous looks with the MkIII with a cannibalised power steering unit from a later model is genius. I remember these cars from my childhood. ❤

I miss the days when cars came in colours other than black, grey and silver. That yellow really pops, especially with the vinyl roof! And I miss Cortinas too. Growing up, my family never owned one (my Dad went straight from his Marina estate via a MK2 Cavalier estate, to a MK1 Sierra) but they were everywhere on our estate in Kidderminster. Mainly Mk4s and 5s (there was a metallic green Crusader a couple of doors up, and a friend's mum had a red estate - as you say, still with the Coke-bottle haunches) but there were also a couple of Mk3s - both very rusty by that point (late Eighties). I almost bought a Mk4 1600L automatic for £350 a few years back, just before Ford prices went bonkers. I guess it's because there are so few old Fords left now, despite the millions made, that have pushed values up. Like you, I've no specific dislike of them - some, like this one, are beautiful, and I do like some of the earlier big ones such as the Zodiac, Consul etc, but I must admit owning an old Volvo kind of spoils you when it comes to things like build quality and rust resistance! I did watch some of Pete's Project Bramble videos - a brave save indeed, that one! - and I very much like his approach of upgrading older vehicles with modern amenities in order to make them easier to live with, but hidden away, to preserve originality. So far my additions on that score have been limited to adding an Aux-in to the original 1982 tape deck (an easy mod if it has an EQ plug), an OEM Volvo outside temp gauge, and period cadmium yellow fog lamps, but then, my car already has heated seats, power steering and central locking :) Now I want a Feu Orange air freshener! The smoker's choice back in the 80s - I remember my Dad piercing them with the little pin!

My first car was a Cortina 2000E...unfortunately it wasn’t in the condition of that GXL...which is stunning.

Complete with retro air freshener. Remember them traffic light air fresheners from my childhood

Just popped over from Cortina City to say Great review and a great car, watched Pete build this, and one of his other cars called Swampy, he is currently restoring a 2 door GLX he pulled out of a hedge, If you like Mk 3's, or are a restoration fan, you need to get yourself over to Pets channel, Loads of fun!!

Similarly, I'm not a Ford sycophant. That said, if they reintroduced the basic Mark 3 Cortina (without modern diagnostic garbage) I'd be sorely tempted. Design-wise, it's a true Glam Rock 70's legend!

Brilliantly filmed as usual ian. Thanks for the upload!

Pete c did a stunning job rebuilding that car, watch the series of videos on it, he is presently doing bramble, and its already like a new car compared to where it began, meticulous doesnt even begin to cover his dedication and attention to detail.

I love the air freshener....... I had forgotten all about those...... but always had them back in the day when I first started driving... (1979) 👍

My dad used to own an old Mark IV Cortina Estate and I loved it so much! It wasn't the best looking car but there was something about those older cars that made, and still makes me, really very happy indeed. He had to get rid of it (much like many other cars he used to own as we were always strapped for cash) when the brakes failed and he couldn't get it fixed for monetary reasons. Still, these older cars, especially this gorgeous example in that amazing yellow (which I normally don't like as a colour on cars but this looks stunning!) is just a true beauty to behold. :D

Amazing restoration my dad had one just the same .l just love it ..really got me a bit emotional looking at it thank you for showing it and the the restorer is a genius amen

Great video as usual. that traffic light air freshener brings me back so many memories, my uncle had one on is first gen Renault Clio van

aged 15 I did a camping trip around somewhere called Europe in a MK3 around 1973 - very memorable, a brilliant car.

My father had a MK3 Cortina. Certainly had a vinyl roof, can’t remember which specific model. The local ice cream van man used to stop outside our house and admired the car, eventually bought it off my father. Of the various cars dad had when I was growing up it’s the one I remember as the most impressive.

My two fave youtubers in one episode, Pete's latest project Bramble is coming on a treat.

When I was a lad, my Scout leader had one of these. Only, being in Australia, Ford fitted the 4.1 litre 6 cylinder Falcon engine. We didn't go in for "Mk 3" and knew it as the "TC"

Yet another fantastic vid and my two favourite RU-vidrs thanx for sharing 👍👍

Pete C cortina city is a legend

What a beautiful car! Brings back great memories of my 73 1.6L. I loved it. My brother had a blue 2.0 GT on an M plate. I'd love to have one again. Great review!

Pete c s green Cortina is featured in the latest The Grand Tour ,James May is driving it .

my fave cars of all time, the mk3 Cortina, would love to drive one! ive had a mk2, but the 3's do it for me!

Great video. My Dad bought one new in 72, I remember going to the dealership with him , I thought a 1600 XL would be his limit but he ordered a 2 litre GXL in Pearl Grey with red interior . We used to polish the vinyl roof with shoe polish, lovely shine. I used to drive it occasionally, great memories.

Great video, as always. Many thanks. Good styling on that 1971-series Cortina. Everything in the UK happens a few years after the US, and in a way, I see quite a few styling details from the great looking 1968 American Ford LTD - just the styling miniaturised for Europe. Cheers.

We had a GXL and two 2000Es in period and enjoyed them despite their flaws. One was aerodynamic lift - on the motorway you would see them with the front wheels almost hanging out of the arches. Ford were aware as the MkIV had an air dam. We put Konis on the last one which was a major improvement but on the day it was sold I had a ride in the back and was appalled! You could feel those links fighting with each other which was why they had the void bushes to prevent the back end locking up. That wash/wipe on the GXL was excellent as you could have both or just intermittent wipe with a bit of fancy footwork.

my dad had a mk3 blue 2000e when i was about 14 years old i really liked it it felt very posh to me then it doesn't look half bad now.

Thanks for the memories of my old 1972 2000GXL saloon, which (back in 1980), I stripped to the bare shell, then rebuilt with uprated suspension, and engine and box replaced with those from a 3 litre Capri. It made for a lovely long-distance cruiser, and handled nicely too, without the weight and size of the Granada. I think the standard Cortina seats were the most comfortable of any car I've ever owned, before or since. No wonder company reps (as I was) loved them.

Look at you with your 30k subscribers and going all celebrity on us! 😉. I approve wholeheartedly of the discrete modifications!

I'm a follower of Pete C's channel and he's being too modest, these cars were like Swiss cheese and total scrap before he transformed them.

More great memories from my childhood; my Dad had a slightly later silver 2000E with a black vinyl roof, a bit of an upgrade after the Maxi. Cool indeed.

Usually when I like a car, nobody else does! But they do like the Mark 3 CORTINA!

Had a mark 3 2000E,1976...bought in 1983,had it around 10..when it was rear shunted by a transit,,lovely cars,,but keeping on top of the rust,,could be difficult.,mine had,2 new front wings,sills,rear arches,front and rear valance,,,, engine wise,,lovely to work on.,,and plenty of space...but yeah,nice cars.

The very best looking saloon that Ford ever produced and I was gutted that they stopped making them just before I became a company car driver ! Later Cortina's just never had the style of these.

That brought back a lot of memories for me. My Dad's 2nd company car was an 'M' Reg Mk3 2000E. He got it in August 73, in dark purple with the vinal roof, and lovely crushed velour upholstry, in blue I think. That Cortina was always my favourite of all his company cars, he went onto a Mk4 afterwards and then the facelifed 'Mk5' after that. All of them had the 3 speed auto box and the 2.0 ltr engine. My brother and I loved being driven around in those cars! Jonathan

That interior is to die for ❤

Excellent review ian.love this car,seen it in the flesh and it really is a stunner.Check out pete c cortina city bramble build and the ruby videos.Very worth while better than tv also patreon for extra footage ,knowhow and banter.

Yay! My first car...Mk3 Cortina, 2ltr GXL LOV696P in blue, but the later interior, dash, rectangular headlights etc Charlie🇬🇧

I've been looking forward to see this video...my two favourite you tubers in one episode! Wasn't disappointed...another great video. !!

Fabulous car Pete, and a credit to your skills and dedication 👍

It's about time you road tested some decent cars :p .. That Cortina is stunning. would love to see you road test a Hillman Avenger (my first car) :)

What about the fabulous mk3 Cortina GT with those fancy front seats? Golden days! Also, if this car is supposed to be original why isnt it 'jacked up' at the rear with a light underneath?

The aspirations of early 70s in one marvellous car. Too expensive for average motorist, cheap to middle class, sat right in middle. I would just be happy to be sat in it for an hour and remember those days.

Great tribute to ruby. Well done hub nut really enjoy these videos you make

I had one of the VERY last MK3's. A 1977 1.6L. (Replacing a 1970 1600E MK2) MK2 was a much better car in my opinion.

That body shape was known as the 'Coke bottle' back in the day, Dagenham was a bit behind Detroit in adopting it, if you lay a traditional Coca- Cola bottle on its side you'll see why. A very cool shape, probably the best known being the '69 Dodge Charger 'General Lee'. My personal favorite remains the '63 Buick Riviera.

Awesome! Love his restoration videos. Amazing job with the cortina pete c.

Excellent, I've been looking forwards to this!

WOW, that Feu Orange air freshener deserves a video all of it's own as it's a classic in it's own right! Does it still have the pin?

nice i love Petes Channel nice to see you up there

Who doesn't want a decent amount of fannage, Ian , great video and first time I've seen inside one of these. Thanks again...

I was thinking it's just about perfect... then I saw it's an automatic 😖

The suspension looks far too firm judging how the camera is jiggling about.......

A trip down memory lane, going on family holidays in a silver 2000E with blue interior, great vid

That Mk3 looks gorgeous. Superb styling.

What a lovely car! All the little modern touches are spot on😊

Having seen how much effort and love goes into Pete c,s restorations i think you were very brave driving Ruby. i would have been terrified i was going to crash. Brilliant vid of a truly stunning car.

Had bright yellow 1.6 XL in the seventies, loved it , cold seats in winter and mad hot seats in the summer.. very nice to drive.

Absolutely stunning car, thanks for sharing.

When I was 19 in Cornwall my girlfriends dad had a brand new metallic brown Cortina GXL 2.0 and unbelievably I was allowed to take her out in it. We would go cinema in Plymouth and cruising around I felt a million dollars driving it. It was so flash, lovely lovely car. I also got to drive their Triumph 2000 and farm Land Rover. Those were the days of back seat dating!

Mr hubnut is one youtuber you can wish the best success for , lovely fella .

Absolutely brilliant interview with Pete whilst he was driving Ruby really relaxed and great to here how she came about and the amount of work that was put in to get her on the road

brilliant stuff!

Thanks Ian 👌

My late great father had 2 of these in the 70’s.Looking forward to watching this this evening,cheers!

A Cortina III was my taxi to school in 1975-79. First, a blue L (TMA 208L) and then a bronze XL (YED 797K). Memories!

Fantastic video Mr HubNut, thank you for sharing...

This motor takes me back a bit. I was about 14 years old when these came out.. There was a group of us lads at a boys school in Shard End, Birmingham. One of the lads dad worked for the local Ford dealer, Bristol Street Motors. We were ecstatic when the lad came to school with the Mk3 Brochure. We drooled over the GXL......

Loved every minute. What a gorgeous car and your video was fun. Thanks x

Great to see you and Pete C together, you really should do more videos with him, you make a good double act. That Cortina is lovely, always loved the shape of the MK3.

Oh memories. My friend had a Cortina Mk 3. We were liquored up, stoned and she hit a small tree. We looked at each other and started giggling. No damage to the car, driving around 5 mph. Ah to be young..

The Mark 3 Cortina is my favourite Ford. It oozes with style. I have met Pete C and sat in that yellow car. He has done a wonderful job restoring it and added some details like on the window winders.