1965 Ford Cortina Mk1 GT 500 'Replica' Sedan

Description

Ford's Cortina was a mid-sized family car launched in 1963, designed to fill a gap between the smaller Anglia and executive Zephyr/Zodiac models. With a lightweight shell and decent handling, Ford's engineers soon realised the Cortina had potential as a performance model and created the GT by adding a Cosworth-tuned 1.5-litre version of the Kent four-cylinder engine, upgrading the transmission, brakes and suspension and installing a rev-counter to the steering column and extra dials in the centre console. The Cortina GT was soon selling in huge numbers and few cars could match its 95 mph top speed or willing acceleration at such an affordable price. Cortina GTs were homologated by Ford for rallying and notched up numerous wins on the international stage in the mid-1960s while the even more potent Lotus version took the Cortina onto the track, with the legendary Jim Clark winning the 1964 British Saloon Car Championship and Sir John Whitmore the European Touring Car Championship the following year. The Cortina GT enjoyed a similar level of success here in Australia, particular on the legendary Mount Panorama circuit, dominating the Armstrong 500 in 1963 and 1964. With the threat of the new Mini Coopers looming for 1965, Ford Australia responded with a home-grown alternative to the Lotus-Cortina, the GT500, with a host of performance modifications designed to keep the Blue Oval in the winner's circle. Although technically a production model, as dictated by the rules, the GT500 was built in strictly limited numbers and boasted an uprated drivetrain, competition suspension, twin air ducts for the brakes and long-range fuel tanks with twin filler caps. Using a five main bearing version of the Kent motor, changes included a Wade cam, Weber downdraft carburettor, increased compression ratio, a harmonic balancer and better cooling system. With 98 horsepower, the GT500 was almost as quick as the more exotic and costly Lotus-Cortina and is now considered a genuine collectors' item, with around 50 of the original 247 made thought to survive. With demand far exceeding supply and prices approaching Lotus-Cortina levels, a well-executed replica like the example offered here makes a lot of sense, being both more affordable and usable than an original.