Description
Cortina1200 Mk1 Deluxe Four Door 1963
This must be one of the most original Cortinas you could find. Virtually everything is as it left the factory – a true time-warp car, that has covered just £37, 500 miles, yet has been used and maintained regularly for all its years.
It was one of the early production cars, June 1963, confirmed by the fact that the bonnet badge is CONSUL rather than CORTINA as used on the rest of the production run.
The brightwork – bumpers, light surrounds and grill are original and in remarkably good condition. Under the bonnet everything is original and in its place as it left the factory, including the screen wash bag, radiator, air-cleaner, wiring, and turret tops which have never been welded. The paintwork in the engine compartment is original and still polishes to a shine.
Externally the car has been resprayed in correct original Imperial Maroon, which polishes up well.
The interior is also almost all original, with the door cards, seats and dash almost as they left the showroom. The roof lining has been replaced, but in period white vinyl. The rear seat cushion and back are original. The bench front seat has been recovered. The rear door cards are in excellent condition. The front ones will need cleaning, but matching replacements are still available from Aldridge for £150. The edging trim round the doors is original, but will need replacing. Again all available from Aldridge. The dash top is original but cracked and will need painting. The steering wheel is original, but will also need painting. The dash and instruments are original and all work, but an oil pressure gauge has been added by a previous owner.
The original full-width rubber front floor mat is still in place and almost as new, something you would never be able to replace today. .
The four-speed column gear change is still crisp and precise. It always was one of the best column gear changes of its time, unlike the stirring of porridge that you got with most others of this period.
Underneath the car is virtually rust-free, with a small amount of welding to one front anti-roll bar mount. It would seem it has been garaged for much of its life.
The present owner intended using it, and had it professionally serviced and maintained and brought up to standard, by a specialist in cars of this era. The brake system has been overhauled, with new hoses, wheel cylinders and shoes, and a new master cylinder kit. The starter motor has been fitted with new brushes and solenoid.
A new fuel tank has been fitted, removing the source of petrol leaks, a common problem with these cars, plus new ignition system - coil, plugs, points, distributor cap and leads. All the under-bonnet hoses have been replaced. The clutch has been cleaned and overhauled.
The engine has been serviced, with new oil and filter and a new air filter.
The wheels are original, with the original hubcaps and four 155/ 13 radial tyres.
It comes with a thick document file, with invoices and MOTs going back many years, and a period correct Owners Manual and Service Book. These are matched by original brochures, showing that this is a car that has been cared for.
The vendor owned an identical car to this in the 1960s, and intended using this car extensively, but health conditions have precluded this, and rather than just polish it and look at it, it is now offered to the next owner to use, care for and love.
