My Dad's '68 Cortina Mk 2 GT 3L. V-6
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 11:33 pm
In ’67, my dad started looking for some alternative motivation for his 60 Zephyr (See Pete and Bobs Zephyrs) and found what seemed to be the perfect fit: a new, 1966 3-litre Ford Essex V-6. It was apparently one of two in the country at that time. As it was modern, Ford and British and the price was right, he bought it. He decided not to put it in the Zeph and but found the 6 would fit in a Mk II Cortina (the Savage). In the spring of ‘68 my dad went to Jay’s Imports in Hayward,Ca., picked out one of two white ’68 Cortina GT’s they had just taken off a transport, drove it home (about 5 miles) and started pulling it apart. He had already bought a front cross member and modified it for the V-6 using Zephyr engine mounts. The battery went into the trunk. A V-4 Corsair bell housing mated the motor to the Cortina transmission with an Austin-Healy pressure plate and modified clutch disk. As the steering box blocked the driver’s side exhaust pipe, he bought a second passenger-side manifold, turned it around so that the pipe went to the front and then back. For “stealth” the exhaust system remained a single but larger, outlet. As the top of the carburetor sat slightly higher, he made a thinner air cleaner to clear the hood. A Mustang radiator and an electric fan went under the hood. To give it more legs, on went a Lotus 3.54:1 gear set. Koni’s resided at all four corners as did a set of larger Pirelli’s on wider wheels. Inside, a Mark IV Zodiac tach fit perfectly in the hole vacated by the original 4 cylinder unit.
In theory, the formula was great: small and light with an unstressed, 144hp and 180ft/lbs of torque under the hood. In practice, once he got it on the road, it met all of his expectations. It was quick, fast, and reliable and performed like much more expensive cars of that era. Despite minimal suspension modifications and no changes to the brakes, it handled and stopped well as it wasn’t much heavier than stock. Driving around town required 2nd and 4th. The best part was that other than some very, very subtle markings including small vents on the hood, it looked just like any other Cortina and that’s exactly what he wanted: a innocuous looking, little British econobox that would surprise.
And it made my dad smile a lot. He toyed with a lot other small cars of the era and with more expensive foreign cars. He tormented 2002 owners and made some muscle car drivers question their cars. I remember leaving Laguna Seca (after a day at the races so perhaps a case of the red mist came over him) and getting on the highway back to the Bay Area. There were three of us in the Cortina. Opportunity knocked and I watched a guy in a new Alfa Spider look at us and then down at his dash several times as we left him behind. The look on his face was priceless.
In theory, the formula was great: small and light with an unstressed, 144hp and 180ft/lbs of torque under the hood. In practice, once he got it on the road, it met all of his expectations. It was quick, fast, and reliable and performed like much more expensive cars of that era. Despite minimal suspension modifications and no changes to the brakes, it handled and stopped well as it wasn’t much heavier than stock. Driving around town required 2nd and 4th. The best part was that other than some very, very subtle markings including small vents on the hood, it looked just like any other Cortina and that’s exactly what he wanted: a innocuous looking, little British econobox that would surprise.
And it made my dad smile a lot. He toyed with a lot other small cars of the era and with more expensive foreign cars. He tormented 2002 owners and made some muscle car drivers question their cars. I remember leaving Laguna Seca (after a day at the races so perhaps a case of the red mist came over him) and getting on the highway back to the Bay Area. There were three of us in the Cortina. Opportunity knocked and I watched a guy in a new Alfa Spider look at us and then down at his dash several times as we left him behind. The look on his face was priceless.
