Hello All,
Another new member from sunny (today, at least) Detroit. I've fairly recently got into old Fords, after finding a very original '66 Mark 1 estate car. It shares garage space with a number of old Triumphs and Jaguars, plus the most recent acquisition - a '65 GT estate.
I'd be curious to hear from anyone else with a GT estate, as they were apparently built in very small batches and mostly as police vehicles.
New member
Hello,
Welcome to the forum.
We would love to see some pictures of your two Cortina Estates.
There is no record of any MK1 GT Estates built by Ford. However, Ford did produce a few Cortina GT Estates but not until 1968 when it became available through the Special Vehicle Order dept., no record has ever been kept of the numbers built.
Check your VIN. Example: BA86EJ72345. Body type 86 ( or 87, 88, 89 ) means an Estate non-GT model. The Cortina GT MK2 Estate would have body type 99.
It would be easy converting an Estate to a GT. I did one in the 70's but left the auto. trans in. It was destroyed in the early 90's - hit from behind while parked in the street.
Pete
Welcome to the forum.
We would love to see some pictures of your two Cortina Estates.
There is no record of any MK1 GT Estates built by Ford. However, Ford did produce a few Cortina GT Estates but not until 1968 when it became available through the Special Vehicle Order dept., no record has ever been kept of the numbers built.
Check your VIN. Example: BA86EJ72345. Body type 86 ( or 87, 88, 89 ) means an Estate non-GT model. The Cortina GT MK2 Estate would have body type 99.
It would be easy converting an Estate to a GT. I did one in the 70's but left the auto. trans in. It was destroyed in the early 90's - hit from behind while parked in the street.
Pete
Glad to finally be on the forum; I've been checking it out for a while.
Per the Mark 1 Cortina Owner's Club in the UK, Dagenham has confirmed making several 25-car batches of Mark 1 GT estates for the Canadian and South African police. As for my non-police version: "They would over produce in order to cover any faulty ones and the resulting small nos would slip out the back door to selected dealers who would sell them on to selected customers and it is therefore not surprising to find them registered to doctors and solicitors. They were asked not to fix GT badges on them but all the ones I have seen including the one I owned were so fitted. Being an estate they were not fitted with anti-tramp bars but these would have been cancelled out by the heavier rear springs; some had the export side indicators on the front wings."
Four other RHD GT Estates are apparently known to the Cortina OC but no other LHD. I thought it was a conversion myself until I took the GT centre console out of the dash and found no evidence that the dash had modified. The VIN plate was the final proof: BA87ECxxxx with engine code 5 (1500 GT).
Here's the '66:
Per the Mark 1 Cortina Owner's Club in the UK, Dagenham has confirmed making several 25-car batches of Mark 1 GT estates for the Canadian and South African police. As for my non-police version: "They would over produce in order to cover any faulty ones and the resulting small nos would slip out the back door to selected dealers who would sell them on to selected customers and it is therefore not surprising to find them registered to doctors and solicitors. They were asked not to fix GT badges on them but all the ones I have seen including the one I owned were so fitted. Being an estate they were not fitted with anti-tramp bars but these would have been cancelled out by the heavier rear springs; some had the export side indicators on the front wings."
Four other RHD GT Estates are apparently known to the Cortina OC but no other LHD. I thought it was a conversion myself until I took the GT centre console out of the dash and found no evidence that the dash had modified. The VIN plate was the final proof: BA87ECxxxx with engine code 5 (1500 GT).
Here's the '66:
Hi,
Wow, It may be a GT Estate afterall by the code 87 ( floor change Estate) and 5 GT engine. Yours can be the only LHD Estate in N.America. This will bring some interest to Michael MacSems.
I thought they weren't produced by Ford and according to EnFo expert Graham Robson only mentioned the MK2 Estates in his book " The Sporting Fords MK1/2 Cortinas.
Thanks for posting the picture. My favorite color combination Lagoon blue/seafoam blue - same color as my '66 Anglia 124E.
Regards,
Pete
Wow, It may be a GT Estate afterall by the code 87 ( floor change Estate) and 5 GT engine. Yours can be the only LHD Estate in N.America. This will bring some interest to Michael MacSems.
I thought they weren't produced by Ford and according to EnFo expert Graham Robson only mentioned the MK2 Estates in his book " The Sporting Fords MK1/2 Cortinas.
Thanks for posting the picture. My favorite color combination Lagoon blue/seafoam blue - same color as my '66 Anglia 124E.
Regards,
Pete
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1964 MK1 GT
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Tue Feb 21, 2012 6:10 pm
- Location: Mich.
hello from the motor city
welcome I am new as well I love the Estate is the photo from the battle of the brits show?
I never knew about that little cutie cortina
Yes, this is very exciting to learn of a factory Cortina GT Estate in LHD. I look forward to pictures. Do you know anything of the car's history?Wow, It may be a GT Estate afterall by the code 87 ( floor change Estate) and 5 GT engine. Yours can be the only LHD Estate in N.America. This will bring some interest to Michael MacSems.
Michael
European Ford Collector
Now that is a rare beast indeed, possibly now unique. Estate versions of all English Fords are rare here in the UK, much rarer than the saloons. The Mk1 GT was as stated only produced for special order to police forces and were not offered to the general public. I have seen one or two here at shows.
Oh and I would say that books about UK Fords tend to have quite a few inaccuracies and the facts and figures should not be taken at face value. I got a book recently that 'celebrates' the 100th anniversary of Ford in Britain and it is so poor in places with incorrect photos etc that it's not worth having. Luckily I got it free of charge!
Paul
Oh and I would say that books about UK Fords tend to have quite a few inaccuracies and the facts and figures should not be taken at face value. I got a book recently that 'celebrates' the 100th anniversary of Ford in Britain and it is so poor in places with incorrect photos etc that it's not worth having. Luckily I got it free of charge!
Paul