KEEPERS
Glen has owned his Cortina for 49 years, during which it was a family runabout, narrowly escaped death and underwent a full restoration
GLEN MATTHEWS EAST YORKSHIRE
My love for the Cortina began when I saw the MkIII at its launch in 1970. Its looks were stunning, but I felt it had the potential to become a rust bucket and vowed I’d never have one.
‘My view changed when I saw a facelifted Purple Velvet example in 1974, finished with a light grey interior. I soon went back on my word and parted with £1745 (excluding delivery). My new car was registered on 1 March 1975. The seatbelts cost an extra £17.05, the number plates were £5.50, the Purple Velvet paintwork cost £8.17 and my 185/70 13-inch radial tyres added £22.74 to the bill.
‘I originally requested a grey interior, but the car arrived with black. As a goodwill gesture, an electric aerial was fitted to the offside wing, which soon became defunct with the wet dirt that was hurled up from the front wheel.
There were some notable quality issues; the chrome bumpers were poorly finished, the boot was covered in a rubber mat which cut easily due to the spare wheel rim it covered, and a spot of paint from a spray nozzle could be spotted on the offside wing.
‘With the facelift, Ford boffins softened the front spring rates by 16 percent, while fitting anti-roll bars at both the front and rear. These improvements didn’t quite work for our daughter, however. Essential travel companions for us were a toilet roll and an empty margarine container. Most children ask, “Are we there yet?” but our son would instead say, “When are you going to be sick?!”.
‘We used it for several years but the ongoing rust battle was challenging. In 1987 the petrol tank developed a leak and needed replacing, but lowering the old tank revealed a rusty floor. It was time for some bodywork refurbishment.
‘The renovations were completed in March 1989 but, within 18 months, things took a bad turn when the garage it was stored in went up in flames. Luckily, I was able to extract the car before it met its demise! In 1994 we bought a Rover Metro, and the Cortina wasn’t used much. By 2010, rust was taking over, due to the salty and damp area we live in. It was time to either get rid of the car or use it. As it had been part of the family for 35 years, we were met with cries of horror from our son who had fond memories of the car.
‘The brakes and clutch were freed off, it passed an MoT, and it was back on the road in 2011 after almost 17 years of storage. In 2014, when we joined the East Yorkshire Thoroughbred Car Club and started attending meetings, we were surprised at how many people showed an interest in our rusting heap! One spectator was against us refurbishing the car as it would spoil the patina.
‘2015 arrived, and on one of our firs
