Mk5 Cortina 2.3 GLS Roadtest 1979

[autofive]

 

 

 

[Shep Shepherd]

What a handsome car

 

No Recaro front seats, though, which I thought all 'S-Pack' Cortina 80s were fitted with

[trigger]

Nice, Many of those "HPU" press cars featured in shows like The Professionals and The Sweeney.

 

1979 Ford Cortina 2.3 Ghia S Estate Mk 5 by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr

 

1979 Ford Cortina Mk 5 by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr

 

Ford Cortina 2.0 GL Mk V Road Test 1979 (1) by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr

 

Ford Cortina 1.6 GL Estate Mk V Road Test 1979 (1) by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr

[autofive]

november 1979 using a ford press car - i think the recaros came along in late 1980

[Shep Shepherd]

I had an idea that the Recaros came later; every 'S' that I've ever seen was W, X or Y-reg, and they all had them

 

For the record, the Cortina 80 is one of my favourite cars, and I lament the fact that I will probably never own one, due to rarity and scene tax; if only I was born in 1967...

[autofive]

I had an idea that the Recaros came later; every 'S' that I've ever seen was W, X or Y-reg, and they all had them

 

For the record, the Cortina 80 is one of my favourite cars, and I lament the fact that I will probably never own one, due to rarity and scene tax; if only I was born in 1967...

 

 

you can still pick up for around 500 quid

 

example: http://www.autoshite.co.uk/phpbb3/viewt ... b17bf33085

[Shep Shepherd]

you can still pick up for around 500 quid

 

example: http://www.autoshite.co.uk/phpbb3/viewt ... b17bf33085

 

That's if you're very lucky and don't live near a banger racing circuit like I do. Do you still have it?

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Alot of journos knocked the Cortina, but I always liked them. I had a 2.0GLS in 1988, CBW818V was Midnight blue with the Recaro type seats.

[autofive]

you can still pick up for around 500 quid

 

example: http://www.autoshite.co.uk/phpbb3/viewt ... b17bf33085

 

That's if you're very lucky and don't live near a banger racing circuit like I do. Do you still have it?

 

yes, its my daily driver

[Shep Shepherd]

you can still pick up for around 500 quid

 

example: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=11579

 

That's if you're very lucky and don't live near a banger racing circuit like I do. Do you still have it?

 

yes, its my daily driver

 

Fantastic! How's the body holding up?

[ashmicro]

Alot of journos knocked the Cortina, but I always liked them. I had a 2.0GLS in 1988, CBW818V was Midnight blue with the Recaro type seats.

 

 

I had a mark 4 2.0GL when a lot of my mates had Fiesta 1.4S and the like. It was pretty cheap to insure, and went like stink after my mate's Dad had worked a little magic on it. Comfy and pretty quick. WIN, I'd say.

[autofive]

it's very good, as the whole underside, and innerwings have been waxoiled every year from new. really needs a pair of wings to make it right, but i ll wait until spring before i change them.

 

i have a bit of a cortina fetish, which im currently keeping under control......

 

[wackywacerwill]

Nice thread. My 80's still going strong in the second year of ownership, great cars. The OMG OSF scene tax don't seem to be touching the late Cortinas much, mine was under 500 too and there's still bargains to be had if you can beat the racers to them.

[warren t claim]

Are there any T plate mk5's left? I can only recall seeing one back in about 1984.

[TagoraSX]

Was the GLS the best Mk 4/5?

[warren t claim]

Was the GLS the best Mk 4/5?

 

YES! In Apollo Green with Recaros. 2.3 flavour.

[Guest Tony Hayers]

 

So thats where all the Mk4 5 Cortinas' went to, your yard. And not as first thought, being redlined round the oval in 2nd gear.

[autofive]

after i have readlined them in 5th around the north east, and smashed into a megane or two, then they might get sold to go round the oval

[hairnet]

185/70 low profile

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

The 2.3 was a waste of time really. No faster than a good 2.0 and they were shocking on fuel - a nice sounding engine but that was it. I liked the VV equipped 1600 the best - as long as the diaphragms were in good nick the carb worked well. The 1600 was a much smoother and sweeter engine plus the smaller gearbox had a slightly better shift.

I ran one as a long distance daily 20 years ago, an early Mark 5 1.6L in (I think) Fjord blue. RMB90V, black vinyl roof and bog standard. I bought it in 1988 from Witney auctions, put a pair of new wings on and sold it. Bought it back in 1990 and put around 60k on it in 18 months. I had a recon axle fitted at around 130'000 but apart from a seized alternator, it never broke down. One of the best cars I had really.

 

My first ever Cortina was a W plate Mark 5 L 4 door in Diamond White back in 1987. It was as rotten as a carrot (two wings, four doors and sills) but it was £250 from a trader. I paid the Man, drove it home and thought 'fuck me, this is a bit slow'.

 

 

It was, as you've guessed by now, a 1300..........

 

Still, I panelled it up, blew it over in the booth at work and sold it for 800 quid.

[John F]

Was the GLS the best Mk 4/5?

 

NO! You could get them in Ghia S flavour

[autofive]

The 2.3 was a waste of time really. No faster than a good 2.0 and they were shocking on fuel - a nice sounding engine but that was it. I liked the VV equipped 1600 the best - as long as the diaphragms were in good nick the carb worked well. The 1600 was a much smoother and sweeter engine plus the smaller gearbox had a slightly better shift.

I ran one as a long distance daily 20 years ago, an early Mark 5 1.6L in (I think) Fjord blue. RMB90V, black vinyl roof and bog standard. I bought it in 1988 from Witney auctions, put a pair of new wings on and sold it. Bought it back in 1990 and put around 60k on it in 18 months. I had a recon axle fitted at around 130'000 but apart from a seized alternator, it never broke down. One of the best cars I had really.

 

My first ever Cortina was a W plate Mark 5 L 4 door in Diamond White back in 1987. It was as rotten as a carrot (two wings, four doors and sills) but it was £250 from a trader. I paid the Man, drove it home and thought 'fuck me, this is a bit slow'.

 

 

It was, as you've guessed by now, a 1300..........

 

Still, I panelled it up, blew it over in the booth at work and sold it for 800 quid.

 

the obvious advantage of the 2.3 over the pinto was when towing, the pinto 2 litre struggled to climb hills with a load aboard. The 2.3 (in manual form 4-speed) tops out at about 120 at 4k revs, but the 2 litre pinto at 120 requires over 6k revs. I found my 2.3 manual was doing roughly the same mpg as a 2 litre pinto with a manual box, and came to the conclusion the main reason for the belief in the v6 cologne giving shocking mpg was the c3 autobox.

[whitevanman]

/\ yup same with mine...

[fiatdaft]

Thats 30 mph per 1000 revs in top,where they really geared that high? That would make it faster than a manual 2.8i grananda.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

The 2.3 (in manual form 4-speed) tops out at about 120 at 4k revs

 

The 2.3 had the same rear axle as the 2.0 which was about a 3.45 ratio. On the standard 165 tyres, they were geared up to do around 20mph/1000 rpm. And no way would a Cortina 2.3 do 120 mph unless you believed the lying Ford speedo!

[whitevanman]

Well the ratios from memory were

2.3=3.44

2.0=3.75

 

and the Ford figure was 105mph in top, I had mine doing more than that, I found with the 2.3 the top speed would vary from car to car for some reason

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Looking at Triggers road tests (I'm a bit slow), the axles are the same. The 2.0 is also faster to 60. I didn't mind the 2.3, but it was a lazy old thing and really breathless when pushed. The Pinto was quite harsh but they were very pokey. 116 bhp for the 2.3 is also very optimistic - the 2.0 Pinto was good for no more than 95 bhp in reality.

[Bren]

My mother in law has a granada with the 2.4 cologne V6. Really a bit of an oddball, not much more powerful than a 2.0 with fuel consumption similar to a 2.9 - you would just go and get a 2.9 anyway. I actually had a 2.9 and it was surprising the difference in performance.

 

My 2.3 SD1 was a slug, but looking at the figures, it would still see off the cortina.

[freebird]

So what about the 2.8 lump that got dropped in to loads of Cortinas? Would a carbed one have made that much more of a difference over the 2.3?

I knew a young lad years ago, who worked in the BT workshops, who dropped in a carbed 2.8 and lowered it all round ( years before all that "hit it with a stick shite" that people think they have just invented) and it bloody flew!!

Id like to do that one day.

[autofive]

yes it makes a difference, and with an xr4i type9 a lot of difference, mine also has a ported inlet manifold and injection camshaft

 

its odd that ford claimed 160 bhp for the 2.8i in the capri, but only 135 for the same engine, with the same cam in the Granada