PeteC has just outbASe'd Autoshite

[Felly Magic]

That Southport based Cortina mk3 botherer has bought yet another project car, and it's in bASe flavour. A 1.6 Kent powered slopey dash mk3 estate, and it's not too rotten. And he's got it running already. To use his words, 'WAYHAY!!'. He belongs on here! I personally think he should just get it up to a usable condition, and keep the exterior patina

 

[Wingz123]

Nice video just watched!

[danthecapriman]

Lovely! Makes me want to get the 73 1600 GXL I found, it’s for sale too...

 

Best not!

[Felly Magic]

Apologies, it is a 1300 Kent! How bloody base is that? He really does need to be told DO NOT PAINT with this winner wagon

[greengartside]

I met Pete last year at the NEC and had a good chat with him about his Cortinas - really really nice genuine person.

 

I am in love with the estate, how wonderfully patina’d!

[Felly Magic]

He does seem a decent bloke, like when he took Swampy back to show the relatives of it's former owner, and yes that estate looks brilliant, and must be the holy grail of mk3 Cortinas, there can't have been that many built to that spec

[vulgalour]

The mention of it's potential use as a Co-op service vehicle isn't so far fetched really either.  With the tatters of evidence inside the car, the specification is exactly what you'd expect for it's role at that time.  It's also not too far fetched to imagine the blue it's sporting is actually Co-op blue from the period, or something very close to, and that it could have had the old white square logo on the front doors (the driver's one looks to be a replacement).

 

 

I wonder if Co-op have any records of their old service vehicles?  It might help fill in some blanks on its history.

[sierraman]

Wow. I think it would look great restored to the Co-op livery.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I wonder when the Maize 2000GXL Auto will be started?

[Datsuncog]

That's an impressive bit of chod, for definite... 1300cc in a largish estate wouldn't exactly have been something with which to tow a caravan over the Pennines (hell, even my 2l Pinto estate was no ball of fire), but I can see how it might have been specced that way as a roomy fleet runaround.

 

AdamMcC on here also has a Mk3 Cortina 2dr with the 1300 Kent unit - exact spec lost to the mists of time (and a terrible 90s makeover involving Capri interior bits and a sunroof), but it's also an early car with the same slopey dash and in terms of equipment, looks pretty boggo to me...

[Felly Magic]

Yup a Cop Out white goods service vehicle does seem plausible, I remember the likes of D.E.R & Granada having fleets of Shove-it estates with plastic panels over the side windows for this purpose in the early 1980s. 

[Frogchod]

The mention of it's potential use as a Co-op service vehicle isn't so far fetched really either.  With the tatters of evidence inside the car, the specification is exactly what you'd expect for it's role at that time.  It's also not too far fetched to imagine the blue it's sporting is actually Co-op blue from the period, or something very close to, and that it could have had the old white square logo on the front doors (the driver's one looks to be a replacement).

 

 

I wonder if Co-op have any records of their old service vehicles?  It might help fill in some blanks on its history.

My granddad used to be co op fleet manager in Southampton in the 70s. Consequently my dad got first dibs on ex fleet cars in that blue. Hunters and minxs and a mini van but no Fords.

[Felly Magic]

He needs to get this Tincorner on the road ASAP, ans Mk3 Mondeos are known to simply give up without any prior warning, and having a daily/parts hack toy can fix with hammers, screwdrivers and string are always useful

[sierraman]

A mk3 Cortina would never suddenly stop working with no prior warning.

[ProgRocker]

I watched this last night. Considering it was over 1 hour long, it succeeded in keeping me engaged.  

 

Interesting about it being used as a Co Op TV repair wagon. Sensible business decision: a company buying a fleet of estate cars for that very use isn't going to be interested in spending extra on a more powerful engine. Whoever managed the fleet would have ticked the box that would accommodate the most wood grained CRT TVs at the lowest price: 1300cc base Cortina estate it is then*! Probably cost a bit in petrol as it's drivers thrashed it to get any reasonable turn of speed out of it.

 

I never knew that Ford offered offered the estate with 1300cc but 1600cc only.   I would guess 1300cc was phased out from the estate range from the phase 2 mark 3s from 1974.

 

* Wonders about the price of an Escort van for this use?

[adw1977]

I would guess 1300cc was phased out from the estate range from the phase 2 mark 3s from 1974.

 

 

Probably. There's no 1300 estate in any of my brochures, but they only go back to February 1975.

 

I'm sure the drivers found a Cortina estate far more comfortable than an Escort van. Perhaps the TVs could not be stacked, so a lower wider load space made more sense.

[Spottedlaurel]

Just looked in an old Motorists Guide. It says a 1300 L estate was available until 1973, when it was priced at £1226. 1600 L was £1257, and the 2000 L £1325. 'L' looks like the lowest spec for an estate, they only did the true Base as 2/4dr.

 

An Escort 1300 L estate was £1187 in 1973. Avenger 1300 and Viva HCs could both be had for a similar amount.

 

I was surprised to see there wasn't a 1300 version of the Marina estate until 1976. An 1800 was £1299 in 1973.

[3VOM]

Probably. There's no 1300 estate in any of my brochures, but they only go back to February 1975.

 

I'm sure the drivers found a Cortina estate far more comfortable than an Escort van. Perhaps the TVs could not be stacked, so a lower wider load space made more sense.

I wonder if it made the difference between say 4 colour TVs and 3 or 6 v 4? Which would have saved a trip back to the shop.

[Felly Magic]

It is one hell of a find, Pete is completely nuts, been subbed a while and binge watched his vids, would love to meet him and get him a beer