Ford Cortina Mk3
The Coke-bottle Cortina that filled every company car park.
The story
The third Cortina grew wider and curvier, with a kick in its waistline borrowed from Detroit. A long strike delayed its start, but it soon became Britain's best-selling car. Figures here are for the 2000 GXL.
Inside
A deeply sculpted dash with dials sunk into tunnels, and on the GXL a vinyl roof, fake wood and four headlamps outside.
In period colours
Tap a colour to respray the drawing.
Your trim level, from L to GXL, told the whole office where you stood in the company.
On screen
Life on Mars TV, 2006
DCI Gene Hunt's bronze Cortina is his pride and joy in 1973 Manchester.
Meanwhile, in 1970
The Beatles split up, and eighteen-year-olds voted in a general election for the first time.
Best-selling single of 1970: In the Summertime by Mungo Jerry
Before you buy a 1970s car
- Rust is common in sills, wheel arches, front panels and the bottom of the doors.
- Check the wiring and electrics carefully, as they age badly.
- Many volume-selling cars still have good parts support, but badge-engineered and low-volume models can be harder to source.
General notes, not specific to this model. Check the model's own history before buying.
Rivals of its day
Picked automatically: cars on sale at the same time with similar size, speed and price.
See the real thing
These open in a new tab: the car on Wikimedia Commons, the interior and the badge as Google image searches.
Today's money: the launch price adjusted for inflation to 2026, using the Office for National Statistics price index.