1970 Ford Cortina

First registered in September 1970, ‘LFK 290J’ is a Light Blue Ford Cortina MKII that’s still fresh from an £18,000 restoration by the good folk at the Haynes Motor Museum throughout 2020 and 2021.

But that investment is very far from being all that’s been spent on it while it’s been in their care because the owner’s son estimates they’ve paid around £35,000 in all – and that vast sum builds on the previous owner’s restoration of the interior.

Why spend so much on a 1300 Deluxe? Simply because they’re romantics; the seller had one when he was younger, and his son, like so many of us, has fond memories of burning his legs on the vinyl rear seat during the endless summer holidays of his childhood.

The Cortina first went in to have the turret tops replaced but Haynes found so much that needed doing that it cascaded into a full bodywork restoration – and because they intended to keep the car forever, they were determined to spend whatever money was needed to recreate the brand-new car they both remember.

But now they’ve come to accept they just aren’t using it as much as they thought, and rather than letting it slowly deteriorate under a car cover in the garage they’ve decided to sell it so that someone else can enjoy it as much as they have.

Looks great, doesn’t it? All hard lines and sharp edges, the Cortina’s period looks have aged well – but those same hard lines and sharp edges are also ideal for highlighting misaligned panels and dodgy shutlines, neither of which are a problem here.

You’ll remember that 2020/21 was a fraught time, a period when most folk were glad of an excuse to get out and about, and it looks like the bodywork experts in Somerset put their hard-won freedom to good use when they sorted the Cortina’s coachwork out.

We enjoyed hearing that the craftsmen and women there don’t like to use pattern parts, preferring to make their own panels to guarantee a perfect fit. This is an approach that makes absolutely no financial sense on a car as modest as a Cortina but we think it’s wonderful that there are still people out there who are prepared to pay for bespoke craftsmanship in the name of love.

Nor did they skimp on the paintwork, which is every bit as good now as it was when the experts at the Haynes Motor Museum applied it back in 2020. Mind you, you’ve got a head start on your competitors when you use the same make of spray booth as Ferrari.

And every penny was money well spent because our assessor, a man feared throughout the industry for being able to spot a flaw or a bodged repair at a hundred paces, says of it: “the overall cosmetic condition is very good with only one tiny mark on the edge of the driver’s door that’s barely worth mentioning, and a slight droop to the offside corner of the rear bumper.”

We did mention ‘em though, just to prove that it really is as good in the flesh as it looks in the photos.

The 13-inch steel wheels are in an excellent condition having been stripped down to bare metal before being resprayed. They are also decorated with some rather fine chrome hubcaps and fitted with 165/80R13 tyres.

The restoration work comprises bodywork in the main, which makes sense because the interior really didn’t need much doing to it as the previous owner had had it restored just prior to the seller buying it in 2017. Now, as then, it is still in a fabulous condition.

In fact, the only work the owner had done was to replace the headlining, something he asked Haynes to do while they had it. After that, he’s just taken care to maintain his minty-fresh Ford in the same condition as he received it.

This condition includes a working 8 track unit, which is fitted underneath the dashboard and is flanked by two pod-speakers. The Cortina even comes with some tapes, so you’ll have something to play as you recreate family holidays – minus, of course, the choking cigarette smoke, first-degree burns from the red-hot vinyl seats, and minor impact injuries from sliding around on the seat sans seatbelts.

And let’s not forget that we had to wind our own windows up and down too – it's a wonder any of us survived, isn’t it?

As for the condition of the interior, we know so many of you bid without viewing in person, so we sent our man outside into the winter chill with a magnifying glass and a deerstalker.

His examination revealed a few marks and tears to the fabric on the parcel shelf, one repair to the vinyl covering the dashboard plus a couple of areas where the dashboard veneer has faded. The vinyl in the footwell is just starting to peel away on both sides inside the doors near the hinges, the nearside rear door card has popped off at the top corner, and all the interior plastics and seats show the sort of very light wear you would expect.

Oh, and the leather-covered, three-spoke steering wheel you see came from a Cortina GT. This is a popular upgrade but if it’s not to your taste then the correct Deluxe one is also included.

As you can see, the Weber-fuelled engine fires into life easily and idles and revs as it should. The latter is accompanied by a disproportionately impressive exhaust note, partly due to the four-into-one exhaust manifold and partly thanks to the full stainless-steel exhaust system.

As for that Weber carburettor, if you value originality over performance, you’ll be pleased to hear that the old carb has been retained and is included in the sale.

The braking system has been fully refurbished too, and it won’t surprise you to hear that their investment has paid off as the Cortina “has never let us down.”

The engine bay was repainted as part of the Haynes engine-out respray, and the good folk there even went to the trouble of having new stickers made to finish it off. As a result, it is in show-winning condition.

And look at all that space! It’s an absolute revelation to be reminded of how much room to work classics generally have, isn’t it?

As for the underside, it’s been professionally undersealed to ensure it’ll stay looking this good for many years to come.

The Cortina comes with a spares package; please see the photos for the details of what this comprises, including a fabulous period-style picnic basket.

The Cortina doesn’t have a current MoT certificate, and while it is exempt by virtue of its age, we would strongly encourage the new owner to have it MoT’d at the earliest opportunity. The cost of an MoT is a small investment when offset against the purchase and upkeep of any classic vehicle, and it gives an independent, third-party assessment of the car’s condition, which not only provides reassurance to the owner (and any subsequent purchasers) but might also be invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies…

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear, and the Cortina’s history file contains the original sales invoice for £894 (or just £12,000 in today’s money) with more recent invoices are on file including those from the Haynes Motor Museum.

Totalling more than £18,000, you can read for yourself exactly what was involved – and knowing Haynes, it would have been done to a very high standard, something the bound folder documenting the work supports.

The file also contains a number of old MoT certificates and expired tax discs, an owner’s handbook, a servicing guide, and no fewer than three workshop manuals – with Haynes supplying two, of course!

The seller and his son are as pragmatic as they are romantic, with the latter telling us they accept they are only going to get a fraction of their investment back – not that they regret a single pound of the money they’ve spent.

Which is handy. While this might be the nicest MKII Cortina we’ve ever seen the market value is still only between £8,000 and £12,000, which is, in the words of our shortest-serving prime minister, a disgrace.

Better still, from your perspective at least, they’re happy to offer it with no reserve and let the market decide.

You know what to do. Just form an orderly queue, eh?

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.