1973 Ford Cortina Mk3

Highlights

• Ultra-rare Mk 3 automatic
• Fully known history back to day one
• Genuine low-mileage car – just over 19,000 from new
• Recent respray
• All original panels and interior

Overview

Here’s a fabulous piece of TV and automotive trivia for you. Had it not been for a snapped cambelt, the politically incorrect hero of the BBC’s Life on Mars, Gene Hunt, may well have rounded up the bad guys in a Daytona Yellow two-door Mk 3 Cortina automatic.

At least, that’s what one owner’s research of this car tells us. A comprehensive history document describes the outcome of this research and how this 1973 1600 L, which the owner before last sold to film company Kudos Productions via an online auction website, almost became the feature car in the new series.

Alas, just a few days before the TV company were due to collect it, the cambelt snapped and according to the previous owner’s research they pulled out of the deal for fear of consequential damage, meaning Philip Glennister’s foul-mouthed central character found himself at the wheel of a Roman Bronze 2000 GXL instead – an upgrade, and probably a bit of a relief for the film crew as well, as anyone who has ever pointed a camera lens at a yellow car will tell you it’s one of the toughest colours to capture properly.

Luckily, our snapper has done a fantastic job, and here you have the Cortina that nearly found stardom in all its Daytona Yellow glory, having had four owners from new and having covered less than 20,000 miles in 51 years.

The story goes that no sooner had the original owner bought it than he got a new job with a company car, relegating the Cortina to 13 years of second car duties and keeping the mileage low. Its second owner was a friend of the first and took it on in 1986, keeping it for 20 years before selling it to the production company that never collected it, leaving the path clear for the vendor to return it to the road.

The production company needn’t have worried, either. After a belt change the Cortina ran like clockwork and has done since. It’s a rare car, too, believed to be the only surviving Mk 3 1600 L automatic. It oozes Seventies cool.

If you buy it, though, please look after it as it’s quite a special car. We’ll leave the final word to Gene Hunt himself: "Anything happens to this motor, I'll come round your house and stamp on all your toys. Got it? Good."

History and documentation

• UK V5C
• MOT, tax and emissions zone exempt
• Five-page history document researched by the vendor via contact with the cars’ previous owners
• Some old tax discs including one from 1977
• Incredible low mileage of just 19,133, known to be correct
• Display file containing invoices from recent ownership for parts and service items
• Known history with fascinating believed TV connection
• Believed to be the only surviving 1600 L
• Two keys

Interior

• Completely original and unspoilt cabin
• Low-back black vinyl seats with no rips, tears or major signs of wear
• Carpets and door trims in near-flawless condition
• Aftermarket pop-up sunroof fitted which reportedly does not leak
• Minor staining on headlining
• Crack-free dashboard
• No radio currently fitted, leaving cut-out in dashboard
• Aftermarket door speakers fitted
• Minor surface corrosion inside spare wheel well

Exterior

• Striking Daytona Yellow paint
• Repainted in 1997 and recently refreshed with a new top coat
• Black vinyl roof
• Correct base model wheel trims
• Good chrome and trim with only minor signs of wear
• Undersealed underneath and not believed to have been welded
• Correct, period-style reflective number plates

Mechanical

• 1.6-litre Ford Pinto
• Three speed auto
• Recent cambelt and water pump
• Points replaced by simple electronic ignition set-up
• Rear brakes rebuilt
• New battery

Summary

As well as being the answer to a pub quiz question you’ll probably never be asked, this not-quite-famous Cortina is also one of the finest and rarest examples of the breed. It’s believed to be a sole survivor in this specification and has covered a tiny mileage from new.

It’s a fantastic snapshot of its era – as if you’d just travelled back to 1973…

To arrange a viewing, please request this in the Q&A section. You can click through to the seller's profile and use the 'Email Me' function to arrange a viewing privately. This seller is located in Hampshire.