300th ISSUE
Who would have thought back in 1997 when Classic Ford launched, that the magazine would be celebrating its 300th issue in 2021? The classic Ford scene has grown immeasurably since those days, but one thing that hasn’t changed is our — and your — passion for these awesome cars and vans, and the people and stories behind them.
24 years and 300 issues is a long time in magazine publishing, yet here we are, and we’re not going anywhere soon. Whether in print or digital, Classic Ford now reaches enthusiasts all over the world, but we’re doing the same thing as we always have done — bringing you great Fords, largely built at home by people like you.
Here’s to the next 300 issues.
THE BEGINNING
Classic Ford’s roots actually lie in two other magazines — Fast Ford and Ford Heritage. The latter was a spin-off of Fast Ford, launched in 1993 as a quarterly with each issue being themed (the first was about Ford’s relationship with Cosworth). However, the first edition that hinted at what Classic Ford would become was issue three — an AVO special. Ford Heritage ran for 20 issues with the last hitting the shelves in May 1997, one month before Classic Ford launched. Starting as a bi-monthly, Classic Ford went monthly from the April 1998 issue and hasn’t looked back since.
BEHIND THE IMAGE: HAIRY CORTINA
Back in 2002 Nescafe’s ad folk decided a Mk3 Cortina donned with a huge Afro wig would make a great star of a new campaign for its coffee. We didn’t get it either, but it did raise the Mk3’s profile and they let us attend the shoot, which was fun.
MY CLASSIC FORD HIGHLIGHT SIMON WOOLLEY
The Classic Ford Tours
So many good memories have been made while working on this magazine but the strongest have definitely been cemented while on a roadtrip in an old Ford — and the Classic Ford Tours in particular. From the first (France, 1999!) to my most recent (Belgium, 2018), they’ve all involved jumping in an old Ford, heading to the ferry port and exploring new places and roads with other enthusiasts — and making some lifelong friends in the process. There’s always a bit of drama — especially if my most-recent tour companion, Ade is involved (gearbox swaps in hotel carparks, wheels almost falling
