GILDING THE LILY

In 1963, the motorist who owned a new Consul Cortina Super Estate was the sort of person who was going places. For them, a Morris Oxford Farina Traveller was square, whereas they took pride in driving a car that was truly ‘with it.’ Best of all, Ford decorated it extensively with the finest artificial timber known to humanity, as witnessed by Gavin Hutton's very rare surviving example in a lovely original condition.

The Cortina began life in 1960 as Project Archbishop, and by September of 1961 Ford GB approved the estate version. This represented something of a breakthrough for Dagenham as it was to be their first factory-built five-door car. In the previous decade buyers had been offered station wagon versions of the Consul/ Zephyr-Six MkI, but E.D.Abbott Ltd of Farnham had created those. This tradition would continue with the Corsair and through to the Zephyr/Zodiac MkIV until the early 1970s.

By contrast, the Cortina was a neat in-house creation that bridged the vast gulf between the Anglia and the Zephyr 4 MkIII estates. It was lighter than many rivals, and offered space, according to the sales copy of the day, for ‘all your luggage for a year’s safari and room for any tigers you