When it comes to cars and, more importantly, our relationship with cars, most of us owe a lot to our family. Whether it was our uncle’s flawless Mk1 Capri that we remember being polished religiously every weekend, or our cousin’s clapped-out Fiesta, which spent more time being fixed than being driven, these memories are etched permanently into our cerebral cortex. And, whether you realise it at the time, these recollections taint our perception of certain makes and models and often go on to influence our future automotive purchases. For mechanical CAD design engineer, Peter Harvey, it was his Dad’s four-wheeled back catalogue that had the biggest impact on deciding his motor of choice, in particular a certain Mk4 Cortina.
“My Dad was a huge Ford fan and had them as company cars for most of his career, but in 1982 he bought a Cortina 2.3 V6 estate, which was the only car he ever bought from new,” says Peter. “I was just a teenager when he got it and remember going on various holidays in it towing our caravan behind, sometimes at speeds of up to 100 mph, so it definitely left an impression on me!” he laughs.
And when Peter became a mechanic in
