Over the years we’ve brought you numerous stories of old Fords that turned out to be far more rusty than their owners realised. Cars without floors, sills made of filler and newspaper, rotten A-posts and non-existent suspension mounts. So it’s refreshing to present a tale of a Cortina that didn’t shock and horrify its owner with how badly the ferrous oxide had taken hold. John Metcalfe picked up this 1981 Cortina in August 2019. “A friend bought it at auction,” remembers John, “then asked if I was interested in it. I’ve always had older cars and I do like Fords, although I trained with British Leyland. I’ve got about 30 classics; an XR3, Granada coupe, a Metro, Maestro and Montego, a three-door Cosworth… I like a bit of everything.”
John’s friend had offered to deliver the Cortina but
