Zetec-engined Ford Cortina restomod for sale

So this is probably not the best launch for the new Ford CapriNot only does the name and heritage not sit well with an electric SUV coupe – the suggestion of Explorer Sport as a name seems particularly apt today – but the obsession with the name has meant that attention has been diverted from Ford’s larger appeal for its Festival of Speed ​​range. That being said the Mustang GTDof course, which really promises to be something spectacular. Few people seem to have noticed it.

It’s time to retreat into the warm embrace of nostalgia, into the old Fords we know and love. Chances are we’re all feeling a little fragile this Monday in particular, no matter how the football goes, so we’re going to ease your week with a Blue Oval classic that brings nothing but welcome surprises. It’d have to be a Capri, of course, and there’s a pair of glorious Turbo Technics V6s available on PH – perhaps those can wait for another day, at £25,000 And £30,000 respectively. Because the more you look at this Cortina, for half the price of the latter, the better it seems.

A late Mk5 – 1982 was the final year of production – the Cortina is perhaps not the obvious choice for the restomod treatment, or whatever the best expression is for injecting a bit of modernity into an old car. The truly sporty models came earlier in the Cortina’s life, with the smaller, lighter Escort and Fiesta perhaps the most obvious choices for a retro hot rod. And that’s without even thinking about the Sierra that followed the Cortina the year after the car was built. Still, that’s the joy of modification – you do exactly what you want with the car that pleases you. And so we have a Cortina Ghia Mk5, a very handsome presentation indeed, which is powered by a 2.0-litre Zetec. That means just over 150bhp, with growl coming from individual throttle bodies, a good chunk more power than any standard Cortina engine of the period. As well as more usable in a modern context, surely. It is mated to a five-speed Ford MT75 gearbox.

But this is more than just an engine swap. A five-stud hub swap means the Granada wheels can now fit (and look great), with bigger brakes and ABS behind them. There’s power steering and a very cleverly redone interior, with a four-spoke RS steering wheel and a pair of delectable Recaros. There’s no mention of suspension work in the advert, but given the modifications made elsewhere and the way it sits on those Granny wheels, it would be surprising to find it still on standard springs and dampers.

Add to that a truly charming exterior, with perfect paintwork, the blackest of black bumpers and the Ghia badges still in place, and it’s easy to see why this might be interesting. It’s hard enough to find a late Cortina of any kind these days, given how many have succumbed to rust, scrapping or, er, banger racing, let alone one with a well-thought-out upgrade package. So this one is very intriguing indeed.

Reportedly overhauled nearly 20 years ago, at a time when modern restoration wasn’t really a thing and classics could be modified because they were plentiful and cheap, the Cortina was featured in a magazine as early as 2009. This isn’t a freshly finished build that will have teething problems to sort out and that any new owner will worry about using. This Zetec conversion has been loved and appreciated, that’s for sure, otherwise it wouldn’t look this good for a 42-year-old car. Thanks to the effort invested by previous custodians, it looks set to cover many more happy miles, offering that dream combination of retro styling and modern performance that no one can live without these days. All for £15,000, too. Enough to make you forget about that new Capri altogether, surely.