A thing now rarely seen

Kinja'd!!! "Cé hé sin" (michael-m-mouse)
06/17/2018 at 16:08 • Filed to: Ford Cortina

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But once everywhere. A Cortina 1.6L. The model is significant.

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It’s a 1.6 obviously, but it’s the L model. At one time it would have denoted Luxury, but as time went on makers needed something above luxury so in the nature of things the L became the bog standard and if was more paid you got a GL or if even more a Ghia, but you usually had to rise to the 2 litre for that.

But to get back to the 1.6L. Cortinas were often company cars (if you don’t use the term, a car provided by an employer as a perk/tool of the trade). If you were at the bottom of the pecking order, a 1.6L was where you were at. Get promotion and you might aspire to a 1.6GL. Become a manager and you might even rise to a 2.0 Ghia. Company directors would obviously go for the Granada instead, also stratified so you began with a 2.0GL and went from there.

No matter what Cortina you got though it was still a carburettered engine with four manual gears and manual everything. The posher models got fabric trim, door mirrors adjustable from the inside and maybe even a sunroof. Exciting times, the 1970s.

Note the towbar.No, this isn’t America. People tow with ordinary cars.


DISCUSSION (3)


Kinja'd!!! My X-type is too a real Jaguar > Cé hé sin
06/17/2018 at 18:48

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We towed stuff with regular cars until the 90s when automakers decided we couldn’t any longer and lowered the tow ratings and cars. Oh trailers also got a lot heavier as well.


Kinja'd!!! fintail > Cé hé sin
06/17/2018 at 18:55

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Even Onslow had a GL:

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And a good place to share the fascinating BBC company cars documentary from 1993:


Kinja'd!!! SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > Cé hé sin
06/17/2018 at 22:39

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They used to be familiar even in Australia where they went up against the Holden Torana. And at some point in the 90s they...just...vanished.