Sporty Corty
Do you know the joke about the 3 antique dealers who were stranded on a desert island with a chest of drawers? They all were able to make a living. Well, I was fortunate enough to be an antique dealer in a couple of trios on the not-so desert island of Australia in the 2000s. I was part of Capri Mafia in Melbourne and another small group of Ford Escort enthusiasts.
There was a time in the mid to late 2000s when there was more trade of small Fords going on between 5 guys in Melbourne than on the entire internet combined.....Well, it felt like that. As soon as a car came up for sale, the phone would ring. "Did you see that....", "Do you know anything about this car?" "Who got that RS, GT, Etc...." The latter question almost always was one of the elusive 5 character in our little groups. I was fortune to be part of the two groups earlier on but as we all started to "diverse" we all got to know each other and the groups merged, somewhat. By the time we all knew each other, the bargains had all been bought and the rest of the Small Ford World was onto "our" gig and the game was up.
Within our extended group, we all had our favourite mark and model. Mr X, it was RS2000s, Mr Y it was Capris, and Mr Z who liked Cortinas. Then there was me who was somewhat of a floozy when it came to particular models and loved them all.
It was through this small group that I came about my Mk 2 Cortina. Mr Z and traded it to Mr X, then he traded to me for an RS2000, I believe??? Its all getting too confusing, but I wont be using names here to protect the guilty.
Long story short, I had scored myself a Mk 2 Cortina race car that I couldn't wait to get out on the track. It was a bit of a learning curve for me because I had never owned a Mk 2 Cortina before. I had to find a few missing parts so it was good to make contact with the Ford Cortina Car Club in Melbourne and they were excellent to deal with. I can't thank them enough with the advice I received for this particular car.
The car was actually known to the club and had been a project of a now deceased member. I can't say much as, I can't really confirm this info, but when I did eventually advertise the car for sale a past owner did contact me with some info.
I had a good look at how the car was put together as it had been prepared for Group Nc racing. Some things had changed over time, namely the rear brake which I don't think complied with the rules but I was only looking at club sprint level competition anyway so it didn't affect my plans.
The car was taken to a track day at Sandown but unfortunately I only managed a few laps before the gearstick came away in my hand. It turned out to be an easy fix but the initial shock of the stick separating from the gearbox was enough to put me off taking the car out again.
When I got the car home I decided it was best to pass on to a true Cortina owner so I stuck the car on ebay with no reserve and the car went off to country Victoria. I think the car was returned to a road car??? It was a beautiful car to drive but it was never going to win any racers in my hands. I much preferred my "tractor-powered" (Pinto) RS2000 that probably wasn't that much quicker but sounded so.
There was a time in the mid to late 2000s when there was more trade of small Fords going on between 5 guys in Melbourne than on the entire internet combined.....Well, it felt like that. As soon as a car came up for sale, the phone would ring. "Did you see that....", "Do you know anything about this car?" "Who got that RS, GT, Etc...." The latter question almost always was one of the elusive 5 character in our little groups. I was fortune to be part of the two groups earlier on but as we all started to "diverse" we all got to know each other and the groups merged, somewhat. By the time we all knew each other, the bargains had all been bought and the rest of the Small Ford World was onto "our" gig and the game was up.
Within our extended group, we all had our favourite mark and model. Mr X, it was RS2000s, Mr Y it was Capris, and Mr Z who liked Cortinas. Then there was me who was somewhat of a floozy when it came to particular models and loved them all.
It was through this small group that I came about my Mk 2 Cortina. Mr Z and traded it to Mr X, then he traded to me for an RS2000, I believe??? Its all getting too confusing, but I wont be using names here to protect the guilty.
Long story short, I had scored myself a Mk 2 Cortina race car that I couldn't wait to get out on the track. It was a bit of a learning curve for me because I had never owned a Mk 2 Cortina before. I had to find a few missing parts so it was good to make contact with the Ford Cortina Car Club in Melbourne and they were excellent to deal with. I can't thank them enough with the advice I received for this particular car.
The car was actually known to the club and had been a project of a now deceased member. I can't say much as, I can't really confirm this info, but when I did eventually advertise the car for sale a past owner did contact me with some info.
I had a good look at how the car was put together as it had been prepared for Group Nc racing. Some things had changed over time, namely the rear brake which I don't think complied with the rules but I was only looking at club sprint level competition anyway so it didn't affect my plans.
The car was taken to a track day at Sandown but unfortunately I only managed a few laps before the gearstick came away in my hand. It turned out to be an easy fix but the initial shock of the stick separating from the gearbox was enough to put me off taking the car out again.
When I got the car home I decided it was best to pass on to a true Cortina owner so I stuck the car on ebay with no reserve and the car went off to country Victoria. I think the car was returned to a road car??? It was a beautiful car to drive but it was never going to win any racers in my hands. I much preferred my "tractor-powered" (Pinto) RS2000 that probably wasn't that much quicker but sounded so.
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