Registration: UUY 8V
Chassis: BABFAB372340
Odometer: 50,500
Transmission: Manual
MOT: Exempt

• Low mileage
• Recent restoration
• Manual sunroof
• Great starter classic

The headline fact about the Cortina is simple; it sold in numbers nobody else came close to. It was Britain’s best-selling car for most of the 1970s, the default choice for the family driveway and the fleet manager alike, and the 1979 range set a registration record that stood for years. More than 2.6 million were built across the five generations.

That ubiquity is exactly why honest survivors are now scarce. They were used hard, raced as bangers and scrapped without a second thought when they were simply old, so a tidy, original Cortina of any generation is a far rarer sight today than the production figures suggest.

Somehow our example has survived, apparently it was off the road and unused for several years, and then between 2020 and 2023 was restored. Work included the fitting of two front wings, new exhaust system, the replacement of the brake pipes flexi hoses and brake cylinders, the brake calipers were refurbished, poly bushes fitted and the cambelt and water pump renewed. All this was topped off with a respray in its original factory colour of Solar Gold. The interior would seem to be its original brown velour, very 1970s, and reflects the 50,000 miles showing.

The restoration has held up quite well, and whilst not perfect, presents very well indeed with good chrome, clean wheels, and an unmarked vinyl roof.

As we have said before, back in the late 70s and early 80s the Cortina was everywhere and barely warranted a second glance. Now in 2026, they turn heads and give many of us the opportunity to start a conversation with the words ‘I used to have one of those’.