CORTINA GT Estate

Original classic Fords: Available as a special order, the GT version of the Mk2 Cortina Estate is now a seriously rare classic Ford, and Eddie Borley is on a mission to keep his Series 2 version in tip-top shape.

- Jon Cass

Any Mk2 Cortina Estate is a rare sight today — they often led harder lives than their saloon-based cousins, after all. As with most of Ford’s range, the Cortina Estate was available in various specifications, but few people realise there was a range topping GT version within the line up, too.

Eddie Borley has been a huge fan of the GT Estate since as long ago as 1977, which happens to coincide with the year he bought this very car. “I grew up with my Dad, Joe driving around in 100Es and an Escort van, I was Ford man through and through,” Eddie laughs, “but I’d never heard of a Cortina GT Estate until I saw this one!”

Back in 1977, Eddie was part of the construction team building the M20 Motorway in Kent. “I was invited to a wedding down in Biggin Hill and by chance I spotted this Cortina for sale in the car park,” Eddie recalls. ”I asked my cousin’s husband who was selling it as I’d never seen one before and quite liked the look of it.” Eddie soon managed to track down the vendor who was asking a reasonable £650 for the Mk2, but there was an immediate problem coming up with the funds. “I didn’t want to miss out on this car as I was unlikely to come across another, so I went back to my construction site at the M20 and after asking around all the workers chipped in so I could pay for it,” Eddie laughs, “we were all a close team and they knew I’d pay them back by the end of the month.”

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