Overpowered And Over There

It’s one of the most incredible Cortinas we’ve seen for some time, yet to look at Jerry Peters’ GT, you wouldn’t know there’s a 500 bhp V8 and trick suspension under that unassuming ’60s body.

- Matt Jones

Jerry Peters was born to be a petrol head… literally. He entered the world in June 1949 — the same week the first ever NASCAR ‘Strictly Stock’ racers battled round Charlotte Speedway, North Carolina and his Godmother, Joyce Clark, was the first NASCAR timing and scoring official. By age four, Jerry was a regular attendee at his local racetrack in Jacksonville, Florida, and dreamed of being a racing driver — an ambition he would achieve years later as a keen amateur after a successful career in business allowed him to foster his love of fast cars.

Today, Jerry has a man-cave chocked full of the most incredible machinery from the States and Europe, including an impressive line-up of Porsches. But there’s one car among the realms of exotica that he rates as his favourite… and that’s an immaculate and unassuming Mk1 Cortina GT.

This is no ordinary Old English White Sunday driver though, as under the skin Jerry’s subtle GT packs a 508 bhp V8 powerplant, running through a six-speed box to a hybrid Jaguar/Ford 9 inch rear end. This car isn’t just a wolf in sheep’s clothing, it’s a pack of them!

Lotus effect

The story starts back in 1965, when a young Jerry witnessed a piece of machinery that would change his view on UK cars forever.