The Ford Mk1 Cortina salvaged from the wrecker’s yard

16 September, 2016

Chris Alexander discovered the car in a wrecker’s yard in Mangere, South Auckland, seven years ago, sitting forlornly on a wooden pallet. It was a completely stripped shell with the four doors attached, and it quickly caught Chris’s eye. He immediately thought ‘rally car’ — what a fantastic opportunity to start a project.

Chris wanted to recreate an Alan Mann Cortina. The four-door shell was ideal for rallying, as the spare wheel can easily be stowed inside the cabin along with all the necessary accessories, leaving only the fuel pumps in the boot. Chris built the Cortina with a retro theme in mind, wanting to keep it classic, but mixing in the modern touches for safety and reliability.

He had planned to campaign his Cortina in this year’s Targa, but unfortunately had to withdraw at the last moment due to illness. He expects to make a full recovery, and is looking forward to competing in the Classic Rally of New Zealand 2017.

We’ve included a few additional photos that didn’t make it into the October issue of New Zealand Classic Car — grab your copy below to read the full story.

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Escort services – 1968 Escort 1100 Restomod

19 September, 2024

The Escort started off as a 1968 1100 cc two-door sold-new in Britain. At some point it was retired from daily duty and set aside as a pet project for someone. When that project began is unclear, but much of the work was completed in 2014 including a complete rotisserie restoration.
By the end of 2014, it was finished but not completed. Its Wellingtonian owner bought it sight unseen from the UK and it landed here in early 2020. It was soon dispatched to Macbilt in Grenada North, Wellington for them to work their magic.
Macbilt had two instructions: to get the car through compliance for use on the road; and to improve the vehicle and finish the project so it drove as well as it looked. Looking at the car now, it has an amazing presence and stance. It can’t help but attract attention and a bevy of admirers.

Lunch with … Cary Taylor

11 September, 2024

Many years ago — in June 1995 to be more precise — I was being wowed with yet another terrific tale from Geoff Manning who had worked spanners on all types of racing cars. We were chatting at Bruce McLaren Intermediate school on the 25th anniversary of the death of the extraordinary Kiwi for whom the school was named. Geoff, who had been part of Ford’s Le Mans programme in the ’60s, and also Graham Hill’s chief mechanic — clearly realising that he had me in the palm of his hand — offered a piece of advice that I’ve never forgotten: “If you want the really good stories, talk to the mechanics.”
Without doubt the top mechanics, those involved in the highest echelons of motor racing, have stories galore — after all, they had relationships with their drivers so intimate that, to quote Geoff all those years ago, “Mechanics know what really happened.”

The Ford Mk1 Cortina salvaged from the wrecker’s yard

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