Discussion
In 1972 I had a 1600E.
A long long time ago.
I seem to remember that the handbook had something like the following in it-" to start the car from rest, depress the clutch and while gently accelerating the engine slowly lift the clutch and the car will move forward...".
That is the gist of what I remember and is not meant to be verbatim as it is 53 years ago.
Thinking back it seems odd that Ford thought it necessary to tell the owner how to drive the car.
Has anyone got a handbook for a 1600E and can confirm this for me please?
A long long time ago.
I seem to remember that the handbook had something like the following in it-" to start the car from rest, depress the clutch and while gently accelerating the engine slowly lift the clutch and the car will move forward...".
That is the gist of what I remember and is not meant to be verbatim as it is 53 years ago.
Thinking back it seems odd that Ford thought it necessary to tell the owner how to drive the car.
Has anyone got a handbook for a 1600E and can confirm this for me please?
It wasn't unusual to see basic driving technique described in handbooks back then , although they were comendably short documents. Today's are immense tomes ,and designed principally to reduce or eliminate risk for the manufacturer. My 2025 Duster has a 500 page pdf , which is apppllingly laid out and indexed. But I recently discovered that AI will give you the right answer in seconds , saving much swearing and screen scrolling .
Did the Cortina have Ford's excellent wash /wipe system like my Escort Van did ? A rubber bulb to the left of the clutch for wash, with a metal ring on its circumference to depress for wipe
Did the Cortina have Ford's excellent wash /wipe system like my Escort Van did ? A rubber bulb to the left of the clutch for wash, with a metal ring on its circumference to depress for wipe
coppice said:
It wasn't unusual to see basic driving technique described in handbooks back then , although they were comendably short documents. Today's are immense tomes ,and designed principally to reduce or eliminate risk for the manufacturer. My 2025 Duster has a 500 page pdf , which is apppllingly laid out and indexed. But I recently discovered that AI will give you the right answer in seconds , saving much swearing and screen scrolling .
Did the Cortina have Ford's excellent wash /wipe system like my Escort Van did ? A rubber bulb to the left of the clutch for wash, with a metal ring on its circumference to depress for wipe
I can’t remember the rubber bulb device on the Cortina but I’m certain my Mexico had that arrangement.Did the Cortina have Ford's excellent wash /wipe system like my Escort Van did ? A rubber bulb to the left of the clutch for wash, with a metal ring on its circumference to depress for wipe
Looks like the Mk3 Cortina owner had got the hang of this driving lark, as once you have started the car, the handbook just says "drive away immediately or allow the engine to warm through whilst the vehicle is stationary".
Re the foot pumps, ASFAIK the Mk2 didn't have them. The Mk3 pre facelift did and so did the rest of the Ford range in the early 70s. There were 2 types. Those without the metal ring, just a washer pump were fitted to BASE versions. The rest should have had the pump with a metal ring, which gave a single wipe.
Re the foot pumps, ASFAIK the Mk2 didn't have them. The Mk3 pre facelift did and so did the rest of the Ford range in the early 70s. There were 2 types. Those without the metal ring, just a washer pump were fitted to BASE versions. The rest should have had the pump with a metal ring, which gave a single wipe.
Johnspex said:
coppice said:
Did the Cortina have Ford's excellent wash /wipe system like my Escort Van did ? A rubber bulb to the left of the clutch for wash, with a metal ring on its circumference to depress for wipe
I can t remember the rubber bulb device on the Cortina but I m certain my Mexico had that arrangement.I don't think my MK2 Escort RS2000 had it.
My ‘64 vw van has the headlight dip switch to the left of the clutch. Much scope for confusion if switching between vehicles with resultant comedy headlights flashing. Mind you, even if accidentally left on full beam the chances of blinding anyone with those headlights are slim. It’s in EXACTLY the place you’d put a foot rest!
I remember 1600Es as having the sort of following that meant some people were unhappy when it went out of production with the advent of the MkIII.
Probably the first ordinary car that I remember becoming a classic, so although I have never driven a 1600E I always have had a soft spot for them.
Probably the first ordinary car that I remember becoming a classic, so although I have never driven a 1600E I always have had a soft spot for them.
My father had a Mk II 1500GT and he loved it. He'd had a couple of Zephyr Mk 3s (4 kids) but the GT was his first "flash" performance car (it's all relative) in bright red paint, spotlights, rostyle wheels, under bumper stripes, remote gear shift and full instruments. The boys down the pub loved it, it was a feel good car that fitted 4 kids in.
In the early 80s, I went to try a 1600GT 2 door, expecting much but I thought it was very average. I also bought a £50 1600E which was also very average by most standard but it made me £50 profit in a quick flip.
My mother later tried to bribe me off my Honda Gold Wing with a purple 2000E. After driving it, I kept the bike.
In the early 80s, I went to try a 1600GT 2 door, expecting much but I thought it was very average. I also bought a £50 1600E which was also very average by most standard but it made me £50 profit in a quick flip.
My mother later tried to bribe me off my Honda Gold Wing with a purple 2000E. After driving it, I kept the bike.
mac96 said:
I remember 1600Es as having the sort of following that meant some people were unhappy when it went out of production with the advent of the MkIII.
Probably the first ordinary car that I remember becoming a classic, so although I have never driven a 1600E I always have had a soft spot for them.
These were a classic ( no pun intended) example of supreme marketing by Ford, who really were the past masters of this skilled differentiation of different grades of the same basic car. The Cortina was basic, verging on crude but it offered good value, and British Leyland cars were considered unreliable.Thus Ford dressed the Cortina with wooden dash, full instrumentation , vinyl roof ,more padded seats, Ro- style wheels, etc. Good colours, too. Whatever the mark up was over a basic rep s special , it was a vast success for Ford. To this day, a source of extra profit for a small outlay is a master stroke.Probably the first ordinary car that I remember becoming a classic, so although I have never driven a 1600E I always have had a soft spot for them.
Edited by Lester H on Wednesday 29th October 21:50
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