Corgi Vanguards Ford Cortina Mk5 1.3 Prairie Yellow

Ford offered the Mk5 Cortina in several trim levels, of which GL was one, and the S Pack (for Sports) was a specification option that could be added to the customer’s desired trim level, L, GL or Ghia. That means that surviving GLS or Ghia S models are rare because fewer were sold and, unlike the Mk4 Cortina, there was no separate S model.

The S Pack could only be ordered on cars with engines of 2-litres or above and featured driving lamps, overriders, a tachometer, a sports gear knob, and wider 185/70 HR x 13 tyres, plus revised stiffer suspension with gas filled front dampers. Alloy road wheels were a standalone option.

The GLS modelled was owned for many years by a police officer in Wales but ended up offered for sale while being stored in the open in Peterborough. It intrigued Hertfordshire-based garage owner Dave Lamb, whose first car had been a Cortina, because it was complete and unmolested, albeit rusty.

There were also signs it had been cared for, such as five premium brand tyres, an unblemished interior and what looked like a genuine 90,000 recorded miles. Dave viewed it three times before his nostalgic impulse kicked in and he bought it in December 2023.

He got it running, and his suspicions were proved correct because the engine was sweet, and it drove well. He has now started restoring it to its original specification.