Welcome to the Weekend Edition of the Hooniverse. Things have been sparse here on the weekends lately, and I can’t guarantee that it will change soon, but I will do my best to keep you entertained. This weeekend I thought I would highlight some of the banter that has been flowing within the tips line starting with this Mk II Cortina Wagon, with a surprise…

This was a tip that we received from Jim (Thanks Man!) about a very special Cortina that is offered for sale in San Diego. According to the listing:

On offer is my 1969 Cortina Estate/ Station Wagon. When these were new the Ford factory rally teams used them in support of the Lotus racing machines. This was due to their good all round performance and cargo capacity. Purists, avert your eyes as this particular English Ford has been upgraded with with an American 302 V8, 5 speed transmission and an 8″ rear axle. It remains mostly stock in its appearance so it is a ‘sleeper’. No chrome sidepipes, fuzzy dash or raccoons tails hanging from the aerial, it is all as the good Ford intended.

The Grungy Bits are as follows. The engine is date coded 1980 with an aluminum 2 barrel intake, 60’s Mustang iron exhaust manifolds, and an ’84 Mustang GT crank and cam. Gobs of smooth torque is the result of this spec. The trans is a brand new, 1984 World Class T5, with a Pinto cable clutch upgrade. The 8″ rear axle is from a trusty Mustang II with 3.0 gears. Powering it all is a Delco alternator. Cooling duties are handled by a V8 three row radiator and a flex fan. The front brakes are upped to the larger Cortina GT rotors and GT calipers. Once again that trusty Mustang II provided the rear drums which are the same size as GT. It was converted to a single master cylinder to clear the left valve cover. The front suspension has ’67 GT coils, classic Koni adjustable inserts and RS bushings. The rear is stock Estate leaf springs with a tube shock conversion. Carroll Shelby manufactured the rims, 13″ X 5″. They came from a Capri, and are completely original and untouched.

The Shiny Bits. Assembled in July of 1969 in Dagenham England, the V8 Estate amazingly still has most of its original Ermine White paint, but with the dings and scratches you would expect after nearly 45 years. It has had some professional repairs, and careful touchups to those dings. I am a big fan of any car with a factory black interior. A fresh Acme carpet kit has been installed, and it has ’68 lowback velour seats in the front. A wood rimmed Formula GT wheel has replaced the factory one (included). The original chrome has stood up well. 41,000 miles shows on the odometer, believed to be original and a SoCal car its whole life. Everything works on the car. All the glass is original with a nice windshield.

This longroof weighs about 2400 pounds ready to drive. The stock weight of an Estate is about 2200. It represents the marriage of a lightweight English body shell and American grunt, ala Cobra and Tiger. That Small Block Ford gives this car remarkable driveablility and flexibility, and it must be driven to be appreciated. It is set up as a driver and would make a great commuter car, while you rock out to the period AM radio. Clear title, currently on non-op.

Asking price for this unique vehicle is $12,995, but the seller is looking for any reasonable offer. I’m not sure what non-op status means in California, so if anyone wants to enlighten the crew here, please do so. It seems like a risky move if the car doesn’t run, but as I said, I’m clueless. See the listing here if you want more information.