CORTINA CITY

You likely believe the last brand-new Mk3 Cortina was built in 1976, but Pete Crompton’s comprehensive restorations have virtually put them back into production. “I like a challenge,” explains Pete. “My dad and brother had Cortinas. I got my first Mk3 when I was 21, I love the Coke bottle styling, there’s not a bad angle on the car. I like finding really rotten Cortinas and saving them.”

“The silver 2000 GXL is a rare two-door and rarer still for being an automatic,” explains Pete. “Built in January 1972 it had sat in a field in Tewkesbury since 1983. I saw photos of it taken by a fellow Mk3 Cortina Owner’s Club member () so drove the 150 miles down there, left my details