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1965 Ford Cortina GT Came From South Africa As a True Low-Mileage “Diamond”

For anyone unacquainted with the Cortina name, this Ford was created with right-hand drive markets in mind (particularly the British one) as a daily driver designed to compete with the Morris and Vauxhalls of the time. The Cortina GT was the flagship sporty trim, bringing a host of enhancements – including more power – over the lesser grades. Naturally, the option is entirely befitting of this example’s two-door sedan body.
1965 Ford Cortina GT for sale on The Market 24 photos
Photo: The Market
1965 Ford Cortina GT for sale on The Market1965 Ford Cortina GT for sale on The Market1965 Ford Cortina GT for sale on The Market1965 Ford Cortina GT for sale on The Market1965 Ford Cortina GT for sale on The Market1965 Ford Cortina GT for sale on The Market1965 Ford Cortina GT for sale on The Market1965 Ford Cortina GT for sale on The Market1965 Ford Cortina GT for sale on The Market1965 Ford Cortina GT for sale on The Market1965 Ford Cortina GT for sale on The Market1965 Ford Cortina GT for sale on The Market1965 Ford Cortina GT for sale on The Market1965 Ford Cortina GT for sale on The Market1965 Ford Cortina GT for sale on The Market1965 Ford Cortina GT for sale on The Market1965 Ford Cortina GT for sale on The Market1965 Ford Cortina GT for sale on The Market1965 Ford Cortina GT for sale on The Market1965 Ford Cortina GT for sale on The Market1965 Ford Cortina GT for sale on The Market1965 Ford Cortina GT for sale on The Market1965 Ford Cortina GT for sale on The Market
Believe it or not, the 1965 Cortina GT on sale at The Market for a current bid of £7,600 (that’s about $10k, but the reserve hasn’t been met) first hit the road in an era when the Beatles were calling for “Help!” and Tom Jones didn’t oblige as he was preoccupied to find out “What’s New Pussycat?

Anyone taking a look at the pristine body can easily imagine it was preserved in a time capsule, given the very low mileage of less than 1,700 miles (2,736 km) and its mint condition.

According to the description, we are dealing here with a first-generation Cortina GT, which travelled in 2018 from South Africa all the way back to the original home market of UK.

Apparently, the Blue Oval first delivered the ‘65 Cortina GT in CKD (Completely Knocked Down kit, a common production practice designed to avoid import taxes) from the assembly facility it owned in Rhodesia (today’s Zimbabwe). It doesn’t really say what happened to it once it left the factory and until the current vendor brought it back from South Africa, though.

Anyways, it probably didn’t spend much time cruising around, as indicated by the odometer and the overall condition. As far as we can tell, the exterior and exterior look impeccable, the former sporting a creamy white shade, lots of chrome for such an affordable vehicle in the era, as well as cool-looking Minilite alloy wheels.

Moving inside, the Cortina GT brings a touch of premium sportiness with the Momo wood-rimmed steering wheel, matching-paint dashboard, and black vinyl seating that looks untouched by the passing of time.

It’s a thing of beauty, for sure, but don’t expect it to compete with a ‘65 Mustang in the dynamics department any time soon, given the low 78-hp power of the small engine dwelling under the hood.
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About the author: Aurel Niculescu
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Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution.
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