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126-643: The company began operations in 1973, assembling Ford models including the Cortina , Escort , and Granada . In 1974 assembly of the Philippine-made Ford Fiera AUV began, although sales were slow as it was more expensive than its more comfortable Japanese competitors. In the 1980s, it began assembly of Mazda -based models, such as the Laser ( Mazda 323 ), Telstar ( Mazda 626 ) and Festiva ( Mazda 121 ). The Taiwan-built Laser hatchback

252-660: A drag coefficient of 0.34, a significant improvement over its predecessors. The Sierra had its debut at the 1982 British International Motor Show in Birmingham , shortly followed by the 1982 Paris Salon de l'Automobile. Sales began on 15 October 1982, replacing the Ford Taunus TC3 ( UK : Ford Cortina Mark V). Its aerodynamic styling and the absence of a saloon/sedan configuration was such that many conservative buyers (including company car drivers) did not prefer its design. A saloon/sedan model debuted in 1987 with

378-523: A 1.8-litre turbodiesel. The turbocharged 2-litre RS Cosworth engine featured on all three Cosworth versions of the Sierra; the three-door rear-wheel-drive hatchback, the rear-wheel-drive saloon, and the four-wheel-drive saloon. The sporting model XR4i utilized the 2.8 engine with mechanical fuel injection (Bosch K Jetronic) coupled to rear-wheel drive (1983–1985) and to four-wheel-drive as XR4x4 (1985–1987). There were visual differences and alterations between

504-591: A DeLuxe wagon. The Lotus Cortina was also available, albeit in limited numbers. Ford in the United States imported both the Mark I and Mark II Cortina models. The Mark II was sold in the United States from 1967, achieving 16,193 cars sold in its first year. Sales of the Mark II in 1968 were 22,983. Sales in 1969 reached 21,496. Sales slumped in 1970, to almost half their 1969 peak, at 10,216 units. Ford USA dropped

630-676: A brushed aluminum and black boot lid panel on the GXLs, while the GT had a black-painted section of the boot with a chrome trim at either side of it. All prefacelift models featured a downward-sloping dashboard with deeply recessed dials, and coil suspension all round. In general styling and technical make up, the Mark III Cortina aped the Vauxhall Victor FD of 1967. The Cortina went on sale on 23 October 1970, but sales got off to

756-624: A demonstration model with one style on either side was displayed at a Sierra design exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, but the one-pillar design was not launched until 1984. The three-door Sierra was later dropped in the UK after just two years, only to be revived for the Cosworth version. Production of the 3-door Sierra continued in continental Europe, including after the Sierra range

882-612: A different radiator grille), and rear-wing pressings that toned down the drooping beltline, lessening the "coke-bottle" appearance of the Cortina. Also, the dual round headlights fitted to the upmarket version of the Cortina Mark III were not available on the Taunus TC1. The MacPherson strut front suspension was replaced with more conventional double A-arm suspension (also known as double wishbone suspension), which gave

1008-482: A five-door estate. Although no longer than its predecessor, the Mark III was a heavier car, reflecting a trend towards improving secondary safety by making car bodies more substantial. Weight was also increased by the stout cross-member incorporated into the new simplified front suspension set-up, and by the inclusion of far more sound-deadening material, which insulated the cabin from engine and exhaust noise, making

1134-534: A five-speed as option but standard on the 2.3D and 2.3 V6. At a time when the rival Vauxhall Cavalier was offered with a five-speed, this led to some critics commenting that the Sierra was somewhat underpowered. In the mid-1980s, many smaller cars (some even two segments smaller) featured five-speed gearboxes as standard. The chassis, however, was more sophisticated than the Cortina/Taunus, with fully independent suspension on both axles. The rear suspension

1260-547: A limited choice of petrol engines were available for the Van. This variant was never sold in the UK, although some were produced in right-hand-drive for the Irish market . During its lifetime, the Sierra was available with a wide range of petrol engines: Two diesel engines were available: 1300, 1600, and 2000 engines all had a 4-speed manual gearbox ; a 5-speed manual gearbox was optional with 1600 and 2000 engines, and standard with

1386-417: A limited run of 10% of the initial production, therefore this would be 500 cars. This was known as an 'evolution' model. Ford employed Tickford to help with the development. The Sierra RS500 as it was known sported a small additional rear spoiler, and larger front chin spoiler, extra cooling ducts for the engine, brakes, and intercooler. The placement of the additional cooling ducts is where the foglights seen on

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1512-449: A new mid-range model to replace the Cortina/Taunus during the early 1980s, working under the codename "Project Toni". Although still popular with buyers, the outgoing Cortina / Taunus was essentially a 12-year old design by the time of the Sierra's launch; despite the TC2 shape being launched in 1976, and the mildly reworked TC3/Mk5 three years later, both were merely a reskinned version of

1638-403: A particularly slow start because of production difficulties that culminated with a 10-week strike at Ford's plant between April and June 1971, which was at the time reported to have cost production of 100,000 vehicles, equivalent to almost a quarter of the output for a full year. During 1971, the spring rates and damper settings were altered along with the front suspension bushings, which reduced

1764-492: A restyled Sierra was launched for the 1988 model year and a four-door saloon version was added to the range – this was marketed as the Sierra Sapphire on the UK market. The front end was completely revised, with the biggest difference being the indicators now positioned above the bumper and to the side of a new headlight design. While the grille again remained blanked off, the UK, Irish, and South African versions of

1890-511: A single lens. For the 1985 model year, all the lower-spec models, except the base model, adopted the Ghia's and XR4i's front grille and headlight treatment. However, the second lens of the lower-spec models had no actual light within it. On the Ghia and XR4i this lens contained additional high-beam lamps. The South-African XR8 model's front end was similar to the XR4i's but featured a small grille between

2016-552: A staple of the Capri and Granada ranges. However, 2.3-litre Cortinas never sold particularly well in the UK. The Cologne V6 was much smoother and delivered more refined power than the Pinto, but the V6 models were more expensive to fuel and insure, and were only slightly faster, being about 0.5 seconds faster from 0–60 and having a top speed of about 109 mph compared to the 104 mph of

2142-445: A subtle 'Coke-bottle' waistline as a reference to its predecessor - along with a lowered boot lid height which achieved the marketing department objective of larger windows giving a better view out and a brighter feel to the cabin, but at the expense of body weight, which was increased, albeit only marginally, by about 30 lb (14 kg). Ford claimed an overall increase in window area of some 15%, with "40% better visibility" through

2268-637: A very large following. In 1987, Ford introduced a four-door saloon (marketed in the UK as the Sierra Sapphire), which was sold alongside the hatchback and estate until the Sierra was replaced by the Mondeo in early 1993. The last Sierra rolled off the production line in December 1992. The Sierra Cosworth line-up switched to a saloon body style with a four-door arrangement in January 1988, aptly named

2394-432: A very obvious afterthought" on the 1964 Mark I Cortina was felt to have aged much less well than the car's ventilation system. Also in 1964, front disc brakes became standard across the range. Ford Cortina Lotus was offered only as a two-door saloon all in white with a contrasting green side flash down each flank. It had a unique 1558 cc twin-cam engine by Lotus , but based on the Cortina's Kent OHV engine. Aluminium

2520-736: A wooden dash, a vinyl roof, a blacked out tail panel, semi-high back front seats, centre console with floor shifter and clock, Australian Capri full wheel trims plus special stripes and badging. A 3.0 L Essex V6 engined variant was developed privately in South Africa by Basil Green Motors , and was sold through the Grosvenor Ford network of dealers as the Cortina Perana; two similar models (fitted with 3.0 L and 2.5 L Essex respectively) appeared later in Britain and were known as

2646-674: Is also exported to China and Saudi Arabia . After the ban on diesel-engined passenger cars was lifted in Taiwan in 2004, Ford Lio Ho became the first local manufacturer to build a diesel car. This was a diesel Focus, introduced in August 2007. Before Ford divested Jaguar and Land Rover in 2008, and significantly reduced share-holding of Mazda in 2010, the Taiwanese units of these brands were organised under Ford Lio Ho. Ford Lio Ho Design Technology Centre or Ford Design & Research Centre

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2772-644: The Austin Montego , which was launched in April 1984. Between 1985 and 1988, the Sierra faced fresh competition in Europe from the likes of the Renault 21 and Peugeot 405 , while Japanese carmaker Nissan was producing its Bluebird model in Britain from 1986. Early versions suffered from crosswind stability problems, which were addressed in 1985 with the addition of aerodynamic nolders (small spoilers) on

2898-542: The Cortina Savage and Cortina Cheetah , which were available with 1600E trim in all three body styles, while their South African stablemate was offered only as a four-door saloon initially with GT and later E trim. The Cortina was Canada's second-most popular imported car during the 1960s, second only to the Volkswagen Beetle . Canada had two- and four-door sedans, the higher-performance GT sedan, and

3024-597: The Ford Orion in 1983 to fill the gap in the saloon range left by the Cortina. Ford found that customers were more attached to the idea of a saloon than they had expected, and this was further addressed in 1987 by the production of a saloon version of the Sierra. In the UK, this model was called the Ford Sierra Sapphire . This differed from the other Sierra models in having a traditional black grille, which appeared only in right hand drive markets. During

3150-589: The "Azure" and "Chausseur". The final European made Sierras rolled off the production line in December 1992 as the Genk factory was switched over to Mondeo production. The Sierra was Ford's answer to the success of the General Motors "J-car" ( Vauxhall Cavalier in the UK ), which had been launched in 1981 with front-wheel drive and a hatchback body style to complement the saloon. Unusually in its sector by that time,

3276-520: The "pre-crossflow" version, as both inlet and exhaust ports were located on the same side of the head. The most powerful version of this engine (used in the GT Cortina) was 1498 cc (1500) and produced 78 bhp (58 kW). This engine contained a different camshaft profile, a different cylinder-head casting featuring larger ports, tubular exhaust headers, and a Weber 28/36 DCD twin-choke carburettor made under licence by Ford. Advertising of

3402-471: The 'Sapphire', again with rear-wheel drive, before the four-wheel-drive version replaced it two years later. The Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth was based on the second-generation variant of the Sierra model, having a different front and rear fascia compared to the first-generation Sierra. The same turbocharged 2-litre Cosworth YB engine found itself present in the Sapphire RS Cosworth as found with

3528-556: The 1.6 OHC replacement for the base 1.6 engine and during the run, a specially trimmed base 1.3 OHV “economy" version was reintroduced, but actually achieved worse fuel economy than larger engine models. A 2.0XL sedan version was also added around the same time. The Kiwi 2000E sedan initially lacked the cloth seats and never had the factory sunroof of the UK version and a radio was never standard, wagons were only ever offered in base or L trim. Ford Lio Ho in Taiwan began local production of

3654-477: The 1300 received a new crossflow cylinder head design, making it more efficient, while a crossflow 1600 replaced the 1500. The new models carried additional "1300" or "1600" designations at the rear. An 1100 cc crossflow engine from the Escort was also offered for markets such as Greece, where higher capacities were taxed heavily. The Cortina Lotus continued with its own unique engine, although for this generation it

3780-402: The 1600 Economy engine, the 2300 and 2300 Diesel. An optional 3-speed automatic transmission was available with 1600, 2000 and 2300 engines. The 2.0 V6 and 2.3 V6 versions of the Sierra were dropped at the end of 1985 and the 1.3-litre was discontinued in 1986. A carburetted 1.8 and a fuel-injected 2.0-litre petrol engine were added at Geneva 1985. In 1990, the 2.3-litre diesel was replaced by

3906-474: The 1970 TC/Mk3 with few major mechanical changes in that time. Ford's future model policy and styling direction had already been shown with the Escort III two years earlier, in that its conventionally styled saloons of the 1970s would be replaced by hatchbacks with advanced aerodynamic styling. Ford had confirmed during 1981, a year before the Sierra's official launch, that its new mid-range car would carry

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4032-605: The 2.0 and 2.3S models, which were discontinued when the Mark V was introduced in August 1979. Ford Australia built its own version, known as the TE, with the 2.0-litre Inline-four engine Pinto unit and the Falcon's 3.3-litre and 4.1-litre straight-six engine. The six-cylinder versions were rather nose heavy and did not handle as well as the fours or the European V6 models. Interior door hardware and steering columns were shared with

4158-434: The 2.0-litre Pinto was always by far the most common engine option for Ghia models. Two-door and four-door saloons and a five-door estate were offered with all other engines being carried over. At launch, though, only 1.3-litre-engined cars could be ordered in the UK with the two-door body, and then only with "standard" or "L" equipment packages. In practice, relatively few two-door Mark IV Cortinas were sold. In some markets,

4284-426: The 2.0-litre models. The 2.0-litre Cologne V6 engine continued to be offered on Taunus-badged cars in parallel with the Pinto unit, and offers here an interesting comparison with the similarly sized in-line four-cylinder Pinto engine. The V6 with a lower compression ratio offered less power and less performance, needing over an extra second to reach 50 mph (80 km/h). It did, however, consume 12½% less fuel and

4410-458: The 2.8-litre Cologne V6 engine using the same Bosch K-Jetronic mechanical injection system used since 1977 in the Granada, and since 1981 in the Capri, but it was replaced in 1989 by the new more efficient 2.9-litre Cologne V6 engine, with electronic fuel injection. The 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine also became available with the four-wheel-drive system after the 1987 facelift. In February 1987,

4536-663: The ATE ABS system as was customary only on the Sapphire GHIA models at the time. These limited-edition vehicles were available in only two colours, namely red and white. Uniquely, the South African market also saw the introduction of a 5.0-litre XR8 between June 1984 and 1988. A limited number of 250 Sierras were made for the purposes of homologation, as this model was the premier Ford used in Group-A racing. The XR8

4662-625: The Asian Pacific Ford Escape (ZC) , Ford Tierra , Ford Ixion , Ford Mondeo M2000 facelift , Ford Mondeo Metrostar , Ford Escape ZC extensive facelift , Ford Explorer and Ford i-Max . With the i-Max being one of the latest products designed by Lio Ho, the Design Technology Centre was shut down due to the one Ford strategy. Ford Cortina The Ford Cortina is a medium-sized family car manufactured in various body styles from 1962 to 1984. It

4788-468: The Bomb' taillight clusters. Standard, Deluxe, Super, and GT trims were offered, but not across all body styles. Early Standard models featured a simple body-coloured front grille, earning it the nickname 'Ironbar'. Since this version cost almost the same as the better-equipped Deluxe, it sold poorly and is very rare today. Options included heater and bench seat with column gearchange (shifter). Super versions of

4914-499: The Cortina GT, which appeared in spring 1963 with lowered suspension and engine tuned to give a claimed output of 78 bhp (58 kW; 79 PS) ahead of the 60 bhp (45 kW; 61 PS) claimed for the Cortina 1500 Super. The engines used across the Mark I range were of identical design, differing only in displacement and setup. The formula used was a four-cylinder pushrod (overhead valve) design that came to be known as

5040-472: The Cortina Mark III in undiminished numbers in the UK until they were ready to launch its successor as the Dagenham -built Cortina Mark IV, which went on sale on 29 September 1976. Many parts were carried over, most notably the running gear. The raised driving position and the new dashboard had, along with some of the suspension upgrades, had already appeared in the 1974 model year Cortina MkIII, so that from

5166-573: The Cortina in March 1973. For Japan, the cars were narrowed by a few millimetres on arrival in the country to fit into a lower tax bracket determined by exterior dimensions which impose a maximum width of 1,695 mm (66.7 in). The Cortina was joined by the Ford Capri in Japan and was imported by Kintetsu Motors, an exclusive retailer of Ford products. The Mark IV Cortina (or TC2 , as it

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5292-689: The Falcons, and the Australian versions also had their own instrument clusters, optional air conditioning, and much larger bumpers. They also had side indicators. The Cortina wagon was assembled by Renault Australia at its plant in Heidelberg in Victoria . Ford Sierra The Ford Sierra is a mid-size/ large family car manufactured and marketed by Ford Europe from 1982–1993, designed by Uwe Bahnsen , Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément — and noted for its aerodynamic styling producing

5418-569: The Mark II Cortinas, except for the 1600 cc GXL. These engines are known as the Kent, crossflow engine or overhead valve (OHV) engine. Also, the 2000 cc engine, the single overhead cam engine, now known as the Pinto engine, was introduced. The OHV Kent ' unit was fitted with a single-choke carburetor and was used for the early models up to GT trim, the SOHC twin-choke carburetor Pinto engine

5544-402: The Mark III a much softer ride on the road, but did give cars fitted with the larger, heavier engines distinct understeer. Trim levels for the Mark III Cortina were Base , L (Luxury), XL (Xtra Luxury), XLE (Xtra Luxury Edition - Australia and South Africa only), GT (Grand Touring), and GXL (Grand Xtra Luxury). The early Mark III Cortinas came with the same 1300 and 1600 cc engines as

5670-494: The Mark III was given a facelift, and was redesignated TD. The biggest change was the new dashboard, which dispensed with the steeply sloped and somewhat "overstyled" original. The new fascia was much flatter in appearance featuring the instruments under a glass hood with improved ergonomics which would be carried over to the later Mark IV and Mark V Cortinas with only detail modifications, as well as upgraded trim levels, revised front grilles and rear lights, rectangular headlights for

5796-469: The Mk2's run. Initially, the 1.3 OHV engine came with base trim, the 1.6 as the Cortina L, and the 2.0 OHC as a GT (sedan only). Later base models were upgraded to the 1.6 OHV and a 2.0 L specification was added, set to become the default "rep's spec" until the Cortina's Kiwi demise in 1984. A 1973 update brought new paint colours and black, rather than colour-matched, dashboards and carpet. Facelifted Mk3s received

5922-533: The Netherlands, crashed his Sierra XR4x4 in 1988 in the city of Leiden where he attended the university as a student. In 1985, at the Geneva Motor Show , the four-wheel-drive Sierra XR4x4 was shown as a derivative of the XR4i. It had two viscous differentials with two thirds of the power directed towards the rear wheels. It was originally available only as a three-door hatchback; the bodywork had

6048-426: The Sierra cab and engines, replacing the previous Cortina/Taunus-related model. The Sierra and Sapphire continued to be given minor updates for the remaining years of production. The 1990 model year cars featured new smoked rear lamp lenses and a general upgrade to equipment levels across the range. All petrol engines were available with the option of a catalytic converter , before their adoption became compulsory at

6174-636: The Sierra estate for local assembly from 1984. Cortinas were also assembled in South Africa until 1984, with the pick-up version remaining in production in that country until 1987. The name was inspired by the name of the Italian ski resort Cortina d'Ampezzo , site of the 1956 Winter Olympics . Several Cortinas were driven down the Cortina Olympic bobsled run at that resort, a publicity stunt which Ford called "Cortina Auto-Bobbing." Using

6300-597: The Sierra from the Cortina and Taunus was the second time that Ford had changed its saloon-based line-up into a hatchback-based one following the launch of the Escort Mark III in 1980, and before the introduction of the Scorpio (known as the Granada Mark III in the UK and Ireland) in 1985. However, like the Cortina and Taunus before it, the Sierra was available as an estate . The company launched

6426-600: The Sierra looked more normal. At its peak, it was Britain's second best selling car in 1983, 1988 and 1989, and was still Britain's fifth best selling car in 1992. Its best year was 1989, when more than 175,000 were sold. However, it was outsold by the Vauxhall Cavalier in MK2 form during 1984 and 1985, and then from 1990 until its demise by the MK3 Cavalier. Nevertheless, it comfortably outsold its second key rival,

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6552-610: The Sierra name, signalling the end of the Taunus and Cortina nameplates after 43 years and nine generations, or 20 years and five generations respectively. In September that year, it had unveiled the Probe III concept car at the Frankfurt Motor Show , hinting at what the new car would look like when the final product was unveiled 12 months later. After the sharp-edged straight-line three-box styling of its predecessors,

6678-406: The Sierra was its closed front panel — where typically a grille was located, later found on the 1985 Ford Taurus . The air intake was situated below the front bumper , making the Sierra a so-called ' bottom breather '. The headlights were integrated in this front panel while the indicators were mounted in the bumper within a combined unit with the foglights. However, this set-up was present only on

6804-476: The Sierra was nicknamed "the jellymould". The shape served a purpose though, producing a drag coefficient of 0.34, a significant improvement over the boxy outgoing Taunus's/Cortina's 0.45. This aerodynamic design was key for reducing fuel consumption according to Ford, and was even used as compensation for the V6-engines. The interior was more conventional, taking a page from BMW by its dashboard, angled to

6930-524: The Sierra was still rear-wheel drive . It was also a strong competitor for other rivals of the early 1980s, including the Talbot Alpine , Peugeot 505 and Morris Ital and the Citroën BX , but by 1988 it was competing with a host of new rivals, including the third-generation Vauxhall Cavalier ( Opel Vectra ), Rover Montego , Peugeot 405 , Renault 21 and Nissan Bluebird . The switch to

7056-461: The Sierra's exterior design, its drivetrain was conservatively engineered, retaining rear-wheel drive and the same engines and transmissions as the Cortina/Taunus which were effectively 12 years old as they were first used on the TC1/MkIII generation in 1970. Much of this was done to appease the important fleet market which was wary of complexity. However, there was much modification; for example

7182-405: The Sierra's styling was not nearly as outdated as its contemporaries , even though all major competitors were newer designs, though the Sierra had been tweaked on several occasions and many new engines had been added. The most notable changes came at the autumn of 1987, with a major facelift and the addition of a 4-door saloon (UK: Sapphire). As other manufacturers adopted similar aerodynamic styling,

7308-507: The Sierra's target customers. In West Germany , it proved popular from an early stage; within months of its launch, it was reportedly achieving treble the number of sales that the Taunus had been attaining – though in West Germany, the Taunus had not been quite as popular or iconic as its Cortina equivalent had been in Britain. It was later in the Sierra's life that the styling began to pay off; ten years after its introduction,

7434-454: The UK four-cylinder engines (1.6 and 2.0) and locally made inline six-cylinder engines (3.3- and 4.1-litre) from its Falcon line. Along with the engines, Australian built ' Cortys' (a common slang word Australians use for the Cortina ) featured many paint colours carried over from the Falcon line, some even from the Falcon GT. Ford New Zealand introduced the Mk3 as a four-door sedan and also reintroduced wagon versions not assembled during

7560-470: The XL, GT, and the new 2000E (the "E" standing for executive), which replaced the GXL. The 1.3-litre Kent engine continued, but 1.6-litre models now used the more modern 1.6-litre Pinto SOHC engine. Whilst the TD Cortina still had double A-arm suspension with coils at the front and a four-link system at the rear, handling was improved. The 2000E reverted to the classy treatment offered by the MkII 1600E (and carried over to later Mark IV/V Ghia) models instead of

7686-501: The XR4i and XR4x4, such as coloured bumpers, the removal of the 'biplane' rear wing and alloy wheels as seen on the Ford Escort RS Turbo Series 1. There was also a 2.8-engined Ghia Estate in some markets, and from 1985 until 1987 Swiss customers could buy rear-wheel-drive 2.8-litre powered GL and Ghia models with five-door hatchback or estate bodywork. The Swiss (and Swedish) market engines produced marginally less power, as those countries had particularly stringent emissions standards. Output

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7812-412: The best normal production engine fitted to the Sierra. At the top of the range, the 2.3 GLS quickly gave way to a 3.0 GLX flagship model (producing less power but more torque than the XR6) and that was the end of the Cologne in South Africa, even the station wagon receiving the 3.0 V6 Essex. By 1985, the Sierra had become the largest Ford model in this market, following the demise of the Granada . Towards

7938-424: The bounciness of the ride and low-speed ride harshness, which had generated press criticism at the time of the Mark III's launch. Volumes recovered, and with the ageing Austin/Morris 1100/1300 now losing out to various newer models, the Cortina was Britain's top-selling car in 1972, closely followed by the Escort . It remained the UK's top-selling car until 1976, when overtaken by the Mk2 Escort. In late 1973,

8064-535: The car sported similar fluted bonnet and beltline design elements to the North American Mercury Montego and Ford LTD of the same era. It replaced both the Mark II Cortina and the larger, more expensive Ford Corsair , offering more trim levels and the option of larger engines than the Mark II Cortina. The Mark III's continental European sister car – the Taunus TC – was subtly different in appearance, with longer front indicators, different taillights, different door skins, different bonnet and boot lid pressings (and hence

8190-420: The car usefully quieter than its predecessor, though on many cars, the benefit was diminished by high levels of wind noise apparently resulting from poor door fit around the windows. Four-speed manual transmissions were by now almost universally offered in the UK for this class of car, and contemporary road tests commented on the rather large gap between second and third gear, and the resulting temptation to slip

8316-399: The car was launched as the Consul Cortina until a modest facelift in 1964, after which it was sold simply as the Cortina. The Cortina was available with 1200 cc and (from early 1963 ) 1500 cc four-cylinder engines with all synchromesh gearbox, in two-door and four-door saloon , as well as in five-door estate (from March 1963) forms. The saloon models featured large, round, 'Ban

8442-433: The car's reputation. This reached near-hysterical heights in its early months on sale, with UK press making a report that Ford would reintroduce the previous Cortina model out of desperation. These reports were swiftly denied by Ford. However, sales began to rise during 1983, and it finished as Britain's second best selling car behind the Escort. After being outsold by the Cavalier for the next two years, it regained its lead of

8568-406: The clutch when accelerating through the gears in the smaller-engined cars: it was presumably in tacit acknowledgment of the car's marginal power-to-weight ratio that Ford no longer offered the automatic transmission option with the smallest 1298 cc-engined Cortina. Four headlights and Rostyle wheels marked out the GT and GXL versions. The GXL also had bodyside rub strips, a vinyl roof, and

8694-511: The driver. Sales were slow in the first months – aggravated by heavy discounting by Ford dealers of surplus Cortina stock from the autumn of 1982 on, with more than 11,000 new Cortinas being registered in 1983. However in 1983, its first full year of sales, the Sierra managed nearly 160,000 sales in Britain, outsold only by the smaller Escort. Ford had also launched the more conservatively designed Escort-based Orion saloon that year, which found favour with buyers who would otherwise have been

8820-400: The driving position, the new car looked much more familiar to owners of recent existing Cortinas than from the outside. Cinema audiences saw the new Cortina (or Taunus ) chasing James Bond in his Lotus Esprit in the 1977 film The Spy Who Loved Me . The most obvious change was the new, squarer body in line with contemporary "folded paper" fashion of the time - although it still featured

8946-432: The end of 1992. For the 1991 model year, the dashboard was updated with a new surround that mirrored the look of the new-generation Escort and Orion. The "low-series" instrument cluster was dropped - all trim levels now used the "high-series" version, with an analogue clock replacing the tachometer on base specification models. 1992 saw the final updates, with new steering wheels and the introduction of run-out models such as

9072-661: The end of its production life, the Essex was modified again – the standard carburetted version was tuned to produce 110 kW (150 PS; 148 hp) from 1991 to 1993, while a fuel-injected version was available from 1992 to 1993. Fitted to the Sierra as the 3.0i RS (replacing the XR6) and to the Sapphire saloon as the Sapphire Ghia (replacing the 3.0 GLX), the fuel-injected Essex put out around 117 kW (157 hp) and

9198-490: The engine itself was not new at all. Similar to the Ford Granada , Ford used an "Indenor"-engine which was designed by Peugeot in the 1950s. While the Granada was offered with 1.9, 2.1, and 2.5 diesels, the Sierra unit had a displacement of 2.3 litres. This rather outdated engine was replaced in 1989 by an all-new, 1.8-litre turbodiesel, developed by Ford itself. The Sierra had a four-speed manual gearbox as standard, with

9324-411: The engines were fitted with breakerless ignition, improved carburettors and the option of fuel injection, whilst 5-speed transmissions were now available. Most competitors were already switched to front-wheel drive around that time. Ford claimed however this set-up was required to offer V6-engines, which had to contribute to the Sierra's driving comfort. New for the Sierra was a diesel engine , although

9450-451: The estates offered the option of simulated wood side and tailgate trim. In an early example of product placement , many examples of the new Cortina featured as "Glamcabs" in the comedy film Carry On Cabby . Two main variations of the Mark 1 were produced. The Mark 1a possessed elliptical front side-lights, whereas the Mark 1b had a redesigned front grille incorporating the more rectangular side-light and indicator units. A notable variant

9576-580: The faux woodgrain trim of the GXL. The 2000E was also available as an estate version. The Mark III was sold in Canada until 1973. For South Africa, the Mark III was available as the 'Big Six' L and GL with the Essex V6 2.5-litre engine and Perana, GT, and XLE with the Essex V6 3.0-litre engine. A pick-up truck version also was available. In addition to the 1.6-litre inline-four, a version unique to South Africa

9702-512: The first Cortina recognized as a classic. For 1969, the Mark II range was given subtle revisions, with separate "FORD" block letters mounted on the bonnet and boot lids, a blacked-out grille and chrome strips on top and below the taillights running the full width of the tail panel marking them out. Ford New Zealand developed its own variant of this model called the GTE, since the GT and Lotus Cortinas were not assembled there. The four-door only GTE had

9828-707: The first Sierras produced for the British market, but his car was wrecked in a crash on the M4 motorway in Berkshire soon after he bought it. He escaped from the crash uninjured. In 1986 the founder of the Williams Formula One team, former racing car driver and mechanic, Sir Frank Williams crashed whilst driving a rental Ford Sierra in France, rendering him tetraplegic . Willem-Alexander , then Prince of

9954-496: The headlights. The rear lights of the Ghia, as well as the very early XR4i's, were the same shape and layout as other models, but featured tiny horizontal black strakes on the lenses to give the impression that they were smoked. The car was replaced by the Mondeo in Europe in April 1993, though stocks lasted for about two years afterwards. The Sierra remained a popular second-hand buy and common sight on British roads until well beyond

10080-403: The high-tune GT 1600 Kent engine and luxury trim featuring a burr walnut woodgrain-trimmed dashboard and door cappings, bucket seating, leather-clad aluminium sports steering wheel, and full instrumentation inside, while a black grille, tail panel, front fog lights, and plated Rostyle wheels on radial tyres featured outside. According to author and Cortina expert Graham Robson, the 1600E would be

10206-624: The introduction of the facelifted Sierra. Designated internally under the "Project Toni" code name, the nameplate Sierra derived from the Spanish word for mountain range . The car was primarily manufactured in Belgium and the United Kingdom, although Sierras were also assembled in Cork, Ireland, Argentina, Venezuela, South Africa, and New Zealand. By 1978, Ford Europe was working on

10332-655: The introduction of the saloon versions, a four-door estate was launched, released on the UK market on 15 February 1967: much was made at the time of its class-topping load capacity. The four-door Cortina 1600E, a higher-trim version, was introduced at the Paris Motor Show in October 1967, a year after the arrival of the Cortina Mark II. It combined the lowered suspension of the Cortina Lotus with

10458-482: The large single-piece rear windows rather than the design with an additional pillar as used on the XR4. The XR4x4 had a single rear spoiler instead of the distinctive biplane unit used on the XR4 but did receive unique alloy wheels. A five-door version was added soon thereafter. A four-wheel-drive estate became available with this drive train at the 1986 Geneva Motor Show, but with Ghia rather than XR4x4 badging. This version

10584-404: The launch was accompanied by the slogan "New Cortina is more Cortina", the car, at 168 in (427 cm) long, was fractionally shorter than before. Its 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 inches (6.4 cm) of extra width and curved side panels provided more interior space. Its other improvements included a smaller turning circle, softer suspension, self-adjusting brakes and clutch, and the availability on

10710-435: The life of the car, two different styles of 3-door body were used; one with two pillars rear of the door, looking very much like a modified 5-door frame, as used on the high-performance XR4i; and a one-pillar design used on standard-performance 3-door hatchbacks and also at the other end of the scale as the basis for the very high-performance RS Cosworth . At the time of the car's launch, both styles were already envisaged, and

10836-489: The low cost of petrol, and the popularity of the old Cortina XR6, a Sierra XR6 was later launched, featuring the old Essex, initially producing 103 kW (138 hp). Versions were LX, GL, and GLX; the Ghia trim level was not available for the South African market except on the Ford Sapphire, the saloon version. As the 2.8/2.9 Cologne was never launched in South Africa, the venerable and popular Essex V6 remained

10962-409: The market sector in Britain during 1986, and a refreshed range (with more engine options as well as the introduction of a saloon) enjoyed a surge in sales from 1987, though the MK3 Cavalier finally outsold it in 1990. Even in 1992, the Sierra was still Britain's fifth best selling car. It was nicknamed "the salesman's spaceship" on account of its status as a popular fleet car in Britain. In contrast to

11088-505: The model in 1970 and was effectively replaced with the introduction of the US-produced 1971 Ford Pinto subcompact. Ford sold 352,402 Ford Pintos for model year 1971 and no more English Fords were sold in the United States thereafter. In the late 1960s, Ford set about developing the third-generation Cortina, the Mark III, which would be produced in higher volumes than before following the merger of Ford of Britain and Ford of Germany into

11214-508: The modern-day Ford of Europe. The car marked the convergence of the German Taunus and British Cortina platforms with only minor differences between the two, hence the car's internal name TC1, standing for Taunus-Cortina. It was also the last European car engineered by Harley Copp as vice president of engineering and head of Brentwood, before he returned to Detroit. Ford UK originally wanted to call it something other than Cortina, but

11340-439: The name stuck. Although the Mark III looked significantly larger than the boxier Mark II Cortina, it was actually the same overall length, but 4 inches (100 mm) wider. Within the overall length, a wheelbase lengthened by more than 3 inches (76 mm) also contributed to the slightly more spacious interior. The Mark III Cortina was inspired by the contemporary "coke bottle" design language which had emanated from Detroit –

11466-434: The newly introduced saloon version featured a unique shallow black grille between the headlights. That apart, all specifications of the Sierra now shared a common front end, unlike the original line-up. The side windows were made slightly larger with the corners made sharper to increase outward vision. The rear lights were replaced with slimmer but wider models containing separate stop lamps. The saloon got similar rear lights to

11592-522: The previous Sierra RS Cosworth had an option to remove and refit the aforementioned foglights. A larger turbocharger and intercooler was fitted along with an extra set of injectors, so instead of the standard four injectors it was built with eight, although in road trim these extra injectors did not function. These modifications produced 227 PS (167 kW; 224 hp) in road trim and around 550 hp (410 kW) in race trim. They were very successful in motorsport and are highly tunable road cars with

11718-599: The project name of "Archbishop", management at Ford of Britain in Dagenham created a family-sized car that they could sell in large numbers. The chief designer was Roy Brown Jr. , the designer of the Edsel , who had been banished to Dagenham following the failure of that car. The Cortina, aimed at buyers of the Morris Oxford Farina and Vauxhall Victor , was launched on 20 September 1962. Also from 1962, it

11844-427: The rear edge of the rubber seals of the rearmost side windows. These shortcomings saw a lot of press attention, and contributed to early slow sales, when it was outsold by its key rival the Vauxhall Cavalier in 1984 and 1985. Other rumours that the car's design could hide major crash damage (in part true, as the new bumper design sprang back after minor impact and couldn't be "read" to interpret major damage) also harmed

11970-520: The revised Taunus was launched, the Cortina was identical. The new Taunus/Cortina used the doors and some panels from the 1970 Taunus. It was replaced in 1982 by the Ford Sierra . In Asia and Australasia , it was replaced by the Mazda 626 -based Ford Telstar , though Ford New Zealand , which built the sedan until 1983 and the estate car until 1984, did import British-made complete knock-down kits of

12096-510: The revised hatchbacks, though not interchangeable. The rear end of the estate did not change during the Sierra's lifespan. The interior was slightly modernized. Also new to the range was a new 1.8-litre "lean burn" petrol engine, which proved to be one of the most popular choices in the Sierra range. The XR4x4 was now based on the five-door hatchback body style and featured different front and rear body-coloured bumper styling, along with wider side rubbing strips. The RS Cosworth, from January 1988,

12222-473: The revised version, which appeared at the London Motor Show in October 1964, made much of the newly introduced "Aeroflow" through-flow ventilation, evidenced by the extractor vents on the rear pillars. A subsequent test on a warm day involving the four different Cortina models manufactured between 1964 and 1979 determined that the air delivery from the simple eyeball outlets on the 1964 Mark I Cortina

12348-502: The second quarter of 1989, was known simply as the "Ford Sapphire". Versions sold in South Africa were available with the 1.6 ( Kent ) and 2.0 (Pinto) four-cylinders, 2.3 V6 (Cologne) or 3.0-litre V6 (Essex) petrol engines. While the Cortina MkV in South Africa had retained the old 3.0 V6 Essex engine, the Sierra was initially given the new 2.3 V6 Cologne motor, this being fitted to the top-of-the-line model only. However, owing to

12474-536: The smaller-engined models, for the UK and some other markets, of a new five-bearing 1300 cc engine. A stripped-out, 1200 cc version running the engine of the Ford Anglia Super was also available for certain markets, where the 1300 cc engine attracted a higher tax rate. The 1500 cc engines were at first carried over, but were discontinued in July 1967, as a new engine was on its way. A month later, in August,

12600-524: The three-door Sierra. In South Africa, the Sierra range featured both the five-door hatchback and station wagon bodies and production began at the Silverton (Pretoria) plant in January 1983. The restyled Sierra range differed from its European equivalent by featuring the traditional grille of the Sierra Sapphire saloon on the hatchback and wagon, though later, the grille would feature on these models in Europe. The saloon, introduced in South Africa only in

12726-439: The top-of-the-line "Ghia" trim as well on the later introduced XR4i sportmodel. The other Sierra models had a more traditional front end with a two-bar grille between the headlights, being unpainted on the base model. These models had the indicators in the bumper as well, although being slimmer but wider and without the foglights. Both the Ghia and XR4i had wide headlights with two lenses while the other models had smaller lights with

12852-530: The two-door saloon was marketed as a coupe, but this was not the case in Britain. Ford already competed in the coupe sector in Europe with the Capri , which was particularly successful on the British market. A choice of base, L, GL, S (for Sport) and Ghia trims was available, again not universal to all engines and body styles . Rostyle wheels were fitted as standard to all Mark IV GL, S, and Ghia models, with alloy wheels available as an extra-cost option. The dashboard

12978-425: The wider, deeper back window. Regardless of how these figures were computed, substantial weight-saving gains must have been made through reduced steel usage in the design, given the unavoidable extra weight of glass. This series spawned the first Ghia top-of-the-range model, which replaced the 2000E. The 2.3-litre Ford Cologne V6 engine was introduced in 1977 as an engine above the 2.0-litre Pinto engine, already

13104-555: The year 2000. In Europe's largest auto-market, the magazine Auto, Motor und Sport published, in December 1982, a three-way road test comparison involving the Sierra and its obvious competitors, the recently upgraded Volkswagen Passat and Opel Ascona ( Vauxhall Cavalier Mk II in the UK). The Sierra tested in 1982 outranked both the Passat and the Ascona. The significance of this result

13230-538: Was 148 PS (109 kW) in 1985 and 145 PS (107 kW) in 1986. In the Mark II Sierras the 2.8 Cologne engine was replaced by a 2.9-litre version. Both the 2.8/2.9-litre engines gave 150 PS in uncatalyzed trim. The well known Cosworth model was powered by a turbocharged 16- valve 4-cylinder engine known as the 'YB' which was based on the Ford Pinto block. The Ford Sierra RS Cosworth

13356-431: Was a locally built version of the 2.0-litre Essex V4 . The Cortina 2000 V4 arrived during 1972, and also became available as a station wagon and pick-up later in the year. Maximum power was 76.6 kW SAE (104 PS; 103 hp). The shorter engine required a radiator shroud to compensate. The Cortina GT, however, received an OHC inline-four in South Africa, as well. Ford Australia built its own versions using both

13482-428: Was actually greater than that on the Mark II, Mark III, or Mark IV. The dashboard, instruments, and controls were revised, for the second time, having already been reworked in October 1963, when round instruments replaced the oblong speedometer with which the car had been launched. Twelve years later, however, the painted steel dashboard, its "knobs scattered all over the place and its heater controls stuck underneath as

13608-457: Was better equipped and without the sporting edge of the hatchbacks, and was also available with an automatic transmission. The four-wheel drive allowed for an extra margin of security on slick or snowy roads, while retaining the car's rear-wheel-drive comportment. The original rear-wheel-drive XR4 was quickly taken out of production after the XR4x4 arrived. The XR4x4 originally came equipped with

13734-539: Was built and established by the end of 2002 in Taipei. The Design Technology Centre was in charge of products sold mainly within the Asian Pacific markets including Australia , New Zealand , Philippines , Thailand , Malaysia , Singapore , Taiwan , United Arab Emirates , Middle East , Saudi Arabia , Japan , China , and Russia . Noticeable products include the 2005 Ford Equator Concept which later spawned

13860-563: Was built in-house by Ford. The Cortina was Britain's most popular new car in 1967, achieving the goal that Ford had been trying to achieve since it set out to create the original Cortina back in 1962. This interrupted the long run of BMC's 1100/1300 range as Britain's best-selling car. Period reviews were favourable concerning both the styling and performance. Again, two- and four-door saloons were offered with base, Deluxe, Super, GT, and later, 1600E trims available, but again, not across all body styles and engine options. A few months after

13986-533: Was carried over intact from the last of the Mark III Cortinas, while the estate used the rear body pressings of the previous 1970-release Taunus. Despite its status as Britain's best-selling car throughout its production run, the Mark IV is now the rarest Cortina, with poor rustproofing and the model's popularity with banger racers cited as being the main reasons for its demise. Particularly scarce are

14112-464: Was considered by motor journalists to be a far quieter and smoother unit. The 2.3-litre was available to the GL, S, and Ghia variants. A 1.6-litre Ghia option was also introduced at the same time as the 2.3-litre V6 models in response to private and fleet buyers who wanted Ghia refinements with the improved fuel economy of the smaller 1.6-litre Pinto engine. Few cars were sold with the 1.6-litre engine, though;

14238-497: Was essentially carried over from the Granada, with trailing arms and coil springs mounted on a tubular subframe which also provided location for the final drive/differential housing driving the axle shafts. The front suspension dispensed with the Cortina/Taunus' double wishbones in favour of a scaled-up version of the Fiesta and Escort/Orion's layout with MacPherson struts, lower locating arms, and anti-roll bars. One striking feature of

14364-953: Was exported to Canada in the late 1980s, badged as the Mercury Tracer . Former Ford models unique to Taiwan include the "Ford Tierra", based on the Mazda 323 sedan, later rebadged as the facelifted Ford Laser in other Asian markets, the "Ford Activa", a rebadged Mazda 323 sedan and hatchback, and the "Ford Mondeo Metrostar" which later also sold in China, based on the European Mondeo sedan. Taiwan-market Ford and Mazda vehicles include locally assembled Ford Mondeo , Ford Focus , Ford Fiesta , Ford Escape , Mazda3 , Mazda5 , and Mazda Tribute . Also, all 2007 model year Asia/Pacific (except Chinese and South Korean markets) Ford Escapes are assembled by Ford Lio Ho. The Taiwan-assembled Mondeo

14490-543: Was fitted with the 302 ci engine from the US Ford Mustang , and the Borg Warner T5 heavy-duty transmission. Front brakes were AP Racing four-piston calipers on 280 mm discs. Maximum power is 209 PS (154 kW) and a top speed of 225 km/h (140 mph) was claimed. The XR8 is easily recognized by having four cooling slats between the headlights, whereas lesser versions were sold with

14616-464: Was given a facelift in 1987, but this was never offered in the UK. After 1987, the Cosworth used the four-door saloon body style instead. A 5-door van based on the estate, known as the Sierra Van , was introduced in 1984, which, unlike similar car-derived vans, retained its side windows. The back seat was removed and the metal cargo floor was extended towards the front seats. A diesel engine and

14742-633: Was highlighted more than three decades later, in February 2015, when the magazine reported that no Ford model had beaten a Volkswagen under their road test criteria since the Sierra's "victory" in 1982. The Sierra missed out on the 1983 European Car of the Year award, ending second behind the Audi 100 . Just before he became leader of the Labour Party in 1983, Neil Kinnock became the owner of one of

14868-418: Was introduced in 1986 as a three-door hatchback, with a 2-litre DOHC turbo engine producing 204 PS (150 kW; 201 hp) and a top speed of 150 m.p.h. – a speed normally found only in sports cars from prestige brands like Ferrari and Porsche , at much higher prices as well as with less practicality. At the time Ford wanted to compete in Group-A touring cars and therefore eligible to produce

14994-531: Was manufactured in other countries such as at the Ford factory in Lower Hutt , New Zealand. The car was designed to be economical to buy, cheap to run, and easy and inexpensive to produce in Britain. The front-wheel drive configuration used by Ford of Germany for the new Ford Taunus P4 , a similar-sized model, was rejected in favour of traditional rear-wheel drive layout. Originally to be called Ford Consul 225,

15120-530: Was now based on the newly introduced saloon body style and featured another style of front bumper as well as the black grille which was found only on UK versions of the saloon bodystyle. The RS Cosworth received more power and four-wheel drive from January 1990. In addition, a roller cam engine was added in 1987 to prevent excessive wear to the cam. From 1988 a pickup called the P100 was produced in Portugal using

15246-687: Was the Ford Cortina Lotus . The Cortina was launched a few weeks before the London Motor Show of October 1962 with a 1198 cc, three-bearing engine, which was an enlarged version of the 997 cc engine then fitted in the Ford Anglia . A few months later, in January 1963, the Cortina Super was announced with a five-bearing, 1498 cc engine. Versions of the larger engine found their way into subsequent variations, including

15372-599: Was the United Kingdom's best-selling car of the 1970s. The Cortina was produced in five generations (Mark I through to Mark V, although officially the last one was only the Cortina 80 facelift of the Mk IV) from 1962 until 1984. From 1970 onward, it was almost identical to the German-market Ford Taunus (being built on the same platform), which was originally a different car model. This was part of Ford's attempt to unify its European operations. By 1976, when

15498-412: Was the most powerful Sierra/Sapphire version sold in South Africa, excluding the small number of XR8s built for homologation purposes. At the end of production a limited edition of 150 vehicles designated as 3.0i RS which based on the saloon (Sapphire) body was produced with some slight engine tweaks which resulted in a power output of 125 kW (170 PS; 168 hp). This vehicle was also fitted with

15624-532: Was the second generation of the unified Taunus-Cortina platform) was a more conservative design than its predecessor, and this was largely appreciated by fleet buyers. Generally, it was a rebody of the Mark III/TC with little mechanical change as an integration of Ford's model range, and as a result, the Cortina and Taunus now differed only in badging. Although the updated Taunus was introduced to Continental Europe in January 1976, Ford were able to continue selling

15750-429: Was used for some body panels. For a certain time, it also had a unique A-frame rear suspension, but this proved fragile, so the model soon reverted to the standard Cortina semielliptical rear end. The second incarnation of the Cortina, designed by Roy Haynes , was launched on 18 October 1966, four years after the original Cortina. It had some styling elements in common with the third-generation US Ford Falcon . Although

15876-536: Was used for the GT and GXL models. The GXL was also offered in 1600 in the later Cortina Mark IIIs. In left-hand drive markets, the 1600 OHC was replaced by a twin-carb OHV (Kent) unit not offered in the home market, to distinguish it from the competing Taunus, which only came with the OHC Pinto engine. The 2.0-litre variants used a larger version of the 1600 cc Pinto unit and were available in all trim levels except base. Base, L, and XL versions were available as

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