Jim has one of the highest mileage
Cortinas we’ve ever seen but he’s not the
only classic car owner to keep on driving. A
1980s Lincoln Town Car, Saab 900 SPG and
Lexus LS400 have all been taken past one
million miles, while Guy Newmark has
used his Porsche 356 as a daily driver for
half a century to rack up a million miles of
his own. Outstripping even these, the
ultimate plaudit belongs to another sixties
machine: the Volvo P1800S of Irv Gordon.
Between 1966 and 2018, Irv used the coupe
to rack up over three millions miles, a world
record which still stands.THE LONG WAY
BIG-MILEAGE CLASSICS
original; the grille is a replacement and the
bumpers have been rechromed but every piece
of glass remains untouched. Even the boot-
mounted jack and spare wheel are repainted and
unused original items. At the first sign of dirt,
Jim also jacks up the Cortina to thoroughly
clean the floor and chassis. “The underside,” he
smiles, “is in the same condition as the top.”
The engine bay is cleaner still. “That’s my
pride and joy,” says Jim, “I like a nice clean
engine and it sits at shows with the bonnet up.”
The inline-four itself is the car’s original 1200
Kent, which Jim reunited with the Cortina
during the restoration process. Rebored and
equipped with a refreshed crankshaft, it
benefits from Jim’s ongoing attention: the
engine is removed from the car each winter,
cleaned and inspected for wear.
“Cortinas had centre main bearing problems
when they were new, so it’s just a case of
dropping the sump and replacing componentsThe Cortina’s last respray, by a Ford main dealer,
was over 25 years ago, and it still looks incredible.
September 2019 61heritage: cortina deluxe