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- Sick_Cylinder
The Ford Corsair had controversial "Jet Age" styling with a pointed front and vertical tail lights with just a hint of fin. I remember my uncle having a white Corsair and being very impressed by the sleek style and offbeat rumble of the V4 engine. The 2000E was introduced in 1967 to compete with the Rover 2000 and Triumph 2000 in the newly created 2 litre executive saloon class - a category now dominated in the UK by BMW and Audi.
The 2 litre Essex V4 was fitted with a twin choke 28/36 weber carb with progressive linkage which gave excellent acceleration for the time. The V4 engine was good for cruising, but its poor primary and secondary balance made it harsh at higher revs and eventually led Ford to develop inline 2 litre four cylinder engines for the Mark 3 Cortina and Capri. The Corsair was larger than the Mark 2 Cortina, but when the Mark 3 Cortina was introduced with its larger bodyshell the Corsair was dropped from the range.
At the weekend I attended a car show and was lucky enough to photograph this immaculate example. It would have originally been fitted with a vinyl roof - which was considered the height of style in the late sixties. The lovely rostyle wheels were an original option.
Not enough V4 cars in the game - hopefully we get the beautiful Ford Corsair (and also the Lancia Fulvia with its admittedly much better engine than the lusty, but crude Essex V4 lump).
Above - small steering wheel and furry dice were not original fitments! Automatic gearbox is original - the 3 speed auto was better suited to the lumpy V4 than the 4 speed manual option.
