VA15002 Ford Cortina Mk5 1.6L - Cardinal Red

The Cortina modelled was sold new by Ford dealer Jack Bygraves Ltd, Biggleswade, in August 1982. The first owner paid for the car to be rust proofed by ‘Protectol’ and that may have contributed to its remarkable survival. It was taken off the road in 1997 having covered just 61,605 miles and in 2014 was donated to the Thames Valley Air Ambulance who carried out some recommissioning and entered the car for the Classics on the Crick Auction on Sunday June 11th to raise funds for their vital work. 

It achieved £1800 and the winning bidder was William Le Fevre, the managing director of the North Oxford BMW and MINI dealership in Long Hanborough. Le Fevre’s plan was to restore it in the firm’s state-of-the-art bodyshop and then auction it to raise funds for another local charity, Sobell House Hospice. The Bodyshop Team donated their spare time and skills (and nicknamed the car ‘Elvis’ because of its number plate), while the company donated the parts and materials needed to totally restore the car to its original specification. 

They achieved a stunning result, and the finished car was featured in Classic Ford Magazine as an example of first-class restoration. The firm’s buyer, Jonathan Martin, then arranged a sale which raised £3,000 for Sobell House. Since February 2020 it has been owned by Essex-based, long-standing Ford enthusiasts Lesley and Andrew Day, who enjoy using it for classic car events.