1968 Ford Corsair 2000E. Registration number JDX 807F. Chass...

Estimate

£3,500 - £4,000

1968 Ford Corsair 2000E. Registration number JDX 807F. Chassis number BB36 HB58217. Engine number V420.
Sold with the V5C, keys, various receipts and old MOTs.
Ford’s Corsair is one of those cars that has somehow managed to move under the radar, not garnering the huge sales success of the Cortina or the Escort yet not attracting the imagination of those after the larger Ford product either. Back in the day Ford didn’t know this though and it was very keen to plug a gap in its range. The Cortina was the mainstream model and the Zodiac/Zephyr was the higher end model, yet there was nothing in between.
Enter the Corsair. It was unashamedly based on the best-selling Cortina but with a longer wheelbase and a bigger boot along with some futuristic styling cues. However, unlike the Cortina it struggled in the marketplace, not offering quite enough pizzazz to tempt buyers out of their Cortinas. Initially it didn’t offer much in the way of additional performance and while it was certainly commodious the equivalent Cortina was both cheaper and not much smaller, either.
Moves were made to take the Crosier upmarket, especially given the success of Triumph’s 2000 and Rover’s P6 and as a result the Corsair gained a new 2.0-lite V4 engine and a host of upgrades to create the Corsair 2000E, with the E standing for Executive. With plenty of plush accoutrements it was a Ford for a new generation of upmarket buyers but crucially was still cheaper than the Triumph and the Rover by a significant margin.
Even in 2000E guise the Corsair didn’t sell in significant numbers and the range-topping model is a rare sight on our roads today. Despite this it’s still a machine with a bit of a cult following, offering a very roomy and plush cockpit, a huge boot and pretty decent performance.
JDX history goes back to Richard Marks of Hemel Hempstead in 2002 who had her MOT'd at 46,530, by 2008 she was on on the Isle of Wight with the Thomas family and then in 2010 Mr Gosnell. Our vendor bought her off ebay in 2011 and has used her occasionally, the odometer shows some 55,000 miles. Said to be in good running order, she fired up with ease when viewed and was driven around a field without any apparent issues.