The first car of CORGI researcher, Mark Pinnigar, has finally made it into die-cast! This 1:43 Ford Cortina model car is a perfect replica of the original, in its unusual shade of Terracotta Red. Did you ever have one?

This die-cast model is a limited edition of 1,400.

History

Dennis Nelson from New Eltham, London, purchased the four-speed manual Mk5 Ford Cortina modelled from new in 1980. He ordered it in Terracotta with a Peat Crushed Velour fabric interior. He retained the car until December 1988, then sold it for £650 to his 17-year-old nephew, Mark Pinnigar, who lived in the same area as his uncle and bought it within days of passing his driving test. 

At that point, it had covered less than 50,000 miles and was in good condition save for some corrosion in the doors. Mark learnt to look after the car under the guidance of his late father, Jeff, a toolmaker who worked at Lucas. Their first job was to fit a new clutch, as they knew it was slipping when they purchased the car. 

Over the next few years, the father and son team rebuilt the Ford VV carburettor, then fitted a new head gasket, cambelt and water pump before repairing the bottoms of the doors which had, ironically, rusted because the aftermarket rust proofing treatment Uncle Den had paid for had blocked all the designed-in drain holes. 

Mark has had a love of Fords from childhood and in later life has become a recognised authority on the marque, working with Hornby as a product designer and even appearing on TV with Richard Hammond, helping to decide the detail specification of the Smallest Cog’s restored Escort Mk2 RS2000.