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Design Spotlight: Mk1 Cortina Rear Lights

by rmad 29. November 2008 22:04

It's the start of a new series here on RSM, we're setting the camera to close-up and taking a look at individual parts of the cars we love - celebrating those little touches that draw us enthusiasts in every time. First up we have...Mk1 Cortina Rear Lights:

What was the designer thinking as he penned the back end of the iconic Mk1 Cortina? Why did he choose to put a circle into the vee shape he'd drawn? Did the lights come first? Was he drunk? We may never know, but whatever his driving force was he produced and icon. In fact the design was so good that other designers plucked them from the mediocrity of a mass produced saloon and amalgamated them in their own artistry:

Spotted! Mk1 Cortina lights doing a stunning job as part of the TVR Grantura.

Here they are again! Mk1 'Tina lights appeared on ice cream vans everywhere...I'll have a flake in mine please.

If you know of any other uses, let us know. Mk1 Cortina lights, we salute you!

Tags: ford, design, tvr, bedford

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Comments

30/11/2008 17:56:51 #

I saw an early Jago Jeep years ago that sported Mk1 cortina tail lights.

markbognor

08/12/2008 09:06:19 #

Plenty of Beach Buggies running around with these bad boys ;)

Rob Che

09/12/2008 02:20:15 #

Interestingly and only slightly off Topic but the MKI MX5 rear lights are in the New York museum of Modern Art.

Nick

Nick Horne

03/01/2009 15:14:35 #

Here are two more vehicles using the Cortina MK1 tail lights:
Dan Gurney's 1964 Lotus 19 with a Ford 289
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbjEeWYsb8Y

And a homemade trailer using the front of a Mini and Cortina tail lights
crunch22.blogspot.com/.../...mk1-cortina-tail.html

When I first saw a MK1 Cortina I didn't like the tail lights. They didn't look right. Too American. However, after the car had built up a good reputation (and the Lotus Cortina) I began to accept them.

Peter Reynolds

23/01/2009 00:23:37 #

I read somewhere that Mercedes and the CND movement threatened legal proceedings over the design of the rear lights!

Reallyloud

18/03/2009 08:48:37 #

The reason the desaigner put a circular light into the vee shape at the rear of the Cortina Mk1 was that it was a last minute design change having the circular light.
The rear end had been designed and finished with a far more conventional "flat oval" shaped tail light but at the last minute some top brass guy from Ford U.S wanted it changes to circular in keeping with their design ethos of the time and featuring on the contempory Galaxie.
This late change resulted in a slight restyle of the area surrounding the tail lights including the now iconic shape which was picked out in green on the Lotus Cortina.

John Russell

19/03/2009 16:24:27 #

they also have been used on old Volkswagen kombi vans

jewels

02/05/2010 14:30:14 #

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No Win No Fee Solicitor

06/06/2010 15:19:52 #

I'm not 100% on this, but I do like the idea.

Tom @ Web Design Surrey

13/06/2010 07:20:08 #

It's a cool idea.

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