Running Man - Alan Mann Racing Tribute GT (Part 2)

High carb diet

It probably won’t surprise you to learn that Tony wasn’t resting on his laurels while the shell was off being restored, and the Pre-Cross flow had been occupying most of his time. Though he and Eddie had got it running, Tony wanted to extract a decent amount of power from the unit, so sent it off to Neil Bold, a well-respected builder of Formula Ford Cross flows. The engine that came back was rather special, and perfectly complimented by the set of twin 40 Weber DCOEs slung over the side.

Mk1 Cortina Red

“I actually went through five different sets of carbs as none would come up clean enough to match the rest of the car!”

It’s hard to argue with the end result though, and despite a slight wiring loom installation issue (it briefly caught fire), the engine was soon in and running very sweetly indeed. Tony reckons it’s making roughly 120 bhp, which is more than enough to give big, bloated modern cars a real fright.

1966 Cortina Mk1 Rear

Chassis mods include Gaz coil-over converted uprights at the front, with uprated dampers and 1.5 inch lowering blocks at the back. Braking is still entrusted to the original GT set-up — rebuilt and fitted with fresh pads and shoes.

Though the interior was complete when Tony and his dad removed the Cortina from its 29-year hibernation, it had understandably suffered a little in that time. Tony had Lee’s Car Trim supply new covers, then packed it off to a local firm to have them fitted while he power coated and repaired the frames. He asked for the interior to be re-upholstered and the foam cleaned, though he stopped short of replacing it. “If I’d done that it wouldn’t have smelled like an old car anymore,” Tony chuckles, “and it’s little things like that, that make all the difference”.

Pre-Crossflow has had a lot of work, and various head, exhaust and inlet tweaks mean it now pumps out 120 bhp

The car finally came together during the summer of 2013, and it’s fair to say that Tony made the most of his freshly-restored Mk1. It’s a car that well and truly proves that going that extra mile to achieve perfection is undoubtedly worth it. You don’t need us to tell you that Eddie would’ve approved.