Was This 1979 Ford Cortina Ghia Cheap at £3,240?

Classic Ford prices have climbed considerably over the years, which makes the result for this 1979 Ford Cortina Ghia at Anglia Car Auctions particularly interesting.

It’s a Mk4 Ghia with the 2.3-litre V6, manual gearbox and just 44,293 miles showing. It was offered with no reserve and, when the relatively short spell of bidding was over, had sold for £3,240 including buyer’s premium.

Cheap for a classic Ford?

That’s the question we were asking as we watched it go under the hammer.

A 2.3-litre Cortina Ghia

This isn’t the most basic Cortina specification either.

The Ghia sat towards the luxurious end of the range, while this example is powered by the 2293cc engine and coupled to a manual gearbox.

Finished in Cosmos Blue with a blue cloth interior, it also has a sunroof and presents as a wonderfully recognisable slice of late-1970s Ford motoring.

The car was first registered in February 1979 and its odometer shows 44,293 miles.

Nine years with a TV and film company

There’s an interesting detail in this Cortina’s recent history.

According to Anglia Car Auctions, it had been owned for the previous nine years by a television and film production company.

When it wasn’t being used, it was kept in dry storage.

Whether you’ll recognise the Cortina from anything you’ve watched isn’t mentioned in the auction description, but it’s certainly an interesting addition to its story.

Plenty of history survived with it

The Cortina also arrived at auction with a useful collection of paperwork.

That included several old tax discs dating back to 1995, various invoices and an old bill of sale from 1980.

There’s also a good collection of MoT certificates stretching all the way back to the car’s first test in 1982.

For a 47-year-old family saloon, it’s always nice to see that sort of history staying with the car.

Watch the Cortina go under the hammer

We were at Anglia Car Auctions when the Ford crossed the block and filmed the bidding.

Before watching, have a figure in mind.

What would you expect a 1979 Ford Cortina Ghia 2.3 manual to make today?

The auction itself didn’t last particularly long, and with the Cortina being offered without reserve there was always going to be a new owner when the hammer came down.

Sold for £3,240

The final result was £3,240 including buyer’s premium.

And that’s what makes this one interesting.

We’re accustomed to seeing strong prices attached to desirable old Fords, particularly sporting Escorts and other models that have become firmly established as collectors’ cars.

The Cortina occupies a slightly different corner of the classic Ford world.

For generations it was simply an everyday family car. Millions of people grew up with them, drove them, travelled to work in them or watched them disappear down the road as taxis and company cars.

Today, seeing a Mk4 Cortina on the road is an event in itself.

So does £3,240 look inexpensive for a 2.3-litre Ghia with a manual gearbox and 44,293 miles showing?

We suspect plenty of Ford enthusiasts will have an opinion.

Would you have kept bidding?

That’s always the fascinating thing about auction results.

The market decides what a car is worth on that particular day, but it doesn’t necessarily mean everyone watching agrees.

At £3,240 including premium, would you have put your hand up one more time?

You can see the original description and full gallery of photographs on the Anglia Car Auctions website:

https://angliacarauctions.co.uk/auctions/2763-20-Jun-2026/15094~1-1979-ford-cortina-ghia