Ford Corsair V4 1966 built in Cork lives in Dublin | Season 2 - Episode 44

👋 Hey friends! In this video, we are featuring the Corsair a member of the Ford family that was assembled in the famous Cork city plant in southern Ireland. Welcome to Ireland Made. We celebrate stories of Irish transport past and present. If it has wings, wheels or it floats, we share the story. ⬇️ Did your family have a Ford Corsair? Comment below ⬇️ 🛎️ Subscribe to our channel so you never miss an upload go to YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUAsRjiVH2Stlh1yuEXXXIA for new videos! The Corsair was another member of the Ford family that was assembled in small quantities in the famous Cork plant. So it was a great surprise to see an original ’as new’ Ford Corsair V4 1966 moving swiftly through the streets of Dublin recently. It immediately brought back childhood memories as our first family car was a white edition. The Ford Consul Corsair (from 1963-65) which was later rebranded as just the Ford Corsair (1965-70). It was introduced to replace the Consul Classic range and sat between the Escort and Cortina. Featuring memorable frontal styling and a very spacious interior courtesy of a lengthened Cortina chassis. The most distinctive part of the Corsair was it’s unusual and quite bold styling for its day. The sharp horizontal V-shaped crease at the very front of the car into which round headlights were inset. It was the first all-new Ford model to be produced at the then new Halewood plant on Merseyside, England and a limited run was produced at the Ford Cork plant. The Corsair was launched at the Earls Court London Motor Show in October 1963. A press launch event was organised for Killarney, Co. Kerry. Ford planned to ship twenty-one new Corsairs to Ireland for the event, only to fall foul of Irish customs rules. At that time, Ireland charged very high import taxes for fully assembled cars to protect car assemblers here. Ford had to engage in tortuous negotiations to import the cars free of duty. The Killarney event turned into a three-day trip where the press were allowed to rush round the lakes in various Corsair models. There was also a separate Irish launch event on the 1st October 1963 in Dublin at the Smithfield Motor Company in Drumcondra. The Corsair had many parts in common with the Cortina making it easier and cheaper to build. On offer were estate and convertible and even an Executive version. The latter had a walnut veneer facia, leather looking upholstery, the chrome trim removed from the sides, upgraded wheel trims and a vinyl roof. The Corsair was descried as looking “more up-to-the-minute than a Morris Oxford or a Hillman Minx”. Also “faintly more dashing than a Vauxhall Victor FB De Luxe.” The car was initially offered with the larger 60 bhp 1.5 L Kent engine, as used in the Cortina, for its standard and GT versions. In September 1965 the range was revised, where it adopted the new Ford Essex V4 engines. This engine was initially available only in 1.7L (1663 cc), but in 1966 a new larger 2.0-litre version become optional as well. We have read numerous drivers were not happy with the performance of the Essex V4 engine which was said to be “noisy, unreliable and overheating was a common event”. In relation to the Cork-built Ford Corsair V4 we saw, restoration work began on it nearly 25 years ago and was completed in 2008. It was the cover feature of ‘Irish Vintage Scene’ magazine May 2008 edition. At the the time the magazine said “This beauty is a Cork-built 1700 V4 that’s been in Dublin all its life, and is a cherished part of the family for its owners.“ Here is a brief spec of the Corsair V4: - Essex V4 engines. - 1.7 litre (1663 cc), - Rear Wheel Drive - 4-speed manual - 83 HP - Top Speed: 150 kph (95 mph) - 0 to 100 kph :14.4 seconds (62 mph) - 12.6 kpl (29.7 mpg) They are rare enough in Ireland today (discontinued in 1970) not least because of the problems with rusting as experienced by many cars of the era. Also a smoky exhaust and the fact it shook a lot on rougher roads did not help. Do you use a Jubilee clip in your workshop? Check out our downloadable tribute print to this great tool https://irelandmade.ie/shop/ Follow Ireland Made for the latest! Facebook Link: https://www.facebook.com/IrlMade Instagram Link: https://www.instagram.com/irlmade/ Check out the Ireland Made website www.irelandmade.ie to view our back catalogue of Irish transport videos. Do you have an Irish transport story past or present you would like us to feature? Email us here info@irelandmade.ie Feel free to share on social media. This post is copyrighted© to Ireland Made® Not to be copied or reproduced without permission. Sources of information 1. Autobookmobile.com 2. Carandclassic.com 3. Driventowrite.com 4. FordHeritage YouTube channel 5. Harmonstown Motors Facebook 6. Hemmings.com 7. Irishvintagescene.ie 8. Uniquecarsandparts.com.au #FordCorsair #FordCork #essexengine #corsairv4

Added 8 May 2026