1972 Ford Cortina

In 1972 the Cortina was Britain's top selling car, closely followed by the Escort, as volumes recovered after the strike and the ageing Austin and Morris 1100 and 1300 lost ground to newer models. These cars used the double wishbone front suspension that gave a softer ride than the old struts but left the larger engined cars prone to understeer. At the end of 1971 the GT and GXL had swapped their Rostyle wheels for eight spoke steel sports wheels for the 1972 model year. The Cortina stayed first in British sales until 1976, and the larger, heavier body had been given far more sound deadening than its predecessor.