The “Dominator”

This is the Cortina purists and restorers worst nightmare !

My Mk5 has a strong, small block 350ci Chevy engine sucking on a 600cfm Holley carb. It is coupled to a 700 R4 auto-box and both are tightly re-fitted in the engine bay. We decided not to run 2 exhaust pipes down either side but opted instead for one mega-pipe. The front cradle holding the radiator has been replaced with a stronger and beefier cross member. This Mk5 still has the stock GLS diff and front suspension in it. The whole under body has been sanded down and repainted black and silver.

A XR6 fibreglass front air dam, a fibreglass rear spoiler and rear number plate holder was purchased from Richard in Phoenix, KZN. All 3 items were prepared & resprayed satin black and fitted.  We renamed & rebadged this unique, 1 off project “The Dominator”. The decals/stickers we used are the same as the blue XR8 logo that is used on the later model Ford Sierras.

We designed the DOMINATOR script to be the same font as the exclusive INTERCEPTOR’s.

We’ve upgraded to 15 inch Gang-R Minilite wheels with 235/60/15 and 195 65/15 tyres. It gives this Cortina the big & littles stance & hotrod look, that we wanted. Even the wheel caps are blue XR8 matched. The front grille has been smoothed out, with the blue oval Ford badge removed to give it a cleaner and a more modern look. The sound deadener/fibre mat under the hood/bonnet has also been discarded.

The 4 rubber mud splashguards also still have to be fitted.

It is still a work in progress with many other subtle changes planned, including spraying the 4 door handles satin black too.

This project has been right up my alley. As a Hotrodder I never want to restore things to its originality & exact correctness. That is just too easy to do. It must look stock from a distance, without any outlandish modifications, BUT, be able to outperform any of its stable mates