Summernats Spotlight: Derek's Blown Pinto 1968 Ford Cortina

There were plenty of hidden gems parked up on display over the four days, and as we walked through the Shannons Show ’n’ Shine on Saturday morning we were lucky enough to catch up with Derek Mackay — the owner of a little blown (yes, blown) four-pot 1968 Ford Cortina.

Derek's passion for cars runs deep as his father and grandfather both worked in the automotive trade. It comes as no surprise that there’s a handful of projects on the go in the family, including this awesome little Cortina. Derek told us that the car has been in the family for over twenty years, and after spending a decade tucked away in a shed the car finally saw the light of day when he was helping his Dad move house.

Over the course of the ten-year build, Derek continued to gather new parts and plan out the build. Never wanting it to get to out of hand and sticking with an original look, the first job was to fix up the paint and panel. Derek’s close mate from MJH Paint and Panel in Bungendore refreshed the tired original paint back to the gorgeous factory Ford Candy Apple Red, fixing up some of the panel work underneath as they went on to really refresh the car.

Under the hood (and slightly above) is where things start to get interesting. Sitting up the front is a blown 2.0-litre Ford Pinto engine. Derek originally bought the “$400 dollar junker engine” looking for some parts to swap out onto a different combo, but it wasn’t until he ripped it open he discovered a treasure trove of CamTech components and other desirable goodies hidden within. This was enough for Derek to hold onto the thing and build up something fairly unique.

He pulled it into the workshop and spent plenty of time giving the motor a complete refresh. Wanting to take it to the next level, Derek employed a four-barrel manifold and a custom spacer which he machined all himself, and sat a killer 3/71 blower and 390 Holley carburettor on top. We reckon it’s just bloody cool!

As far as the rest of the driveline goes, it’s all fairly standard running gear. The gearbox is a factory Ford Escort box, paired up to a factory Cortina differential in the rear. With a bunch of Derek’s mates and family members racing Cortinas over the years, he’s pretty confident in the combination.

“It’s a standard diff in the back, but as long as you lock ‘em their super reliable. A mates old man used to race one of these, and he’d limiter launch it at the line and only broke one axle in over ten years of racing. They’re actually pretty tough.” Derek said.

The only thing left to finish off on the car is the boot and trim. “I never got around to painting and finishing up inside the boot. My old man was in a wheelchair for a bit there and I just squeezed his chair into the boot so I could bring him to Summernats the year we finished it. That’s probably the last thing I need to finish up on the car, and I’ll do it to factory spec.”

Derek’s Cortina was a great find on the Shannons Show ’n’ Shine oval and there were plenty of eyes on this unique little Cortina during Summernats 35. Be sure to check out the video below and hit subscribe to check out more awesome content coming your way.