Monday, 16 June 2008 00:00

Old And Rusting Vehicles In Cyprus

Written by Mike
Ford Cortina MkII Estate, Polemi, Paphos District, Cyprus Ford Cortina MkII Estate, Polemi, Paphos District, Cyprus

Cypriots just don’t seem to like chucking anything away. And that goes for their vehicles as well!

Given the temperate climate, vehicles tend not to rust much, so you can find all sorts of things that have become rare everywhere else.

It's then fascinating to see the uses old vehicles are put to.

If you've any interest in old cars at all, Cyprus is the place to see things you haven't seen in years anywhere else.  

Given the heritage of the island, most are British designs, but there's a load of Japanese ones too. 

Best yet is the 1960s Ford Cortina Mark 2 estate that’s now serving as a garden shed in Polemi, Paphos Region, Cyprus, shot here on 21 May 2008.

The Ford Cortina Mark 2 estate with a 1.6 petrol engine was de-tuned for use in Cyprus so that it would run on poor grade petrol.

It had a five speed gearbox based on the unit put into the Capri at the same time.

Many were used as taxis as they just kept going.

It also had a refrigeration unit connected to the oil cooler as it tended to overheat in the Cyprus climate.

The cars were built at Dagenham and shipped out in kit form.

There are two rumours about them.

First, the dealer that purchased them wouldn't pay up, so Ford shipped them without windscreen wipers so that they could only be used when it wasn't raining. (This one has its wipers).

Second, Ford didn't ship any instructions with the kits so somewhere on the island is a big pile of packing cases just waiting to be found and finished.

Enjoy the pictures!

Mike

Mike

Mike McCormac has been a photographer since about ten years old.  He's a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society, and lives in a village in the hills near Paphos in Cyprus.

Read his full Bio

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