In September 40 years ago, Ford's new Cortina was launched.

Costing £573 for the standard 1200 saloon, it became an instant best seller and enjoyed a 20-year career during which 4.3 million were produced.

The last Cortina was assembled in July 1982, to be succeeded by the Sierra, by which time the entry-level model was priced at £4,515.

The Cortina was so successful and so different from other cars that in Britain it inspired what became known as the 'Cortina class'.

At times, one in every six cars built in the UK was a Cortina. Along with the parallel success of the Escort from 1968, this helped Ford gain market leadership in Britain, which it has now maintained for more than 25 years.

Ford chairman, Roger Putnam said: "The popularity of the Cortina throughout its lifetime is confirmed by the amazing sales statistics of the period. In 1967, the Cortina MkII alone took 14.9 per cent of the UK new-car sales market and in its best sales year ever, 1979, just under 194,000 Cortinas were sold in Britain."

In 20 years, four distinctly different generations of Cortina were put on the market each of them selling more than a million examples around the world.