By Matthew Sims
Narre Warren’s Curtis Earnshaw and his family have had a deep love for the Mark II Ford Cortina.
His grandfather and father have both owned and modified the classic car and now the 23-year-old’s done-up 1969 pride and joy, lovingly dubbed ‘Cortyy’ has been named as a finalist in the Milwaukee 2023 Young Street Machine of the Year competition.
The Cortina has come in the top 16 out of 320 total entrants aged between 16 and 24, with the winner set to be announced on Friday 2 June.
Mr Earnshaw said he bought the car in 2019 for $950, which required a bit of work.
“I built my car with my dad and brother,” he said.
“It was pretty old.”
Parts of the body had to be sandblasted to remove the years of rust, with the roof and rear quarters fully replaced by Mayo’s Body Shop in Yarram.
They then replaced the engine with a 1.8 litre engine from a Mazda MX-5 and took Recaro seats out of an Audi A4.
Mr Earnshaw said the car was fully fitted with electric windows and a mixture of custom-designed and second-hand elements.
“I’ve done a full sound system,” he said.
“I think we custom-made the centre console.”
Mr Earnshaw said he had come from a family of car lovers.
“My dad is a jack of all trades,” he said.
“Everything that I know, I learnt from him.
“My grandfather, which I never had the pleasure to know, he always had Mark II Cortinas.”
Mr Earnshaw said he knew he wanted to own one when he first saw one when he was 10.
Now working as an electronic security technician, car modification has become a hobby for him.
“Even as a kid, I loved to play around with electronics,” he said.
Mr Earnshaw said working on the Cortina had helped him get through some mental issues in the past.
“I absolutely love my car,” he said.
“It gave me something to aspire to.”
Mr Earnshaw came in third place in the Cortina at last year’s Shepparton Springnats Go to Woah event, requiring competitors to launch off the starting line and stop at the finish line as quickly and accurately as possible and is planning to compete in this year’s Springnats event.
Street Machine editor Andrew Broadley said the Street Machine team were “blown away” by the quality of the entries.
“This is the second year of the Milwaukee Young Street Machine of the Year Competition,” he said.
“We’re encouraging every red-blooded Aussie motoring enthusiast and Street Machine aficionado to get in there and vote for the winner.”
Voting closes on Sunday 28 May.
To vote for Mr Earnshaw’s Cortina, visit www.whichcar.com.au/sanity/preview/events/smoty/young-smoty-vote
