Cortinas, Capris & Convertibles - 50 years of Fords

As any England football fan will tell you, 1966 was a very long time ago. Harold Wilson was Prime Minister, the Rolling Stones were at number One and the Austin Morris 1100 was the biggest selling car.

1966 was also the year when a young 20 year old bought his first car from Sandicliffe. Bruce Lowe spent £599 on a pale blue, second-hand Ford Cortina Mk 2, beginning a fifty year love affair with Ford cars and a half a century relationship with Sandicliffe.

Andrew Woodhouse from Sandicliffe says: "Back in 1966, the Ford Cortina was the biggest-selling Ford car and the second most popular car in the country. Mr Lowe became a Sandicliffe customer that year - he bought his car from the recently retired Nottinghamshire cricketer Ian Davison - and since then he has become one of our most loyal and longstanding customers."

Over fifty years, Mr Lowe has driven some of the most iconic Ford models. He drove five different Ford Capris - the car Dennis Waterman drove in Minder - before owning both an XR2i and XR3i, two of the most loved sports hatchbacks of the 1980s.

In recent years Mr Lowe has driven two Ford Focus CCs and at the age of 70 he has just bought his new car from Sandicliffe. His latest model is the superb new Ford Mustang; the latest incarnation of the car made famous by Steve McQueen in Bullitt. Demand for the new Mustang has been overwhelming since the right-hand drive model was announced and Mr Lowe has recently taken delivery of the latest in a long series of great Ford cars.

Mr Woodhouse from Sandicliffe adds: "Lots of Sandicliffe customers return to us time and time again but to serve Mr Lowe for fifty years is very gratifying. It is testament not just to the high quality of the cars we sell but also to the great service we provide.

"For half a century we\'ve provided the \'personal touch\' and, a dozen cars later, Mr Lowe remains one of our most loyal customers."