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Hi
Have any of you that have this car been able to run it successfully without the use of the magnet?
Its a lovely little model but not a great slot car as I find its very top heavy . The motor and gearing are very smooth and it has a lot of power but a real pain to get around the track at any kind of speed.

There are a few tried and true methods for tune up that make a big difference, but most importantly, you will need good urethane tires and some lead in the belly.

Let us know if the tuning tips on this site need any explanation. Always glad to help.

IMHO Revell/Monogram often use tires that are the bare minimum diameter to fit under the body work. The Cortina front ends drags a little and tri-pods in corners as a result. I make re-pops for them, however I use and strongly advise using the SCX Escort MkII tire re-pops (listing #150523996866). Perefect fit on the wheel, extra 1mm OD, and just a little sanding on the outer sidewall to clear the fenders.... great running cars with the Scaley and Carrera Grp2/U2 cars...

If you can't resist adding alloy wheels, the new CB Design 14x6 Steelies will clear everything, shown here on my R/M Trabant with PGT-20084 tires...

Apart from what has already been stated above about lead and urethane tires, I found that this car responded exceptonally well to uncoupling of the body & chassis. That is - sand the edges of chassis all around the perimeter, so it doesn't touch the sides of the body at any point, and then back off the 4 hold-down screws about a turn, so that the body is free to rattle. That should help to make the car really smooth on the track. The Revell/Monogram Cortina is a LOT easier to get to run well than the Scalextric version.
My family drove a Cortina GT when I was a kid, and I must say the Revell/Monogram version is incredibly accurate; the shape and the stance are just right. PS - did you know that the tail lights from the Cortina were used on the Lola GT Mk6?

I built a Cortina a few years back and entered it in a proxy race. It did well.

The biggest thing I did to get it to handle without magnets was to remove the stock interior and replace it with a lightweight one made from cardstock.
I designed the new interior so that it sat over the motor and attached it to the chassis. The idea was to get the center of gravity as low as possible because it is such a skinny car.
I also put in a Dr Vanski motor that was much more driveable than the stock one (ie-slower). MT motors weren't out just yet, but they are perfect for these cars as well.
I did upgrade the drivetrain as well, using Penelope Pitlane wheels and Slot.It axles and gear with SCC bushings.
Even with the interior removed, I still had to add some weight on the bottom of the chassis. But that was because I was running silicone tires with plenty of grip. If you run urethanes, you may not have to add much weight.