CONSUL, ZEPHYR AND ZODIAC 1951-1972

SUPPORTED BY

Specialist Classic Car Insurance

Call 0800 085 5000 or visit adrianflux.co.uk

Authorised & regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority

By the end of the 1940s, Ford in the UK had the cheap and cheerful Anglia and Popular in the bargain basement, plus the big and luxurious Pilot V8 for those with considerably more cash to splash. Unfortunately, they had nothing to offer between those two extremes. However, plans were being formed for a family of medium-to-large cars that would leapfrog Ford ahead of the opposition. This was to be the Consul, Zephyr and Zodiac range, a line containing many firsts for Ford in the UK including monocoque construction, overhead valve engines, fourspeed transmissions, hydraulic brakes, MacPherson strut front suspension and longitudinal leaf springs for the rear axle. The styling was derived from the new American Fords of the era, and although the design emanated largely from Dearborn in the USA, there was also considerable involvement from the UK.

There were to be two engine options, an in-line four-cylinder of 1508cc and a 2262cc six-pot. Since the UK’s restrictive ‘horsepower tax’ that favoured narrow bore/long stroke engines had been discontinued in 1947, Ford engineers were free to make their new engines over-square and high-revving. The retention of a three-speed gearbox did not live