The Ford Zephyr - 4 Practical Classics

The Ford Zephyr Mk 1

Ford ended the war period and started the 1950s with its all new, mould breaking Zephyr range. The car was completely new and based on a unitary bodyshell structure. The marketing material said that the cars had "5 Stars", (see http://www.fivestars.co.uk) this referred to five all new features including Unitary Construction, MacPherson Strut suspension and an OverHeadValve engine.

The Zephyr used a 2262cc six cylinder engine with a three speed gearbox. Although the Zephyr was packed with new features it did still retain a vacuum powered wiper system, however this did have a mechanical pump so that the wipers would never completely stop!. The Zephyr shared the new bodyshell with the four cylinder Consul, although due to its longer engine the front wings and bonnet were actually 4" longer than the Consul. The Mk I Consul/Zephyr range was eventually replaced by the Mk II in 1956.

Despite strong sales for the Mk I Consul/Zephyr Ford introduced a facelift version, the Mk II, in 1956. The Mk II cars were larger than the Mk I model and so offered even more interior space than before. The body was all new and looked very transatlantic, similar in fact to many of the cars in the then current US Ford range.
The Zephyr used a larger 2553cc six cylinder engine and had improved performance, an automatic gearbox was also available for the first time on a UK built Ford. In 1959 the Mk II received some styling changes which included a lower roof line, these post-59 cars are now referred to as the "Low-Line" Mk II. Production finished in 1962 with the arrival of the Mk III Zephyr.

Ford replaced the Mk II range in 1962 with the new Mk III Zephyr and Zodiac. The middle range model was once again the Zephyr 6 which used the six cylinder engine used in the Mk II cars. Although the engines remained unchanged the Zephyr 6 did now come with front disc brakes, a four speed gearbox and a choice of overdrive and automatic transmission.
The Mk III range featured a new bodyshell which had striking fins and a lower roof profile than the older Mk II cars. The Zephyr 6 had a distinctive front grille and a plush interior, overdrive and automatic transmission were both available as options. The Zephyr 6 also became famous for its TV appearance in the Police TV drama series" Z-cars". The Zephyr 6 enjoyed a distinguished Police career both on and off the screen as it proved to be an effective motorway patrol car.

Ford introduced a new Zephyr/Zodiac range in 1966 to replace the Mk III range. Once again the mid-range model was the Zephyr 6, although the Mk IV Zephyr 6 now featured a new 2495cc V6. The standard four speed gearbox came with a choice of floor or column change, an optional automatic gearbox was also available.
The Zephyr 6 used a new bodyshell which had very bold US influenced styling and featured an enormous bonnet panel. The Mk IV range used all-round disc brakes and independent rear suspension both of which were quite advanced in 1966. Production of the Mk IV Zephyr/Zodiac stopped in 1972 and was replaced by the new Consul/Granada range.