Ford Consul

The Ford Consul is a car manufactured by Ford in Britain.

Between 1951 and 1962 the Consul was the four cylinder base model of the three model Ford Zephyr range, comprising Consul, Zephyr and Zephyr Zodiac. In 1962 the line was restyled, and the Consul was replaced by the Zephyr 4, the mid-range Zephyr model becoming the Zephyr 6 and the top of the range Zephyr Zodiac just being called the Zodiac. At this point Consul became a four car range in its own right, the Consul Classic, Consul Capri, Consul Corsair and Consul Cortina.

The Classic, Capri and Corsair were relatively short lived, but the Ford Cortina, after losing in 1964 the "Consul" tag, went on to become a best-seller. The Consul name reappeared from 1972 to 1975 on a replacement for the Zephyr range, now sharing a body with the more luxurious Ford Granada Mk I. The Capri name by now had also been reintroduced, in 1969.

Ford Consul Mk1 (1951–1956)

The Consul was first shown at the 1950 London Motor Show and was the start of Ford of Britain's successful attack on the family saloon car market and replaced the larger-engined V-8 Pilot which had only been made in small numbers. It was given the Ford code of EOTA. Most cars were 4 door saloons with body design by George Walker of the parent United States Ford company but a few estate cars were made by the coachbuilder Abbott. From 1953 a convertible conversion by Carbodies became available. The body was reinforced by welding in a large X-frame to the floor pan. Unlike the more expensive Zephyr the hood (convertible top) had to be put up and down manually.

It was also the first car they built with up-to-date technology. The new 1508 cc 47 bhp (35 kW) engine had overhead valves and hydraulic brakes were used but a three-speed gearbox, with synchromesh only on second and top, was retained. They were also the first production cars to use the now-common MacPherson strut independent front suspension, and was the first British Ford with modern unibody construction.

There is a bench front seat trimmed in PVC and the handbrake is operated by an umbrella style pull lever under the fascia (dash). The windscreen wipers use the antiquated vacuum system. The instruments, consisting of speedometer, ammeter and fuel gauge, are positioned in a housing above the steering column and there is a full width parcel shelf on which an optional radio could be placed.

A car tested by The Motor magazine in 1953 had a top speed of 72 mph (116 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 28 seconds. A fuel consumption of 26 miles per imperial gallon (11 L/100 km; 22 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £732 including taxes.

Wide-mouthed Consul

Ford EOTA Consul

1952 Consul

Carbodies Convertible

Top down Consul

Inside the Consul

Ford Consul MkII (1956–1962)

In 1956 a new Consul appeared with the Ford code of 204E. The car was still the four cylinder sub-model of the Zephyr range, with which it shared the same basic body shell. Compared with the original it had a longer wheelbase, larger 1703 cc, 59 bhp (44 kW) engine and a complete restyle, based on the US, 56 Thunderbird and Fairlane. One thing not updated was the windscreen wipers which were still vacuum-operated. The roof profile was lowered in 1959 on the Mk2 version which also had re-designed rear lights and much of the external bright work in stainless steel. Front disc brakes with vacuum servo appeared as an option in 1960 and were made standard in 1961 (4-wheel drum brakes only, in Australia). The name became the Consul 375 in mid-1961.

The convertible version made by Carbodies continued. A De Luxe version with contrasting roof colour and higher equipment specification was added in 1957. The Australian market had factory-built versions of the pick-up (utility) and estate car (station wagon) as well as a locally-engineered version of the saloon.

A Consul MkII tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1956 had a top speed of 79.3 mph (127.6 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 23.2 seconds. A fuel consumption of 22.1 miles per imperial gallon (12.8 L/100 km; 18.4 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £781 including taxes.

Early Consul MkII	Lowline Consul	Highline Consul
Ford Consul 375	Carbodies Consul	Convertible Consul

Ford Consul (Granada) (1972–1975)

Main article: Ford Granada (Europe)

The Consul name was revived for the small engined Granada with 1996 cc Essex V4, later 2.0 Pinto, or 2495 cc Essex V6 power units in the UK. In Germany this Ford Consul was offered with a choice of German built Ford engines, starting with the 1680 cc V-4 unit familiar to drivers of the Ford Taunus 17M.

In the UK a Ford Consul GT was also offered, featuring the 2994 cc Essex V6 engine providing a claimed 138 brake horsepower (103 kW). Because it was less well equipped than the similarly powered Granada, it was approximately 1 long cwt (110 lb; 51 kg) lighter and correspondingly quicker.

The name was dropped in late 1975 and all the cars became Granadas.