Ford Consul

Last updated
Ford Consul
Ford Consul 204E 1956 front.jpg
1956 Ford Consul Mark II Saloon (204E)
Overview
Manufacturer Ford UK
Production1951–1962; 1972–1975
Chronology
Predecessor Ford Pilot
Successor Ford Cortina

The Ford Consul is a car that was manufactured by Ford of Britain from 1951 until 1962. The name was later revived for a model produced by Ford in both the UK and in Germany from 1972 until 1975.

Contents

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 1956, the line was restyled. In 1962, 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 range of smaller cars in its own right, initially the Consul Classic and Consul Capri, shortly joined by the even smaller Consul Cortina. The Consul Classic was only made for two years (August 1961 - March 1963), before being replaced by the Consul Corsair. The Consul Capri was made from October 1961 until August 1964.

The Consul Classic, the Consul Capri, and the Consul Corsair (made from 1963 until 1970) were relatively short-lived, but the Ford Cortina, after losing (along with the Corsair) the "Consul" tag in 1964, went on to become a best-seller. The Consul name was again used by Ford from 1972 to 1975 on a replacement for the Zephyr range, now sharing a body with the more luxurious Ford Granada Mark I. The two-door coupé Capri's name was also reintroduced in 1969, and survived until 1986.

Ford Consul EOTA (1951–1956)

Ford Consul (EOTA)
Ford Consul MkI convertible front.jpg
Overview
Production1951–1956
227,732 produced [1]
Body and chassis
Body style four door saloon
four door estate
two door convertible
Powertrain
Engine 1.5 L straight-4
Dimensions
Wheelbase 100 in (2,540 mm) [2]
Length164 in (4,166 mm) [2]
Width64 in (1,626 mm) [2]
Height61 in (1,500 mm) [3] (convertible)

The 1500 cc four-cylinder Consul was first shown at the 1950 London Motor Show. It was the start of Ford of Britain's successful attack on the family saloon car market. With stablemate Zephyr, it was the first British Ford with modern unibody construction. The Zephyr Six replaced the larger-engined V-8 Pilot which had been made in only small numbers. The Consul was given the Ford code of EOTA. Most cars were four-door saloons with body design by George Walker of the parent United States Ford Motor Company, but a few estate cars were made by the coachbuilder Abbott. From 1953, a convertible conversion by Carbodies became available. Having lost most of its strength with its roof, the unibody 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) [4] engine had overhead valves, and hydraulic clutch operation was used, which in 1950 was an unusual feature. [5] However, a three-speed gearbox, with synchromesh only on second and top, was retained. The Consul was also the first British production car to use the now-common MacPherson strut independent front suspension. [6]

The bench front seat was trimmed in PVC, and the handbrake was operated by an umbrella-style pull lever under the facia (dash). The windscreen wipers used the antiquated vacuum system, but it came from a vacuum pump linked to the camshaft-driven fuel pump instead of the induction manifold as on Ford's earlier applications of this arrangement. Clearly keen to keep things positive, a 1950 road test by the British Autocar magazine reported that the wipers were "free from the disadvantage of early suction-driven wipers that dried up at wide throttle opening ... and spare[d] the battery". [7] The initial dashboard was a flat, symmetrical panel with interchangeable instrument cluster and glovebox, but from September 1952, a redesigned asymmetrical dashboard was fitted, and the instruments, consisting of speedometer, ammeter, and fuel gauge, were positioned in a housing above the steering column, with a full-width parcel shelf on which an optional radio could be placed.

A car tested by The Motor 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 mpgUS) was recorded. The test car cost £732 including taxes. [4]

Ford Consul Mark II (1956–1962)

Ford Consul Mark II
1960 Ford Consul Mark II Deluxe 1.7 Front.jpg
1960 Ford Consul Mark II Saloon (Lowline)
Overview
Production1956–1962
371,585 fixed roof and 9398 convertibles produced [1]
Body and chassis
Body style four-door saloon
four-door estate
two-door coupé utility (Australia only)
two-door convertible
Powertrain
Engine 1.7 L Straight-4
Dimensions
Wheelbase 104 in (2,642 mm) [2]
Length172 in (4,369 mm) [2]
Width69 in (1,753 mm) [2]
Height60 in (1,524 mm) [8]
Curb weight 2,700 lb (1,225 kg) [9]

In 1956, a new Consul appeared with the Ford code of 204E. The car was still the four-cylinder submodel 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, borrowing cues from the 1956 models of America's 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 Mark II 'lowline' version, which also had redesigned 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 (four-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 coupé utility (pick up) and estate car (station wagon), as well as a locally engineered version of the saloon. They were also imported by Ford of Canada as a companion to the Falcon.

A Consul Mark II tested by 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 mpgUS) was recorded. The test car cost £781 including taxes. [8] A 1960 Ford Consul Mark II was the taxi in which American singer Eddie Cochran died, and not, as many have stated, a London hackney cab.

Ford Consul (Granada Mark I based) (1972–1975)

Ford Consul (Granada Mark I based)
70s Consul (10362664283).jpg
Ford Consul four-door saloon (1972–75)
Overview
Production1972–1975
Assembly
Body and chassis
Body style two-door saloon [10]
four-door saloon [10]
two-door coupé [10]
five-door estate [10]
Related Ford Granada Mark II
Powertrain
Engine
Transmission four-speed manual
automatic optional
Dimensions
Wheelbase 107 in (2,718 mm)
Length180 in (4,572 mm)
Width70 in (1,778 mm)
Height54 in (1,372 mm)

The Ford Consul name was revived in April 1972 for the lower-priced, lower-specification variants of the newly introduced Ford Granada. [12] Developed jointly by Ford Britain and Ford of Germany, [11] the cars were built in Cologne in West Germany and in Dagenham in the United Kingdom. [10] Consul models can be identified by a two-panel cross-mesh grille as opposed to the horizontal chrome bar grille of the Granadas. [12]

Consul, Consul L, and Consul GT models were offered [10] and were available in two-door saloon, four-door saloon, two-door coupé, and five-door estate bodystyles. [10] Unlike the previous Zephyr Estate, the Consul Estate was produced by Ford rather than by an outside contractor.

The 1663 cc Essex V4 and 1996 cc Essex V4 with 77 and 92 hp, respectively, and a 2495 cc Essex V6 with 118 hp (88 kW) were the power units offered in the UK. In addition, the Consul GT was powered by the 2994 cc Essex V6 engine providing 138 hp (103 kW). Because it was less well equipped than the similarly powered Granada, it was about 1  long cwt (110 lb; 51 kg) lighter and correspondingly quicker.[ citation needed ] In late 1974, the Essex V4 was replaced by the 2.0 litre Pinto engine.

In Germany, the Consul was offered with a choice of German-built Ford engines, starting with the 1699 cc Ford Taunus V4 engine familiar to drivers of the Ford Taunus 17M. [13] The 2.0 litre straight-four [11] and a 2.3 litre Cologne V6 were also available. [11]

The Consul name was discontinued in late 1975 after the UK Court of Appeal ruled that Granada Group could not prevent Ford registering the name Granada as a trademark. [14] The Granada name was then applied to all models.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Anglia</span> Car model

The Ford Anglia is a small family car that was designed and manufactured by Ford UK. It is related to the Ford Prefect and the later Ford Popular. The Anglia name was applied to various models between 1939 and 1967. In total, 1,594,486 Anglias were produced. It was replaced by the Ford Escort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Taunus</span> Motor vehicle

The Ford Taunus is a family car that was sold by Ford Germany throughout Europe. Models from 1970 onward were built on the same basic construction as the Ford Cortina MkIII in the United Kingdom, and later on, the two car models were essentially the same, differing almost only in the placement of the steering wheel. The model line was named after the Taunus mountain range in Germany, and was first made in 1939, and continued through several versions until 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Cortina</span> Car model

The Ford Cortina is a medium-sized family car manufactured and marketed initially by Ford of Britain, and then Ford of Europe in various body styles from 1962 to 1982 over five generations — and was the United Kingdom's best-selling car of the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Prefect</span> Line of British automobiles (1938–1961)

The Ford Prefect is a line of British cars which was produced by Ford UK between 1938 and 1961 as an upmarket version of the Ford Popular and Ford Anglia small family cars. It was introduced in October 1938 and remained in production until 1941. Returning to the market in 1945, it was offered until 1961. The car progressed in 1953 from its original perpendicular or "sit-up-and-beg" style to a more modern three-box structure. Some versions were also built and sold by Ford Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Essex V4 engine</span> Automobile engine

The Essex V4 is a V4 petrol engine manufactured by the Ford Motor Company from 1965 to 1977. The engine was available in both 1.7 L and 2.0 L capacities. Designed by Ford of Britain, the Essex V4 was produced at a plant in Dagenham, originally in the county of Essex, later part of east London. The engine was used in the Ford Corsair, Capri Mk I, Consul/Granada Mk I, Ford Zephyr Mk IV and the Ford Transit Mk I van.

The name Ford Corsair was used both for a car produced by Ford of Britain between 1963 and 1970, and for an unrelated Nissan-based automobile marketed by Ford Australia between 1989 and 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Consul Classic</span> Motor vehicle

The Ford Consul Classic is a mid-sized car that was launched in May 1961 and built by Ford UK from 1961 to 1963. It was available in two or four door saloon form, in Standard or De Luxe versions, and with floor or column gearshift. The name Ford Consul 315 was used for export markets. The Ford Consul Capri was a 2-door coupé version of the Classic, and was available from 1961 until 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Zephyr</span> Motor vehicle

The Ford Zephyr is an executive car manufactured by Ford of Britain from 1950 until 1972. The Zephyr and its luxury variants, the Ford Zodiac and Ford Executive, were the largest passenger cars in the British Ford range from 1950 until their replacement by the Consul and Granada models in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Essex V6 engine (UK)</span> Reciprocating internal combustion engine

The Ford Essex V6 engine is a 60° V6 engine built between 1966 and 1988 by the Ford Motor Company in the United Kingdom and until 2000 in South Africa although mostly in the Ford engine plant of Dagenham, Essex, which gave the engine its name. It is closely related to the Ford Essex V4 engine produced in displacements of 1.7 L and 2.0 L. Both engines share many parts since the Essex V6 was directly derived from the Essex V4; the 2.0 L Essex V4 and the 3.0 L Essex V6 in fact have exactly the same bore and stroke and share various components. In the same era, the Ford Cologne V6 engine was produced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peugeot 404</span> Motor vehicle

The Peugeot 404 is a large family car produced by French automobile manufacturer Peugeot from 1960 to 1975. A truck body style variant was marketed until 1988. Styled by Pininfarina, the 404 was offered initially as a saloon, estate, and pickup. A convertible was added in 1962, and a coupé in 1963. The 404 was fitted with a 1.6 litre petrol engine, with either a Solex carburetor or Kugelfischer mechanical fuel injection or a 1.9 litre diesel engine available as options. Introduced at the Paris Motor Show as an option was the inclusion of a 3-speed ZF automatic transmission, similar to the unit already offered on certain BMW models, as an alternative to the standard column-mounted manual unit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triumph Herald</span> Motor vehicle

The Triumph Herald is a small two-door car introduced by Standard-Triumph of Coventry in 1959 and made through to 1971. The body design was by the Italian stylist Giovanni Michelotti, and the car was offered in saloon, convertible, coupé, estate and van models, with the latter marketed as the Triumph Courier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lancia Flavia</span> Motor vehicle

The Lancia Flavia is an executive car produced by Lancia in Italy from 1961 to 1971. Production continued as the Lancia 2000 from 1971 to 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Escort (Europe)</span> European small family car

The Ford Escort is a small family car that was manufactured by Ford of Europe from 1968 until 2000. In total there were six generations, spread across three basic platforms: the original, rear-wheel-drive Mk.1/Mk.2 (1968–1980), the "Erika" front-wheel-drive Mk.3/Mk.4 (1980–1992), and the final CE-14 Mk.5/Mk.6 (1990–2002) version. Its successor, the Ford Focus, was released in 1998, but the final generation of Escort was phased out gradually, with the panel van version ending production in 2002 in favour of the Ford Transit Connect.

Carbodies was a taxi design and manufacturing company based in Coventry, England. In its latter years it also traded as London Taxis International and The London Taxi Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crayford Engineering</span>

Crayford Engineering was an automobile coachbuilder based in Westerham, Kent, England and formed in 1962 by Jeffrey Smith and David McMullan, (sales). In the 1970s, a subdivision within the company, called Crayford Auto Developments, Ltd., was established for automobiles. The company specialized in converting European coupés and saloons into convertibles and estates. Notable products included the convertible Mini, BMC 1100/1300 convertible, convertible Corsair, Cabriolet Corsair, Cabriolet Capri, the rare Triumph TR7 Tracer Estate, and a Princess hatchback conversion, a commonly accepted principle for a car that appeared to be, but was not, a hatchback to begin with. Other lesser-known conversions from Crayford included the Tempest, a convertible Volkswagen Scirocco, a Ford Cortina Mk V Convertible, and a Mercedes S-Class Estate. In 1966 the company converted, for the Heinz food company, 57 Wolseley Hornet Mini-derived cars to convertibles, to be given as prizes in a competition. The cars designed and created by Jeffrey Smith were featured in the Olympic Closing Ceremony in London 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford of Europe</span> Automotive manufacturing subsidiary of Ford Motor Company

Ford of Europe GmbH is a subsidiary company of Ford Motor Company founded in 1967 in Cork, Ireland, with headquarters in Cologne, Germany.

Abbott of Farnham, E D Abbott Limited was a British coachbuilding business based in Farnham, Surrey, trading under that name from 1929. A major part of their output was under sub-contract to motor vehicle manufacturers. The business closed in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Granada (Europe)</span> Motor vehicle

The European Ford Granada is an executive car manufactured by Ford Europe from 1972 until 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vauxhall Velox</span> Motor vehicle

The Vauxhall Velox is a six-cylinder executive car which was produced by Vauxhall from 1948 to 1965. The Velox was a large family car, directly competing in the UK with the contemporary six-cylinder Ford Zephyr, and to a slightly lesser extent, with the A90, A95, and A110 Austin Westminster models.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cortina Savage</span> Customised British automobile

The Cortina Savage is a custom performance automobile based on the Ford Cortina. The car was designed and produced by Jeff Uren and his companies, Race Proved Performance and Racing Equipment Ltd., and Jeff Uren Ltd. Production of the conversion started in the mid-1960s and was applied to multiple generations of the Cortina, with the Mk2 Savage built in the largest numbers.

References

  1. 1 2 Sedgwick, M. (1986). A-Z of Cars 1945-1970. Devon, UK: Bay View Books. ISBN   1-870979-39-7.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Culshaw; Horrobin (1974). Complete Catalogue of British Cars. London: Macmillan. ISBN   0-333-16689-2.
  3. "Second Hand car guide supplement". Practical Motorist. 6 Nbr 68: between pages 768 & 769. April 1960.
  4. 1 2 "The Ford Consul Road Test". The Motor . March 25, 1953.
  5. "Ford Consul Saloon (road test)". Autocar . October 20, 1950. One of the unusual features of the new Fords is the hydraulic operation, through the pedal, of the clutch withdrawal. There is a fluid reservoir, accessible under the bonnet, common to the clutch and brake master cylinders.
  6. "Ford Consul Saloon (road test)". Autocar . October 20, 1950. The behaviour of the suspension is observed with particular interest in view of its unusual character, coil springs being used but without the usual double wishbone assembly....while each front wheel and brake assembly is attached to a tubular king-pin forming the cylinder of a direct-acting hydraulic damper.
  7. "Ford Consul Saloon (road test)". Autocar . October 20, 1950.
  8. 1 2 "The Ford Consul Mk II Saloon". The Motor . May 23, 1956.
  9. "1959 Ford (U.K.) Consul Mk II Estate specifications".
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Consul Granada History Retrieved on 19 May 2014
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ford (D) - Consul 1700, Observers Book of Automoibles, Seventeenth Edition, 1972, page 77
  12. 1 2 Granada Mk1 & Mk2 History, www.ford-granadaguild.org.uk Archived 2014-05-18 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 18 May 2014
  13. "Test VW 412 LS...zum Vergleich .... Ford Consul 1700". Auto Motor u. Sport . Heft 3 1974: Seite 40–48. 2 February 1974.
  14. "Granada Group Ltd v Ford Motor Company Ltd". Reports of Patent, Design and Trade Mark Cases. 90 (3). 5 April 1973. doi:10.1093/rpc/90.3.49.

Further reading