Ford Consul: the modern Ford that started a dynasty (1951-1962)
At a glance
- Years
- 1951-1962
- Body styles
- Four-door saloon (also convertible and estate)
- Drivetrain
- Front engine, rear-wheel drive
- Engines
- 1508cc four (Mk1); 1703cc four (Mk2)
- Power
- 47 bhp (Mk1); 59 bhp (Mk2)
- Top speed
- Around 75-79 mph
- Trim levels
- Consul, Consul De Luxe; Mk1 (EOTA) and Mk2 (204E)
- Production
- The four-cylinder base model of the Consul/Zephyr/Zodiac range built at Dagenham from 1951 to 1962
- Assembly
- Dagenham, Essex
- Designer
- George Walker (Ford USA styling)
- Values
- Project around £2,500-£6,000; good £7,000-£12,000; excellent £13,000-£20,000 (Mk1 convertibles and the best Mk2s top the range)
- Engineering first
- With the Zephyr, the first British Ford with modern unitary (monocoque) construction
- Place in the range
- The four-cylinder base car below the Zephyr and Zodiac
The Ford Consul matters out of all proportion to its modest reputation. When it appeared in 1951, it and its six-cylinder Zephyr sister were the first British Fords built the modern way, with the body and chassis combined into a single unitary structure rather than bolted together. That made them lighter, stronger and cheaper to build, and it set the template for almost every Ford that followed.
As the four-cylinder base of the range, the Consul is the most affordable way into these important early big Fords, and an honest, characterful 1950s family saloon in its own right.
The base of the range, and a new way of building cars
Ford’s big saloon was always a three-model family, and the Consul was the entry point: the four-cylinder car below the six-cylinder Zephyr and the luxury Zodiac. What it shared with them was the thing that mattered most, the new unitary construction, styled under George Walker of Ford’s American parent and giving the cars a clean, modern, transatlantic look.
The Mk1, coded EOTA, ran from 1951 to 1956 with a 1508cc four. The restyled Mk2 (code 204E) followed from 1956 to 1962 as one of the so-called Three Graces alongside the Zephyr and Zodiac, with a longer wheelbase, a larger 1703cc engine and styling clearly influenced by contemporary American Fords.
A name that lived on
The Consul name proved durable, and it can confuse. At the very end of the original car’s life Ford launched a short-lived four-car Consul range, the finned Consul Classic saloon, the Consul Capri coupe, the Consul Corsair and the Consul Cortina, all distinct models. Later still, in 1972, the big new Ford that most people remember as the Granada was launched as the Consul, the name surviving on the lower-specification versions for a few years. The car covered here is the original 1951-62 big Consul, the one that started it all. If you are hunting one today, the club scene that covers the Three Graces together is the place to start: knowledge, spares and project cars move through it constantly, and the same people can usually point you to an honest car.
Saloons, convertibles and estates
Beyond the saloon, the family had its glamour versions. Carbodies of Coventry built factory-approved convertibles of the Consul and its sisters, and Abbott of Farnham converted estates. Both are rare and prized today, the convertibles especially, and they bring serious premiums over the saloons. The standard car’s appeal is different: it is the honest, usable, affordable face of 1950s family motoring, and the version most survivors represent.
Inside, the Consul carried the range’s period furniture in its plainest form: a bench front seat and column gearchange on most cars, vacuum wipers early on, and trim that grew brighter as the decade went on. De Luxe trim and two-tone paint arrived late in the Mk2’s life and lift values today. Most survivors are Mk2s, the Mk1 having almost vanished, so an honest early car is a rare sight at any show.
What it is like to own
The Consul is a simple, sturdy and easy-going classic. The four-cylinder engine is unstressed and durable, the running gear is strong, and the cars were built in large numbers, so the mechanicals are well understood and most service parts can be found. Some trim and body parts for the rarer versions take more hunting.
To drive, it is very much a car of the early 1950s: roomy, soft and relaxed, with modest performance and light controls. The lighter four-cylinder Consul feels a little more nimble than its six-cylinder sisters and is the more economical car. For an affordable, characterful entry into early big-Ford ownership, it is hard to beat.
Buying guide: what to look for
Rust is the principal enemy. Check the floors, sills and inner sills, the front and rear wings, the wheel arches, the boot floor, the door bottoms and the suspension mounting points. Convertibles need particular care around the structure, as the loss of the roof puts more load through the body.
Mechanically there is little to fear: the engines and gearboxes are tough and simple. As ever with cars of this age and value, a sound, rust-free body and complete original trim are worth far more than a low odometer reading, and a solid car is always the better buy than a shiny one hiding corrosion.
Current value and where it sits
A project Consul sits broadly around £2,500 to £6,000, a good usable car around £7,000 to £12,000, and an excellent example around £13,000 to £20,000, with the Mk1 convertibles and the best Mk2 saloons at the top. These are affordable, historically important classics: the cars that brought modern construction to the British Ford range. For the wider period, see British classic cars of the 1950s and 1960s.
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