Ford Zephyr: the six-cylinder Ford that policed Britain (1950–1972)

In the middle of Ford of Britain’s big-saloon range sat the Zephyr: the six-cylinder car that gave the family its performance. Above the four-cylinder Consul and below the luxury Zodiac, the Zephyr offered smooth six-cylinder power and real pace for the money, and it became one of the defining big Fords of the 1950s and 60s, on the road and, famously, on television.

For anyone wanting six-cylinder smoothness and space without paying flagship prices, the Zephyr remains the value choice of the range.

The six-cylinder middle ground

Ford’s big saloon was always a three-model family. The Consul was the four-cylinder base, the Zodiac the luxury flagship, and the Zephyr the six-cylinder car in between, the sweet spot of the range. It had the performance and refinement of the six without the cost and brightwork of the Zodiac, and it sold strongly to families and fleets alike.

By the standards of its day the Zephyr was genuinely quick, which gave it a sporting reputation out of keeping with its sensible image, and led to its most famous role.

The Z-Cars connection

From 1962 the BBC police drama Z-Cars made the big Fords part of British cultural life, using Zephyrs as its patrol cars. The show ran for years and cemented the Zephyr’s image as a fast, capable machine, which it genuinely was: real police forces used them for the same reason. That television fame is a large part of why the cars are remembered so warmly today.

A surprising competition record

The Zephyr’s pace was proved in period in the toughest events of the day. A works Mk1 won the Monte Carlo Rally outright in 1953, driven by Maurice Gatsonides, the Dutchman who later gave the world the Gatso speed camera. Two years later a Zephyr won the gruelling East African Safari, and the big sixes remained a respected sight in rallying and saloon racing through the 1950s. For a sensible family Ford it was quite a CV, and it is part of why the Zephyr, more than the Consul or the Zodiac, carries a sporting reputation to this day. A handful are still campaigned in historic rallying and racing now, usually to the delight of the crowd.

Four generations

The Zephyr changed completely over its life. The Mk1 (1951–56) was Ford’s first British six-cylinder unitary car. The Mk2 (1956–62), one of the Three Graces, is the flamboyant finned car with strong American influence. The Mk3 (1962–66) was a crisper, more modern shape. The Mk4 (1966–72) was a much larger car with new V4 and V6 Essex engines, independent rear suspension, the first on a British Ford, and was sold as the four-cylinder Zephyr 4 and six-cylinder Zephyr 6.

What it is like to own

Ownership divides by generation more sharply here than on either sister car. A Mk1 to Mk3 is a straightforward, torquey straight-six that the big-Ford clubs know inside out, with remanufactured mechanical parts easy to come by and knowledge that travels across the whole Consul, Zephyr and Zodiac family. A Mk4 is a substantially bigger machine on V4 or V6 Essex power with independent rear suspension, and it wants an owner interested in that rather than one expecting more of the same.

What takes patience on any of them is brightwork and interior trim for a particular year or facelift, which is why a complete, unmolested car beats a cheap incomplete one however tempting the price.

The Zephyr also carries a following the other two do not. Z-Cars and a genuine competition record fixed it in the public memory as the fast one, and that shows up in club interest, in what turns up at shows, and in what a car with real police or rally history will fetch.

Buying guide: what to look for

The four generations are different cars and want different eyes. On the Mk1 to Mk3 the straight-six is durable and the running gear simple. On the much larger Mk4 it is the V4 and V6 Essex engines and the independent rear suspension, the first fitted to a British Ford, that repay a careful look for wear.

Rust is the constant across all of them: floors, sills and inner sills, the front and rear wings, the wheel arches, the boot floor and the door bottoms, plus the box sections and suspension mounting points on the Mk4, which has more car to hide them in.

Two things specific to this badge are worth establishing before money moves. Cars with a genuine police history carry a following that has little to do with condition, and the Zephyr’s competition record, the outright 1953 Monte Carlo win and the 1955 Safari among it, means period-modified and historic-rally cars appear regularly in the classifieds. Both are perfectly good buys. Both are a different purchase from an original road car, and the paperwork should say which one you are making.

Current value and where it sits

Television fame has never translated into money here, which is the Zephyr’s standing invitation. The range runs from about £2,500 for a project to £22,000 for an excellent example, with the usable cars in the £7,000 to £13,000 band and the finned Mk2s and early convertibles leading. For this much car and this much six-cylinder smoothness, that remains cheap. For the wider period, see British classic cars of the 1950s and 1960s.

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