Ford Zodiac Mark II Convertible - an American in Paris

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Ford Zodiac Mark II Convertible - an American in Paris

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Created on January 20, 2019

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Bonhams

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Bruno von Rotz

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Antoine Dellenbach

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Ford Zodiac Convertible Mark II (1962) - unlike the saloon, the convertible only had two doors

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Ford Zodiac Convertible Mark II (1962) - Convertible for the whole family

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Ford Zodiac Convertible Mark II (1962) - the line does not suffer from the folding roof

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Ford Zodiac Convertible Mark II (1962) - only the convertible was two-door

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Ford Zodiac Convertible Mark II (1962) - visually almost indistinguishable from the Zephyr from the front

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Ford Zodiac Convertible Mark II (1962) - rear view

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Ford Zodiac Convertible Mark II (1962) - View of the interior

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Ford Zodiac Convertible Mark II (1962) - the convertible had individual seats at the front

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Ford Zodiac Convertible Mark II (1962) - stylish horn

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Ford Zodiac Convertible Mark II (1962) - Motorola car radio at extra cost

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Ford Zodiac Convertible Mark II (1962) - Door panel

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Ford Zodiac Convertible Mark II (1962) - the in-line six-cylinder engine produced around 85 hp

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Ford Zodiac Convertible Mark II (1962) - overhead valves, side camshaft

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Ford Zodiac Convertible Mark II (1962) - Zodiac and Zephyr had the same front on the Mark II

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Ford Zodiac Convertible Mark II (1962) - lots of chrome at the front

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Ford Zodiac Convertible Mark II (1962) - this convertible once drove in the States

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Ford Zodiac Convertible Mark II (1962) - Steel wheels and hubcaps

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Ford Zodiac Convertible Mark II (1962) - Manufacturer's badge

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Ford Zodiac Convertible Mark II (1962) - reference to the optional overdrive (fast gear)

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Ford Zodiac Convertible Mark II (1962) - from the days when designers didn't have fun with exhaust pipes

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Ford Zodiac Convertible Mark II (1962) - Rear end

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Ford Zodiac Convertible Mark II (1962) - pointed rear lights

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Ford Zodiac Convertible Mark II (1962) - two spare wheels just in case

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Ford Zodiac Convertible Mark II (1962) - Type lettering

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Ford Zodiac Convertible Mark II (1962) - perhaps the convertible was once sold as a new car

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Ford Zodiac Convertible Mark II (1962) - two-tone paintwork was popular at the time

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Rally Monte Carlo 1953 - Gatsonides/Worledge win in the Ford Zephyr Six - with glasses of Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands

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Ford Zodiac (1961) - the Zodiac was the luxury version of the Zephyr, but only differed from the Zephyr Six in terms of equipment, not technology.

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Ford Zephyr (1958) - with six-cylinder engine and new face - Geneva Motor Show 1958

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Ford Zodiac (1960) - with two-tone paintwork

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Ford Zephyr Convertible (1961) - open version, built from 1957

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Ford Zephyr Six (1963) - third generation with full-length chrome grille

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Ford Zodiac (1963) - in the third generation, the Zodiac stood out more visually from the Zephyr than before

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Ford Zodiac Estate (1963) - estate version of the third generation of the Consul-Zephyr-Zodiac series

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Ford Zephyr (1956) - Advertising - three sixes at once

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Ford Zephyr (1960) - Advertising - successful in motorsport

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Ford Zodiac (1960) - Advertising - the car that not everyone drives

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Ford Zephyr (1961) - Advertising - Servo disc brakes for Consul and Zephyr

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Ford Consul (1960) - predecessor of the Consul 315

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Ford Zodiac Mk II (1959) - Race R5 and R12 - St Mary's Trophy at the Goodwood Revival 2012

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Ford Zodiac Mk II (1959) - Race R5 and R12 - St Mary's Trophy at the Goodwood Revival 2012

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Ford Zephyr (1959) - generously dimensioned at 4.5 meters long and 1.7 meters wide - at the British Car Meeting 2013 in Mollis

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Ford Zephyr (1959) - the model series was revised in 1956 - at the British Car Meeting 2013 in Mollis

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Ford Zephyr (1959) - in the family for many years - at the British Car Meeting 2013 in Mollis

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Ford Zephyr (1959) - with front bench seat and steering wheel gearshift - at the British Car Meeting 2013 in Mollis

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Ford Zephyr (1959) - lettering on the front - at the British Car Meeting 2013 in Mollis

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Ford Consul Mk II (1958) - in beautiful two-tone paintwork - at the British Car Meeting 2013 in Mollis

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Ford Zodiac Mk III (1963) - a more upmarket version of the Zephyr 6, but with changes to the rear doors - at the British Car Meeting 2013 in Mollis

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Ford Zephyr Mk II (1959) - in the race for the Jack Sears Memorial Trophy - Goodwood Revival 2018

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Summary

With the Consul/Zephyr model series, Ford England launched an advanced saloon on the market in 1950, which was further developed into the Mark II in 1956 with extensive improvements. In addition to the four-door version, there was also a convertible and an estate version. While the design naturally had an American touch, the cars were designed entirely in Dagenham but then manufactured in various countries. The models were also popular in the German-speaking market, but are hardly remembered today. This report tells the story of the British Ford design and shows the model development in many pictures.

This article contains the following chapters

First generation from 1950
Second edition in 1956
"Oscar" as an influencing factor
Continuous further development
Successful in motorsport
Built for modern drivers
Convertible from 1957
Replacement in 1962
An American in Paris
Further information

Estimated reading time: 7min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Ford was traditionally very successful in the UK, and the manufacturer is still one of the best-selling brands in the country today. A dedicated development center in Dagenham developed cars for the British market, and in 1950 the Consul (with a four-cylinder engine) and Zephyr Six models were on the Ford stand at the Earls Court Motor Show. And they generated a lot of enthusiasm. The new Ford England models were indeed ahead of their time. With a self-supporting body and the front-wheel suspension and 12-volt electrics invented by Ford engineer Earl McPherson in America and perfected in the Consul/Zephyr, the passenger cars equipped with four- or six-cylinder engines set the pace for what other manufacturers would later copy.

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