Classic Ford Consul Mk1s.
1. Mk1 Consul convertible.
Firstly, another period photograph from David, the rocking horse restoration guru (see Rocking Horse Sales & Restoration), this time showing a very rare Mk1 Consul soft-top.
This particular car was photographed in Gibraltar, some time in the 1950s. I am sure that very few of these Consuls were built, I wonder how many convertible variants survive now?? the climate in Gibraltar is probably kinder to old British metal than back home, so perhaps this Ford, registered as 15563, still lurks in a dusty barn awaiting a saviour?
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2. A two-tone Ford Consul built in 1954.
Second photograph on this Consul page, was kindly sent over by JohnDale McAllister, and shows a 2 tone '54 Mk1 Consul parked at the kerbside. Registration number was HST 342, and this one had been upgraded with extra lamps, a matching pair of wing mirrors, and a 'leaper' on the bonnet - is that a Jaguar mascot?
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3. Press photograph.
Dating to 1953, an original press photograph of a Mk1 Consul as issued by Ford's marketing department.
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4. Consul in a street scene.
The location of this shot isn't given, but could easily have been taken in any high street in the UK during the early 1960s. Various (now) classics are in evidence, including a light-coloured Mk1 Consul. Behind the Consul, and parked outside C.C. Cartwright's emporium, is a VW Beetle, while behind that is a butcher's bicycle. Nudging into view on the lefthandside, outside an off-licence, is a Ford 307E van or estate, based on the 105E Anglia. Giveaway that this isn't a 105E saloon is the profile of the door's lower edge, rising to the rear so as to avoid crunching high kerbs while a delivery driver does his or her rounds.
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Examples of Vauxhall and Austin are parked further away, while on the other side of the road, a chap is busy trying to load a sheet of ply into the back of his, or his customer's, Austin A55/A60 Countryman. A bicycle, probably unlocked, leans against the nearby lamppost. Note the high-rise block of flats in the distance, all the rage in the '50s and '60s but not so revered now. Does anyone recognise the location? and if so, do the flats and shops survive?
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5. Mk1 Consul and Zephyr Six in London.
This next street scene was captured on film on the afternoon of September 7th 1954, as part of a survey looking at congestion and parking issues in London. Alas there are no notes advising the location of this particular image. To the left is a Mk1 Consul (SAU 465) parked at the kerb, while a similar-looking Mk1 Zephyr Six (STV 241) is unloading its passengers. Further up the street, causing something of an obstruction, is an Austin K8 van being passed by a Minx. A number of other post- and pre-war cars are in evidence, including an unidentified pre-war tourer of some description to the right of shot, close to the photographer.
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6. Outside The King's Arms in Amersham.
OGU 96 was a 1953-registered Mk1 Consul, and is shown here - along with an E-Series Vauxhall - parked outside The King's Arms Hotel which, after a little research, has been confirmed as a hotel situated on the High Street in Amersham. Photos of this establishment today differ little from this 1950's view, although the RAC and AA Hotel signs have long since disappeared, and the roads are disfigured with yellow lines and white cross-hatching. The old bus stop sign has also vanished.
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A further selection of photos showing more Mk1 Ford Consuls can be found here.
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Click here for more motoring related photos.
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