Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Ellis]

[img]

The Consul Classic was considered by many to be a purposeless design hence the model's short life as well as that of the Consul Capri.
I disagree because I considered both an elegant design. There was only one Consul Classic in the village, a two tone maroon and silver one and our music teacher had a white Consul Capri.

The Ford Corsair although based on the Mark One Ford Cortina I thought a handsome car. A friend of my parents bought a V4 engined one in 1967 and thought highly of it except for it's greed for petrol.

There were two Ford Corsair 2000Es in the village, one in silver and a Blue Mink as in the photo below.

[/img]

How would you assess the Corsair?
I remember Autocar featuring a comparison test between the 2000E and an "Arrow" Humber Sceptre and the Sceptre won.

Two people of note have had Corsairs - one is our own John Dale who owned a rare 2000cc Abbott Estate and the other was Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall who owned a red Kent engined convertible in his first series of River Cottage.
I wonder if he still owns it.

300,000 Corsairs were built between 1964 and 1970.
I wonder why more were not sold.
_________________
Starting Handle Expert

1964 Jaguar Mark 2 3.4 litre
1962 Land Rover Series 2a 88"
2002 BMW M3 E46 Cabriolet

[peter scott]

A mini Thunderbird.

_________________
http://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon

[47Jag]

Ellis,

I worked in Ford main dealers when these cars were current and I seem to recall the Corsair was pitched as a more luxurious model than the Classic and priced accordingly higher. Ford were doing some weird things marketing-wise. They had the Consul 375 still in production, or was it surplus stock? I dunno, but definitely still on sale, and then they bring out the Classic and call it a Consul Classic 315.
I thought then, and still do that the Classic Capri was a styling disaster. Or should that have been the Consul Classic 315 Capri.


Art

[Rootes75]

When I was a lad we still had a light blue Corsair down in our orchard, we used to stand on its roof to collect apples!
_________________
Various Rootes Vehicles.

[misterbridger]

When I worked at the local Ford garage in the '70's we used to call the Corsair the Ford Pubic. Coarse 'air -geddit?

[BigJohn]

I remember as a kid in 1968 my Old Man bought a 2 litre Deluxe new, specced to a 2000E, he wanted a 2000E but couldn't get one without a Vinyl roof. He then handed it to his last year apprentices with a £500 tuning budget, labour of course was free. It came back lowered with Lotus rims and setting sub 9 second 0-60 times.
He blew it to pieces one night on the M1 at about 50,000 miles when it was just over a year old. The rebuilt engine was never the same. One of his welders bought it and it was still going strong at over 150,000 when we lost track of it.
The first car I drove over the ton in, I was 12 on an old airfield, the Old Man must have been crazy letting me drive it that quick, even if he was in the passenger seat. I love Corsairs.

[JohnDale]

[Ashley]

It was my second company car after a Classic. Both were pool cars so one that I drove a fair bit. It had a 2 Litre V4 which needed lots of gearchanges if I remember correctly.

[Ellis]

[Inglewood]

Does this help?

http://performanceclassiccarparts.co.uk/ford-gearboxes.html

[Ellis]

[Ray White]

My Dad had a lovely white 2 door GT Corsair which today would be a very rare car. I drove it illegally before passing my test and recall you could induce wheelspin when changing up into second gear!

[47Jag]

Further to this and a little sidestep. The Ford Type 5 gearbox is being suggested as a modern replacement for Jaguar MKIV & V because of the overdrive 5th. My question is, what cars were these fitted to? Sierra?

Art

[ukdave2002]

[peter scott]

The Toyota Supra 5 speed box seems to be another popular transplant for those owners of old cars who don't really like old cars.

Peter.
_________________
http://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon