Mk3 Zephyr 6 photograph.
Another photo from my own collection this time, showing a Mk3 version of Ford's Zephyr saloon car, parked at the side of a road. The grille on this car confirms that it is a Zephyr 6, rather than the more basic style used on the Zephyr 4. The owner of this one was either not too confident in his Dagenham-built product, or simply liked to hedge his or her bets, judging by the fitment of an RAC and an AA recovery badge to the front grille. Also visible is a Wolseley 1500 or Riley 1.5 a little further down the road, and to the left in a layby an early BMC Minivan. I'm not quite sure about the car on the far left near the Mini, I had thought of the A40 Sports but the shape of the rear wheelarch doesn't look right. Another possibility is the Hillman Minx Convertible (with hood raised).
The Mk3 range appeared in April 1962, making the Ford shown above a very early example of the breed. Both the 4 and 6 shared most of their body panels, only the grille treatment differentiating the 4 pot version from the 6. The styling of the Mk3 was bang up-to-date for the early 1960s - gone was the dumpy look of the Mk1, and the rock and roll look of the Mk2, and in were crisp lines and sizeable rear fins, no doubt inspired by the behemoths being churned out of stateside factories at the time. In the Mk3 Zephyrs both interior and boot space were very generous, the spacious seating allowing 6 occupants to be accomodated. The four cylinder car made do with rubber mats and a lower standard of trim overall, whereas the Zephyr 6 owner sat behind a wood grain dash, full chrome horn ring, and wall-to-wall carpeting. For those wanting the ultimate in Ford luxury, they'd have to order the higher specification Zodiac model, which shared its running gear with the Zephyr. The Zephyrs had a 'four light' body, ie with no rear quarter windows set into the back pillars, whereas Zodiacs could instantly be spotted, incorporating as they did this extra glass within each rear screen pillar.
Detail changes would be made to these cars throughout production, which finally came to an end in 1965 by which time the totally different Mk4 was being readied for sale the following year.
Return to Old Photographs of Cars - Page 4.
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