Ford Zephyr
The Age
Thursday May 9, 2002
A gutsy performer with acceleration to surprise most challengers at the lights and the guts to tow the plywood caravan up to Lakes Entrance without complaining, the Zephyr is fondly remembered as an upmarket, honest little performer.
A success from day one, the question remains: Why the name Zephyr?
There are two basic theories: 1. It was a typing error. 2. To be last alphabetically in the buyer's guides, this was the only other name classier than the Ford Zit.
Arriving in 1950 in an era when owning a car was a privilege, the Zephyr was promoted as a car for the elite and boasted a showbag of features in and around its rounded body and leather interior. (Wellrounded and covered in leather? Maybe they should have christened it the Ford Xena.) The Consul, a fourcylinder version of the Zephyr that hit the market around the same time, was its sister model, sharing an almost identical shell and engine design.
Same body, different makeup - something that anyone who's seen Tootsie or Mrs Doubtfire will understand. (The Ford Xenophobic perhaps?)
But despite its rollie, puddin' appearance, it did posses the ubiquitous, albeit modest, front wings, a mandatory part of any '50s American machine. However, like so many other gimmicks of the day - such as the side mirrors that were situated threequarters of the way up the bonnet, well out of the reach of any driver and most orangutans - they proved more attractive than practical.
Yet, puzzlingly in such a hedonistic motoring era, apart from these minor cosmetics the body itself remained painfully sedate. The Zephyr came with a solitary chrome strip down its side, which, for eyecatching, headturning glamour, was as effective as putting lip gloss on Mark ``Chopper" Read.
Mechanically, its only noticeable drawback was its hard steering, but even that wasn't such a bad thing considering its portly shape.
Staid but with enough power for the English police force to use in their pursuit of truth, justice and Ronny Biggs, the Zephyr will always be remembered as a solid little performer with just a hint of class.
If only we knew what Zephyr meant. -- Pete Mackay
© 2002 The Age