Ford Consul

Ford Consul (EOTA)
Overview
Production	1951–1956 227,732 produced[1]
Body and chassis
Body style	four door saloon four door estate two door convertible
Powertrain
Engine	1.5 L straight-4
Dimensions
Wheelbase	100 in (2,540 mm)[2]
Length	164 in (4,166 mm)[2]
Width	64 in (1,626 mm)[2]
Height	61 in (1,500 mm)[3](convertible)

The 1500 cc four-cylinder Consul was first shown at the 1950 London Motor Show. It was the start of Ford of Britain's successful attack on the family saloon car market. With stablemate Zephyr, it was the first British Ford with modern unibody construction. The Zephyr Six replaced the larger-engined V-8 Pilot which had been made in only small numbers. The Consul was given the Ford code of EOTA. Most cars were four-door saloons with body design by George Walker of the parent United States Ford Motor Company, but a few estate cars were made by the coachbuilder Abbott. From 1953, a convertible conversion by Carbodies became available. Having lost most of its strength with its roof, the unibody was reinforced by welding in a large X-frame to the floor pan. Unlike the more expensive Zephyr, the hood (convertible top) had to be put up and down manually.

It was also the first car they built with up-to-date technology. The new 1508 cc 47 bhp (35 kW) [4] engine had overhead valves, and hydraulic clutch operation was used, which in 1950 was an unusual feature.[5] However, a three-speed gearbox, with synchromesh only on second and top, was retained. The Consul was also the first British production car to use the now-common MacPherson strut independent front suspension.[6]

The bench front seat was trimmed in PVC, and the handbrake was operated by an umbrella-style pull lever under the facia (dash). The windscreen wipers used the antiquated vacuum system, but it came from a vacuum pump linked to the camshaft-driven fuel pump instead of the induction manifold as on Ford's earlier applications of this arrangement. Clearly keen to keep things positive, a 1950 road test by the British Autocar magazine reported that the wipers were "free from the disadvantage of early suction-driven wipers that dried up at wide throttle opening ... and spare[d] the battery".[7] The initial dashboard was a flat, symmetrical panel with interchangeable instrument cluster and glovebox, but from September 1952, a redesigned asymmetrical dashboard was fitted, and the instruments, consisting of speedometer, ammeter, and fuel gauge, were positioned in a housing above the steering column, with a full-width parcel shelf on which an optional radio could be placed.

A car tested by The Motor in 1953 had a top speed of 72 mph (116 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 28 seconds. A fuel consumption of 26 miles per imperial gallon (11 L/100 km; 22 mpg_‑US) was recorded. The test car cost £732 including taxes.[4]

• 
  Ford Consul Convertible (EOTA)
• 
  Ford EOTA Consul
• 
  A 1952 Consul
• 
  Carbodies Convertible
• 
  Top-down Consul
• 
  Inside the Consul
• 
  Ford Consul - contemporary photograph
• 
  Ford Consul four-door saloon from the front (1954)

Ford Consul Mark II
1960 Ford Consul Mark II Saloon (Lowline)
Overview
Production	1956–1962 371,585 fixed roof and 9398 convertibles produced[1]
Body and chassis
Body style	four-door saloon four-door estate two-door coupé utility (Australia only) two-door convertible
Powertrain
Engine	1.7 L Straight-4
Dimensions
Wheelbase	104 in (2,642 mm)[2]
Length	172 in (4,369 mm)[2]
Width	69 in (1,753 mm)[2]
Height	60 in (1,524 mm)[8]
Curb weight	2,700 lb (1,225 kg)[9]

In 1956, a new Consul appeared with the Ford code of 204E. The car was still the four-cylinder submodel of the Zephyr range, with which it shared the same basic body shell. Compared with the original, it had a longer wheelbase, larger 1703 cc, 59 bhp (44 kW) engine, and a complete restyle, borrowing cues from the 1956 models of America's Thunderbird and Fairlane. One thing not updated was the windscreen wipers, which were still vacuum-operated. The roof profile was lowered in 1959 on the Mark II 'lowline' version, which also had redesigned rear lights and much of the external bright work in stainless steel. Front disc brakes with vacuum servo appeared as an option in 1960 and were made standard in 1961 (four-wheel drum brakes only, in Australia). The name became the Consul 375 in mid-1961.

The convertible version made by Carbodies continued. A De Luxe version with contrasting roof colour and higher equipment specification was added in 1957. The Australian market had factory-built versions of the coupé utility (pick up) and estate car (station wagon), as well as a locally engineered version of the saloon. They were also imported by Ford of Canada as a companion to the Falcon.

A Consul Mark II tested by The Motor in 1956 had a top speed of 79.3 mph (127.6 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 23.2 seconds. A fuel consumption of 22.1 miles per imperial gallon (12.8 L/100 km; 18.4 mpg_‑US) was recorded. The test car cost £781 including taxes.[8] A 1960 Ford Consul Mark II was the taxi in which American singer Eddie Cochran died, and not, as many have stated, a London hackney cab.

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  Ford Consul Mark II (Highline)
• 
  Ford Consul Mark II (Highline)
• 
  Ford Consul Mark II (Lowline)
• 
  Ford Consul Mark II (Lowline)
• 
  Later models were called the Consul 375
• 
  Ford Consul Mark II Farnham Estate
• 
  Carbodies Ford Consul Convertible
• 
  Carbodies Ford Consul Convertible

Ford Consul (Granada Mark I based)
Ford Consul four-door saloon (1972–75)
Overview
Production	1972–1975
Assembly	West Germany: Cologne[10] United Kingdom: Dagenham[10]
Body and chassis
Body style	two-door saloon[10] four-door saloon[10] two-door coupé[10] five-door estate[10]
Related	Ford Granada Mark II
Powertrain
Engine	1663 cc Essex V4 1699 L Taunus V4[11] 1993 cc Pinto I4[11] 1996 cc Essex V4[10] 2294 cc Cologne V6[11] 2495 cc Essex V6[10] 2994 cc Essex V6[10]
Transmission	four-speed manual automatic optional
Dimensions
Wheelbase	107 in (2,718 mm)
Length	180 in (4,572 mm)
Width	70 in (1,778 mm)
Height	54 in (1,372 mm)

The Ford Consul name was revived in April 1972 for the lower-priced, lower-specification variants of the newly introduced Ford Granada.[12] Developed jointly by Ford Britain and Ford of Germany,[11] the cars were built in Cologne in West Germany and in Dagenham in the United Kingdom.[10] Consul models can be identified by a two-panel cross-mesh grille as opposed to the horizontal chrome bar grille of the Granadas.[12]

Consul, Consul L, and Consul GT models were offered[10] and were available in two-door saloon, four-door saloon, two-door coupé, and five-door estate bodystyles.[10] Unlike the previous Zephyr Estate, the Consul Estate was produced by Ford rather than by an outside contractor.

The 1663 cc Essex V4 and 1996 cc Essex V4 with 77 and 92 hp, respectively, and a 2495 cc Essex V6 with 118 hp (88 kW) were the power units offered in the UK. In addition, the Consul GT was powered by the 2994 cc Essex V6 engine providing 138 hp (103 kW). Because it was less well equipped than the similarly powered Granada, it was about 1 long cwt (110 lb; 51 kg) lighter and correspondingly quicker.[13] In late 1974, the Essex V4 was replaced by the 2.0 litre Pinto engine.

In Germany, the Consul was offered with a choice of German-built Ford engines, starting with the 1699 cc Ford Taunus V4 engine familiar to drivers of the Ford Taunus 17M.[14] The 2.0 litre straight-four[11] and a 2.3 litre Cologne V6 were also available.[11]

The Consul name was discontinued in late 1975 after the UK Court of Appeal ruled that Granada Group could not prevent Ford registering the name Granada as a trademark.[15] The Granada name was then applied to all models.

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  Ford Consul two-door saloon (1972–75)
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  Ford Consul GT four-door saloon (1972-1975)
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  Ford Consul L coupe (1972–75)
• 
  Ford Consul estate (1972–75)

A white Mk. II Consul convertible appears on the cover of the 1979 album Don't Give a Monkey's... by Chas & Dave.

A lowline Mk. II Consul appears on the cover of the 1994 single Petrol by Ash.

A brown Mk. III Consul 3.0L GT is the main car featured in the first three series of the Sweeney (1974 - 1978 Euston Films).

• Ford Consul Capri for the Ford Consul Capri
• Ford Consul Classic for the Ford Consul Classic
• Ford Corsair for the Ford Consul Corsair
• Ford Cortina for the Ford Consul Cortina

• A-Z of cars 1945–1970. Sedgwick and Gillies. Bayview books. 1986. ISBN 1-870979-39-7.
• Ford Consul, Zephyr and Zodiac. Graham Robson. Crowood Press. 2007. ISBN 978-1-86126-943-0
• "1959 Ford (U.K.) Consul Mk II Estate specifications".

• The Ford Mk1 Consul, Zephyr and Zodiac Owners Club