IDRIVEACLASSIC reviews: classic retro 50s Ford Zephyr Six

Today I'm out in blue oval heaven - a 50s old skool Ford Zephyr Six. In this brilliant little video, I'm going to tell you all about the Ford Zephyr and this video will include:
Ford Zephyr review
Ford Zephyr road test
Ford Zephyr Six review
Ford Zephyr Six road test
50s Ford
50s Zephyr
1950s Ford
Retro Ford review
Retro Ford road test
Old Ford review
Old Ford road test
Classic car review
Classic car road test
50s Classic Car review
old skool ford
classic ford
vintage ford
retro ford
british ford
old british car
ford car review
ford car road test
idriveaclassic
Girl driving classic car

[@geoffnoyes520]

Some Ford enthusiasts may be interested to know l worked for the man who became the general manager of Ford in England, Sir Patrick Hennessey, originally from lreland. I believe he also worked closely for Ford's with Winston Churchill during wwIl. I was Sir Patrick's' houseman' and gardner's assistant, 1979-1980. At that stage he was long retired but still occasionally went to London in a chauffeur driven Ford Grenada.! He lived in a grand country home near Theydon Bois with his elderly sister. I still feel privileged to have known him and worked for him all those years ago. I now live in New Zealand, but have happy memories of my beloved England and it's lovely lovely countryside. I thought someone might possibly be interested. Kind regards to all, Geoff.

[@johnfaulkner6776]

I used to stay with a boarding school chum at a house in Stonden Massey Essex. His dad was J.A.Barke, one time Managing Director of Ford UK. Lots of Granada Mk 3 s and Mk 4 s.

[@boldorboy08]

I love your enthusiasm in discovering technology that a lot of us grew up with. Great to see younger generations appreciating history.

[@StuartAxe]

Wonderful engineering from a bygone age. I love that 'A Ford product made in England' decal on the front and back!

[@idriveaclassic]

Me too ❤️

[@rydermike33]

Excellent as always Steph. That is a PROPER motor car. It's so lovely to see a young person enjoying these beautiful old vehicles. Thank you.

[@idriveaclassic]

Aww thanks so much mike x

[@LostsTVandRadio]

The horn push and the indicator switch on this model are a bit different from the 1955 4 cylinder Consul that we had, but otherwise the interior is much the same. Lovely to see it.

[@paulbennell3313]

The Zephy/Zodiac mk1 was a game changer. The 2553cc overhead valve straight six engine replaced the previous sidevalve engines so overtaking became possible and the McPherson strut suspension was a world away from the beam axles and transverse springs everyone was used to. The combination of ride quality and handling was almost unheard of in a mass produced car at the time. These cars enjoyed some racing and rally success and did well at Monte Carlo. My favourite Zephyr (and one of my all time favourites) is the mk3 Zephyr six (you really need to try one!) but I love all Zephyrs and Zodiacs. The range went from moderately posh to executive luxury and they all looked the absolute business!

[@normancarter7572]

The mk1 zephyr and zodiac weren't 2553 cc

[@jamesappleyard7459]

norman carter The mk2’s were but the MK1’s had a 2262 straight six

[@RexWaldron]

I absolutely love the big Fords from this era. I remember these being a fairly common sight in the early 60s. They were to my 7 year old mind, the "old" Zephyr because the (then) current one was the mark 2 that replaced this model. Then came the amazing "Z Cars" mark 3 which looked so modern at the time. Thanks for bringing back some great early childhood memories with this one Steph!

[@idriveaclassic]

My pleasure Rex 🥰

[@routmaster38]

Yes I thought the MK 3 looked great at the time and couldnt understand why it was ditched so early in favor of the MK 4 "Dagenam Dustbin"!

[@davidskeeterskeeter1835]

I feel privileged to be able to enjoy these cars,,”Warts and all”,,,thank you 👏👏👏👍🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@JESS-ge2zl]

I'm sorry... Who is giving this a thumbs down 😱... Fools! Another fab watch Steph x

[@Cthulhu1970]

There's always one. Regardless of the subject matter, from kittens to kettenkrads, there is a "special" person who goes round giving a thumbs-down.

[@idriveaclassic]

Hahahaha there’s always one or two 😩

[@kennyscott1089]

Cthulhu1970 There’s a challenge for Steph. Do a review on a kettenkrad. That would be good.

[@Cthulhu1970]

@@kennyscott1089 I was actually thinking exactly the same thing. A Reliant Kitten, and an NSU Kettenkrad. 🙂

[@kennyscott1089]

Cthulhu1970 At the same time.

[@peterward3965]

My dads bit of stuff Elsie Wybourne owned one circa 1962 two tone black and red, it had Leppard skin seat covers, Leppard skin steering wheel cover and Elsie would wear a Leppard skin coat to match. What with her 1950s make up red lippy with black liner, black beauty spot, she was to me as a kid Cruella Deville, as the Walt Disney film had just been released and Cruella drove an evil looking red and black car. Funny how seeing a car can bring memories flooding back. I throughly enjoyed your video, thank you .

[@leonotarianni7733]

Revolutionary when released in 1951. First mass produced car with McPherson strut front suspension. Curved front and rear windscreen OHV design engine. This English Ford was far more advanced than the US Ford's of that time. By comparison a US 1951 Ford Custom had split windscreen, side valve flat head engine design , King pin front suspension and other features that all compared far less favourably than the Ford Consul and Zephyr of the same time .

[@dieselfan7406]

Seat belts were an option from 1955

[@emjayay]

The six cylinder engine in American Fords was OHV though and because of that had almost as much power as the V8. The flathead V8 was replaced with a new OHV engine in 1954. The 1951 Ford was the last year of the 1949 body which did have a curved rear window, and the new 1952 body got a curved windshield. One antiquated point in the construction of this Zephyr is the full strip of body panel between the front and rear doors. The 1949 Ford body had no strip of body panel between the doors.

[@jimbilton1956]

My uncle had one of these in the early 1960's. As a five year old, I was always excited to have a ride in it. It seemed very rapid to me, and made a nice sound. I too remember the vacuum operated wipers, which almost stopped when going uphill, but went berserk downhill!

[@kevinbartram5302]

it was our job as front seat passengers to reach under the dash and operate the connecting rod for the wipers to make them go faster. There were 2 mods for those wipers first a reserve vacuum tank could be fitted and second one was an electric up grade I think from the 105E Anglia.

[@bobbyblue1953]

Good review, I used to drive cars like these all the time in the 70's, nobody wanted them back then, for me this was the golden age of motoring with the only exception being the rust problems cars of this era had

[@idriveaclassic]

Well yeah. Cars now, the everyday cars I mean, are just boring.

[@kaa522]

Greeting from the US, for a short time these Fords were imported to the US. Around 1967 while I was in High School I found a fairly worn out 1958 Zephyr left hand drive When I bought the car it had a broken piston in the engine, after extensive searches we managed to locate a new piston a full ring set and a set of rod bearings they cost a Kings Ransom. At age 17 I repaired the engine and got it running. The car was fun to drive but plagued with electrical problems and the transmission leaked very badly at the output shaft. Finding a new seal for the transmission turned out to be a real challenge. I only owned the car for about six months before trading it for a 1958 Plymouth Belvedere with the 318 cu in engine and 2 speed Powerflite automatic transmission. We had a neighbor that owned a Zodiac with an automatic transmission for many years

[@emjayay]

The outside door handles are much more graceful than the chunky American Ford ones. The steering wheel is really beautiful - the wire style spokes would not be seen in any postwar American car, and the center and horn ring are really beautifully designed. We never had the turn signal controls like this and other period British cars, but 1920's cars had a spark advance control like that.

[@RichieRouge206]

What an appealing car - I’ve never really taken much notice of them to be honest - but glad I did! Great review as always Steph

[@Simon-nc6gq]

You've fallen in love again Steph ;-) Great review as always. What a great old car, I'm glad this one is being saved and kept as living history, so few left.

[@idriveaclassic]

Oh god yeah. Andy will take great care of her

[@AllThingsAlex]

Loving this Steph. Great review as usual. Keep up the good work! x

[@rushy0157]

Great review! My grandfather owned a mk2 Ford consul in the 1960s, he sold it after a few years because of engine trouble but the guy he sold it to was a mechanic, he fixed the car and had it on the road for many years after! Unfortunately it's probably been scrapped by now but it was a great family car in its time

[@rogerpritchard]

My father Dennis Pritchard had a two tone one. Really interesting to find out what all the various switches etc do. I'm writing a history of all my father's cars, and your videos greatly help. Thanks Steff!

[@nagaraworkshop]

Another lovely video! Friends of my parents used to take me to school in a Zephyr Estate and I remember the wipers were terrible and in rainy weather the drive was incredibly slow because the wipers were so slow and there was little visibility. Other friends had a finned Zodiac that seemed a step in the wrong direction in terms of design but everything worked really well.

[@rogerpritchard]

Brilliant British car, well built and designed. One of the best classic cars of the time. Very rare today. My father who was in the RAF had one. Great review. 👍👍

[@graemeburr6463]

Good review Steph. They made these in NZ abut 3km away from me. I always wanted one when I was young but my father said it was a "bodgies" (like a Teddy boy) car and that "I would kill myself in it". The Mark 1 to 3's were really popular here. I now own a 48 Ford V8 coupe that was assembled at the same factory it has the exact column shifter the Zephyr has, Ford UK having borrowed them from the 41 to 48 US Fords. You do your homework well on the cars you test and I appreciate it when you mention that the cars were also assembled in NZ. Your sparkly personality adds to the interest too.

[@martinihrck2704]

Hello Steph. It's a great car, my dad had one when I was very small. Always loved then worked on a few.

[@Voxel-Ux]

I have just discovered your channel, woohoo! Instant subscribe! Really enjoyed your review of this Zephyr. Your insight into its history and motoring of that era was so cool! Thanks! Looking forward to your other vids.

[@idriveaclassic]

Aww thanks

[@andreaduncan1042]

Great video as per usual. Never really got into the blue oval, but really enjoyed this. Thank you.

[@idriveaclassic]

Cheers Andrea! Not usually my bag but been offered some great Fords lately

[@ianallan44]

Another informative film , really like your presentation style , look forward to each new one coming out , keep it up steph ! X😊

[@idriveaclassic]

Cheers Ian!

[@leopoldonotarianni8663]

She does an excellent job Entertaining and informative. With a jovial twist . She is great

[@jamesdavey853]

I saw you at Cadwell Park that day!! I was too busy watching the Classic Touring cars and Minis but I should’ve came and said hello. Love your videos Steph, keep them coming!

[@idriveaclassic]

Aww you should’ve said hi!

[@Daddysboys75]

Amazing video...what a lovely classic ford! Thanks Steph 😎👌x

[@idriveaclassic]

Cheers Allan

[@michaeltreadwell777]

My Dad had the Zodiac version of this - Cream over Green - 455 AML. He drove it all the way home to High Barnet, from Kew Gardens, without a clutch, as the slave cylinder packed up. Lovely old car and so comfy. My Dad went on to own all the Zodiac ranges, then Granadas. Brillint video as usual Steph - keep them coming :-)

[@kennyscott1089]

Lovely cars for sure. Plenty in Australia in the day. I had a Mk2 and a Mk3 a long time ago. Thanks Steph. Great video as usual.

[@idriveaclassic]

Cheers Kenny!!!

[@luckybear8283]

What a wonderful, proper car! And vid! I remember when very young back in the late 70s (5 or 6 years old) sitting in the drivers seat of my uncle's (even then) rusted up Triumph (especially the footwell) 😅 but the steering wheel was sooo thin - and I really loved that thinness, especially the bare metal. Funny what stands out in your mind when looking back. Thanks for making and sharing this video 👍🏼

[@leopoldonotarianni8663]

I've just purchased a 1958 Ford Zephyr 6 Mark II highline. Hoping for a Mark I and Mark III soon. Excellent work presentation of the Mark One EOTTA Ford Zephyr. A very significant car in English motoring history. The first mass produced car in the world to have McPherson Strut Front Suspension. Other features were OHV, One piece curved windscreen, hydraulic clutch and Ball joint front end, all these things were yet to go on the equivalent year (1951-52-53) US Fords.... They are as you have acknowledged, a very nice car to drive considering its vintage. Fantastic presentation Steph. Proud of you. Your passion and dedication to classic motoring is truly brilliant.

[@fatbudgiekillen8997]

hi Steph, I always enjoy your presentations. I have often thought the style of this car to be smooth and stylish. Only ever managed to drive a 63 zephyr in Australia. Love to get my hands on one of these.

[@jamesgibson5606]

Thanks as always for a superb video Steph, I much prefer the older models to recent cars.

[@idriveaclassic]

Cheers!

[@glenjarnold]

Lovely car! And great video as per Steph!

[@kerrykelaher2607]

" my uncle had one close to new " when he drove he had. " a big smile on his face !" ( i liked that car ) 😊

[@richardhaywoodh]

Thank you for explaining all the controls including the '5 stars', I am sure I remember my Dad's Mk1 Cortina 1200 Deluxe Estate having '5 stars' on the steering wheel centre.

[@stevewaller9346]

Really enjoyable video Steph with a special memory for me. I have a photo taken when I was 2 year old and you can just see the back of my dad's Zephyr. Stay safe and look after yourself.

[@idriveaclassic]

You too S Steve!

[@peterbourne5926]

Great video. Thanks very much. I have subscribed and am about to watch the ford Corsair video. Pete 🇬🇧

[@nervo6321]

Great vid...i have fell in love with this Zephyr

[@tonycox5625]

Great vid Steph. One of my brother in law's had all four versions of the Zodiac,he used to buy them when they were a couple of years old and very low mileage. Lovely cars. And we've just got our 1968 3.3 Ventora back in the family after 20 years , YAY!!😁😁

[@routmaster38]

I had a nice blue Ventora that looked great but ate gearboxes.I changed three in short time under guarantee and the supplier reckoned that they were too flimpsy even for that modestly powered straight six engine.

[@tonycox5625]

@@routmaster38 Ours is an automatic and has never had any gearbox problems. Apparently it's the only completely original one left, never been resprayed or welded and has a unique interior which I didn't realise when I first owned it. 😊

[@andyfield7397]

Great channel, Steph, lovely car in beautiful original looking condition (small amount of rust/scratches) I remember the convertibles. By the way, saw one of those Commer camper vans in blue last Thursday - looked great !

[@idriveaclassic]

Cheers Andy!

[@weaton25]

Love your little videos although being older I can remember back in the mid sixties I nearly bought a 1950s ford zephyr in the end I went for a Vauxhall Cresta much the same size loved that car I think it was a 1956 model the problem with all cars in the 50s 60s and 70s was rust in just 5 years rust holes would appear in odd places I sold so many cars when the started to rust welding not simple like it is today it was gas welding that would warp the metal.

[@simonworman7898]

yeah every thing got to be airtex which was a joke as it was a brand of underwear

[@aeomaster32]

The clean smooth lines of the first generation of this line of cars was actually more modern than the later versions. No tail fins, no pointy headlights, but all just nicely rounded, and more like the cars which came half a century later. A sis seater with fantastic visibility. I would love to have one of these with modern running gear discretely out of sight.

[@frglee]

When I was a kid in the early 60s, the neighbour had one. He was a pilot and was very proud of this car. One thing I remember when taken for a ride in it was that I slid around on the bench seats every time we went round a corner. But it seemed very big, fast and luxurious compared with my Dad's Standard 10.

[@idriveaclassic]

Hahahaha yeah I love a bench seat

[@patwebber1059]

Keep coming back to this, lovely car

[@eadonone]

Thanks for mentioning the zepher in New Zealand the mk 1 where the 3 graces the zepher was iconic in NZ from mk1 to mk 4

[@69Phuket]

You mean Iconic? ;/

[@eadonone]

@@69Phuket yes fixed now

[@69Phuket]

@@eadonone Lovely jumbly... Can you fix that? '/ I despair at predictive text.

[@idriveaclassic]

Beautiful cars

[@replevideo6096]

@@69Phuket Re your question about fixing a typo in a comment after posting it, the answer is yes. Go to the right side of your comment and a line of 3 dots will appear. Click on them and a menu will open with an option to edit. Click on edit and you can then change anything in your comment you want to. Naturally it only works on your own comments when you are signed in. You can't edit other peoples comments.

[@martinevans1256]

Great review as always x

[@idriveaclassic]

Cheers Martin!

[@janstephenson7688]

Adore the Zephyr Six. My Dad had one & I was brought home in it from the hospital when I was born. The first word I said was car and it wasn't long before I was saying 'my Zephyr' beautiful car. Would love to have one & so glad this one is being restored.

[@pauldavies6037]

Another great car and video I hope young people are watching these old cars may not have the gimmicks and gadgets of new ones but were nice to drive I love the steering column change and handbrake really classy

[@idriveaclassic]

I bloody hate new cars.

[@dongardner9189]

as a fella Steph,it's always good to hear that "size doesn't matter" great vid as always

[@idriveaclassic]

Hahaha. Cheeky.

[@ByteGuy]

Nice video Steph I love these old fords, note at 1:24 a classic mini drives past.

[@idriveaclassic]

Indeed. We were at Cadwell!

[@MalcOfLincoln]

In 1967 I helped a garage owner build a large 'go kart' out a scrap one of these. We built it well in only 2 weeks. It was for his young son, as it had a starter button. A bucket seat from Butlins lol. Two sets of pedals so we could drive it. This was around the orchard at the back of Ulceby Cross garage. I drove it the most, and one night, naughtily I drove it on the road the mile and back on the A158 Skegness road. It was a real handful, and he followed in a 105 Anglia to light the way. When we got back he said he was doing 70mph and couldn't keep up.

[@idriveaclassic]

That’s amazing.

[@garrysimpson4791]

Omg my grandad had one in the same colour when I was a kid alas it was scrapped before I was old enough to drive this brings back so many memories keep the vids coming

[@idriveaclassic]

Thanks Garry

[@garrysimpson4791]

It would be good to meet up at some point in going to the knavesmire at York Sunday a large classic car show

[@malcolmgreenway8486]

Hi Steph lovely car great video love the column change

[@idriveaclassic]

Cheers Malcolm

[@danieleregoli812]

Great review!!! Well done! Isn't it surprising how "refreshing" and immediate vintage cars are? Contemporary cars feel so cumbersome and bulky!

[@idriveaclassic]

I have the luxury of not having to drive a modern car 😂😂😂

[@allanmollison6971]

Thanks for the NZ shout-out 🙂👍

[@kevinwhelan8126]

Delightful car, many thanks Steph 😀

[@peterhayward1848]

Even I don't remember these models new I did work on, drive and MOT a few. Interesting video.

[@johndengler4595]

In the states, that gear shift is called, three on the tree!

[@davidskeeterskeeter1835]

I just loved this,,so much I subscribed 😀😀😂👍👏🏻🇬🇧

[@idriveaclassic]

Cheers David

[@24th1879]

Wow, another trip down nostalgia lane, I remember when I was about six or seven back in the early 60's an uncle of mine had Ford Zephyr exactly the same colour as this one. Watching the video of the interior I can almost smell that old car interior leather smell...

[@dukenukem5768]

A lot of cars of that era were that colour. My theory is that there was a lot of surplus Battleship Grey, Army Khaki and Airforce Blue paint left over from the war. The car makers bought the lot, mixed them all together, and this is what resulted LoL !

[@TheQuirkyGarage1999]

All his British cars of 50s and 60s remind me old matchbox , I collect them ,but mine are from the 70s-80s

[@69Phuket]

They're pretty peculiar and venture out on high days and holidays.. Still rare on the roads.. My mum crushed all my Matchbox cars with her high heels.

[@williamhumberhawk8187]

Hi Steph, this is brilliant. Getting into cars that I love. Last week I wondered if you would do a Zephyr and now you have. I have a 1969 Mk IV Zodiac. I like all Zephyrs and Zodiacs, and the Consols.

[@glenjarnold]

My dad had a black Zodiac Executive Mk IV in the 70s, it was the best in the street and us kids we thought we were royalty!

[@idriveaclassic]

Sorry I couldn’t tell you before I went live. Like some mystery to what’s coming next 😂

[@williamhumberhawk8187]

idriveaclassic I like some mystery too.

[@drwho534]

Wow, a car born the same year I was 😄 that makes me a 'classic'! 😳

[@idriveaclassic]

I was born in the 80s and cars my age are classics too 😩

[@hideouslyugly]

My cars reliable, easy to live with, looks good, and cheap...a bit like me.

[@steffanhoffmann8937]

@@idriveaclassic True. Especially Ford. Lol

[@roxannlegg750]

How lovely to see! And yeah youre right, parts are so so very hard to find. Try the Australian second hand market, there tend to be a few Zephyr clubs here. My hubbie is a BMC guy - with his life long absession with his Austin 1800, and we are part of the Morris Minor club here where we are. I grew up with Zephyr and Zodiacs - (as well as Model A's and other vintage cars) my father restored too many of them. I just cant wait until I finally get one one day. Until then I suppose I will have to suffer thru with my 1949 Rover P3. Absolute tragedy.😅

[@stephenhall3515]

Excellent video. Have subscribed.

[@craigey1289]

Another great review Steph. Mk1 Zephyr. Advanced car for its year featuring monocoque chassis construction and Macpherson strut front suspension as you mentioned. The Zephyr was mid range between the smaller cheaper Consul and the slightly more expensive Zodiac. Clever marketing from Ford and as you pointed out part of their 5 star motoring. Notice no blue oval 🤔 this was Ford trying a slightly different ploy in distinguishing it as a British brand as separate to its US counterpart. What did you think to the smooth straight six and 3speed box.....different 🤔No seat belts either or MOT required😆 Looking forward to your next review pet.

[@idriveaclassic]

I just loved it. I’d happily get a 50s car.

[@mickdavid1]

wish we could have seen you changing gear ..i have driven one many years ago great car

[@idriveaclassic]

Sorry I tried to show it at the beginning

[@ronfisher2-railwaytravelvideos]

That takes me back! My Dad had one of those and I learnt to drive in it.

[@barryphillips7327]

The Ford Consul was the 4 cylinder car, the Zephyr was next 6 cylinder, then there was the Zodiac which was a little more comfortable, better power ( 6 cylinder ) i could be wrong but was my understanding of it.The Mk3 Zephyr here in NZ was a firm horn car 🤣🤣 Apparently Humber 80 floor shift was not too difficult to fit??????????? The waiting list for new cars was largely due to WW 1&2 factories were building parts for tanks planes etc instead of cars. Tisk tisk Step ''donuts'' are really BAD for figure!!!! 🤣Naughty girl.

[@gregatkinson5929]

Zephyr's were a big thing here in NZ. Became very popular with the young hoon's. Lowered, wide wheels, Impala floor shift's, louvered bonnet's, cams's, freeflow exhaust's and the sway bars. Big aerial's with flags. Also we had a number of Convertables. The ZODIAC was a big deal. Then there was all the talk of the Famous Raymond Mays special performance head. I nearly owend a MK-1 but bought a 65 Triumph T Bird instead, eventually I had a mk-2 57 model. Z Cars

[@markhealey9409]

Lovely car! The detail is amazing! 😍😍

[@plinkbottle]

I've been in one of these a long time ago. The dash layout is really quite unique

[@emjayay]

The rounded more distant dashboard with the projecting instrument pod is very modern for the time, particularly for a British car. The idea showed up on some American cars - never Fords but some Mercurys and Lincolns.

[@zephyrzodiac09]

Nice video & test drive. Very complimentary of one of my favourites! No real problem getting mechanical parts in New Zealand, obviously not from Ford but from other enthusiast suppliers (like Enford) both NOS, S/H or replacement (non-OEM) parts. Body parts are more difficult (S/H only), but really only required if you have an unfortunate accident! The NZ Ford Company monthly house magazine (Newzeaford News) had a great coverage of the Queen's visit (on 11th January 1954) with a special 15 page (mainly photos) souvenir issue (February 1954) covering her tour of the Ford Seaview plant in Wellington. Also the May 1953 issue had her photo on the front cover announcing her forthcoming visit . Unfortunately, I can't see a way to upload a cover of the cover to this message. Keep up the good work.

[@idriveaclassic]

It’s so different over here for many reasons including salty roads killing off cars, scrappage schemes and the fact in this era many of our cars were exported. A weird time.

[@johncoleiro3043]

Awesome video :)

[@eddiebrown59]

Very well done good to see their is still interest in these cars from the younger generations. You can borrow my MK111 Zodiac anytime, seriously Ed.

[@idriveaclassic]

Hey Ed! Please drop me an email to arrange

[@plunkervillerr1529]

Love those 0rridginal leather seats ,You could not believe how well LEXAL boot and saddle restorer will recover their finish . Studebaker Kary NH USA 1-08-20

[@martinf4103]

Wow Steph your so lucky and I’m so envious

[@idriveaclassic]

Honestly I never take it for granted how lucky I am to be out in these beautiful cars

[@petehall889]

Dad had a black Zephyr Six in the mid-50s. A great family car!

[@geoffgillies2700]

My Dad had one in the same launch colour - aged between 8 and 12 I felt very grand occasionally being dropped of at school in a "posh" car. Remember a scary morning with my Dad driving us to a garage with all the doors removed for rust repair and repainting. The wipers cleared the screen at a variable pace depending how fast we were going.

[@howardstephenson2889]

That brings back memories. In 1958 I acquired my driver's licence in my father's Ford Zephyr Six Mk1. With its heavy steering, three-speed gearbox , bench seats, rolly-polly handling etc. I wouldn't swap it with a modern car. And let's not forget those dreadful vacuum windscreen wipers that stopped working whenever the accelerator pedal was depressed. It was, however, reasonably comfortable and, because of its light body weight and willing engine, seemed quite powerful.

[@idriveaclassic]

Hahahaha it didn’t rain so we couldn’t test

[@johnsbox]

Lovely Steph. Your use of English was ingenious like 'to poodle round' which was my favourite one. Well done and you're storming ahead with subscriptions. Where is the Lan..ster Ins.....nce ad btw? ;-) Love Ya

[@idriveaclassic]

Hey John! Lancaster have sponsored us to drive Mary for the year not the whole channel so any time you see Mary you see the Lancaster advert. Amazing company and made our motoring this summer a reality and not just a ‘hopefully when...’

[@johnsbox]

@@idriveaclassic Thanks for the explanation ;-)

[@proberts8]

My uncle had one of these. They had pneumatic powered windscreen wipers that almost stopped when the engine was working hard, and then went like crazy when the car had stopped. Bizarre!

[@leonotarianni7733]

Steph is a fantastic presenter

[@seancooke4127]

Proper Motoring in a proper Motor with a real skilled Lady Motorist.

[@domenicgaldo6290]

My dad had a Zodiac (mkII, I think) from the early sixties. 3 gear column shift and 6 cylinder like this zephyr. It was two tone, Red over white with bench seat interior. Very nice car. Not many Mercedes, BMW´s or Audi´s, back in the 60´s.

[@marknelson5929]

Hi another great film. If you like 1950s cars you should get your hands on a Rover P4, they came in a variety of engine sizes, but I'm real sure you'd really like it!

[@idriveaclassic]

I’m trying my best x

[@melvynthompson5886]

That was real quality!!

[@Victor-DOOM]

Ford's where brilliant until the mid to late 1990s. Another great video

[@idriveaclassic]

I’m a bit fussier, my ford preference stops at the early 80s marker.

[@gooieboerseun]

I was born on the last day of 59' in Cape Town South Africa... I remember all the old English cars so well....

[@LouisSantos-vu4kr]

When I was a hid in Portugal, one of my friends grandfather had the consul in minty green,with the shade piece over the windscreen it had red and white plaid upholstery.

[@idriveaclassic]

Aww lovely

[@hairymonster2000]

We used to have a 1952 2 tone blue consul with red carpets, sun visor and driving lamps no less lol.

[@collinhunter9792]

we used to have a white Consul. no idea wat year, but i remember it from 65 onwards. gees memories

[@replevideo6096]

I had a friend who had a Mk.1 Zephyr. One night we decided to go into town to get a Chinese take-away. The road had a Bailie bridge over an old bridge which could no longer take the weight of traffic. On the way back my friend took the bridge at 70 mph, resulting in the car flying through the air for about 200 yards. My cousin who sat in the back holding 2 large plastic containers of Chinese soup, ended up soaked in hot soup when the car landed, and the lids flew off the soup. I should add my friend had some experience in stunt driving and banger racing, and I think that was not the first time he took the bridge like that, but he didn't warn us beforehand. This happened around 1970-ish.

[@neilhall676]

I haven’t seen one of these for a long time. I used to live in Sunderland in the early sixties and one of these used to be always parked about half a mile away. Even when we moved 6 miles away still used to see it in the mid seventies. I wonder if it’s still there. Best place to get interior and body panels is to go to Aus and NZ, lots of oldie World scrappies there. The owner wants to sort the corrosion out, most probably is a lot worse behind . Great video though.

[@petemoring67]

My first car was a '1948 Morris8' ... (I bought it for £5- in 1967) .... if you ever get to drive one, that'll be an interesting review ;-) Always loved the Mk1 Consul/Zephyr/Zodiacs .... always found the back axles had a bit of a drone though....... My absolute favourites were the Mk2's :-)

[@Replevideo]

It was a wonderful car, but I preferred the Mk2 and Mk3 Zephyrs which were larger and more spacious. I had a Mk2 Zephyr 6, and a Mk3 Zephyr 4.

[@dukenukem5768]

Not mentioned @3:58 on the left of the pedals is the headlamp dip switch. That position was ideal - you kept your left foot resting on it and just twitched it a bit to dip or un-dip. I used to drive long journeys at night to/from the West Country (pre-motorway) in a Vauxhall for hours like that.

[@jonhermannsson9231]

Nice video. Unique car Practical

[@josephmifsud8261]

A great car. The Pet Shop Boys used one in their musical movie It Couldn't Happen Here and the single Always On My Mind