HIGHLIGHTS
- Charming styling
- Straight-six engine
- Low ownership
- Fabulous period interior
THE APPEAL
American styling right here in the UK in 1956. The Ford Zephyr Zodiac captured 50’s styling to a tee, with its bench seats, curvy body, two-tone paint scheme, and plenty of chrome. All of this was done on a small scale to suit British roads, yet still capable of seating six people. They were also ahead of the game in the chassis department. With their unitary construction and MacPherson front suspension, they set the base for many more models to leave the Dagenham factory.
This superb example is in lovely condition, and from reading the article in the owners club magazine, a previous keeper restored it around 30 years ago. The condition is excellent, and it certainly looks to have stood the test of time since the restoration. It appears to have had very little use over the past few years, which is the reason for the sale.
THE HISTORY AND PAPERWORK
- V5 is present
- UK Registered 10th February 1956
- Manufactured November/December 1955
- Original owner’s manual present
- Looking at the MOT history, approximately 90 miles have been covered since 2012
- Four previous keepers
- Several editions of Five Stars Zephyr Zodiac Mark One Owners Club magazines are included
THE INTERIOR
- Inside the Zephyr presents extremely well
- The blue and white seats are in excellent condition for the year and are believed to be the originals
- Door cards are also in excellent order on each door
- The dashboard is painted to match the top half of the exterior and is free from any damage
- Instruments and gauges are reported to be working correctly, and the odometer has a reading of 1,385 miles
- The steering wheel is thought to be the original and is in good condition, with just a small amount of tarnishing to the chrome
- There are some additional toggle switches fitted for the spotlights
- The heater controls have a small amount of age-related wear
- Headlining is in good order with no signs of sagging
- The roof-mounted clock is not working. This has not been investigated, but it is thought it may be a power issue because the interior light is also not working
- Blue carpets finish off the interior and are in excellent condition
- Inside the boot has matching carpets which are also superb
- The spare wheel and wheel brace are present
THE EXTERIOR
- Finished in what is thought to be a similar colour to the original, Colonial White over Peacock Blue
- The paintwork presents very well. There are a few small chips in places and a small amount of blistering around one headlight, which hasn’t broken through the paint
- The bodywork is in superb condition with no dings or dents
- Looking around the car, the shut lines are equal for the doors, bonnet and boot
- The windows are excellent, with very few marks, and the seals are in good order with no signs of perishing apart from to the quarter window seals, which do have a small amount
- The brightwork all around the car is excellent and shows no real signs of tarnishing
- The grille is nice and straight, with no kinks in any of the bars
- There is no damage to the headlights, spotlights, indicators or rear light lenses
- Zodiac and Zephyr badges are in excellent condition
- The wheels are excellent, finished in body colour with a chrome hubcap and trim
- The whitewall tyres have a good amount of tread remaining
THE MECHANICS
- 2.3 litre straight six
- Three-speed manual gearbox
- The Zodiac starts up first time from cold without hesitation
- There are no issues reported with the running of the car
- The vendor reports the gear change to be smooth, and the car pulls well through the gears
- Various parts have been fitted in the past two years, which include:
- Ignition coil
- Distributor cap
- HT leads
- Spark plugs
- Engine mountings
- Gearbox mount
- Speedo drive gear
- Various bushes
- Brake pipes
- The underside looks to be in good order, with no areas of concern
- No knocks or bangs are said to be coming from either corner of the car
- The brakes bring the Zodiac to a halt as well as you would expect
SUMMARY
This is a fantastic opportunity to own a 1950’s classic with all the charm of 50’s America but on a more manageable scale suited to Britsh roads. This 1956 example has been well cherished since the restoration 30 years ago, as you can see from the condition inside and out.
An absolute pleasure to drive, it is comfortable with fantastic looks and powered by a 2.3 litre straight–six engine. Enough to keep you entertained on a summer's day out for a casual drive, or sitting in a show field attracting a lot of attention.