Explaining the Ford Consul Nameplate
It is 1945. World War Two has just ended. Britain is the victor. But it doesn’t feel like it, because the cost of fighting the war has bankrupted Britain. The United States steps in to loan Britain millions of dollars just to survive. Now Britain must repay that loan to the Americans.
As a means to control the economy, the British government nationalises the railways, health care and the iron and steel industry. If Britain’s carmakers want to be supplied with the iron and steel necessary to build new cars, the government insists the majority of their production must be exported so as to earn foreign currency, to repay the national debt.
Sir Patrick Hennessy, the new head of Ford of England, wrote in April 1948 to Detroit saying that “They [the government officials] tell us what to do, what to make, when to make it and what to do with it when we have made it. If we do not do what they want, we do not get the materials.”
New car design had been put on hold during the war years and the race was now on to amongst carmakers to be the first out with an all-new model. Pages 106 to 109 of the Ford in New Zealand book “Driving Ahead” describes the challenges facing the motor companies of Britain, America and Canada at this time. The first post-war car from Ford in America was the Ford Custom V8 “Fortyniner” (known as the “Single Spinner” in New Zealand and Australia). It was a revolutionary model, with slab sides giving it a modern, almost futuristic appearance. Under its skin Ford had finally dispensed with much of the old Ford technology, except for the side-valve engine.
The following year, Ford of England displayed their first postwar model, and it looked remarkably like a downsized American “Fortyniner”. But technically, it was even more advanced than the American car! This was the Ford Consul (Ford of England designation EOTA) and soon to be followed by its larger sister, the Ford Zephyr Six (EOTTA). Following the changes the British government had made to the horsepower tax regulations, gone from the Consul and Zephyr were side-valve engines – these cars had newly-designed overhead valve, oversquare motors, which ensured a lively performance out on the roads. Other features included unitary body construction, entirely new front suspension, hydraulic clutch and brake systems and centre-slung seating - five key points making the Consul and Zephyr Six the "Five Star Cars".
The Consul and the Zephyr were identical in construction from the firewall back, and most of the mechanical parts would be shared between the two. The six-cylinder Zephyr had a longer nose than the four-cylinder Consul, to accommodate the longer engine, and the grille treatment was different.
But there was nothing in common in the origin of the names for the two new models The Zephyr Six name was taken from Ford’s prewar Lincoln Zephyr V-12, and was chosen to exude excitement at a bleak time. The Consul title was a new creation – as the name suggests, these cars were to act as hard-working, loyal British consuls, representing Britain and earning valuable and badly needed foreign exchange the world over.
So, off to work they went. A massive 231,000 examples of the Mark One Consul were produced, plus 175,000 Zephyrs (including its Zodiac derivative). It was a huge success story.
The first iteration of Consul (and Zephyr) was replaced in 1956 with the larger Mark Two versions (Consul shown above). Again the Consul bonnet was shorter than the Zephyr 6, but otherwise the two were again identical from the firewall back. The capacity of their engines was increased, and, having a wider cabin, they were true six-seaters.
And now one would've thought Ford's product planners would begin work on the next iteration of Consul and Zephyr? It was not to be, because word got out that BMC was planning a revolutionary update of their small car range, with front-wheel drive. So small and compact was this car that it would be released as the Mini Minor. To answer the threat from BMC, the planners at Ford of Britain (as it was now known) decided to put on hold the new Prefect, due for release in 1959, and instead advanced the new Anglia, being the smaller and lighter car, to compete against the BMC Mini. The Mini, and new Anglia (designated 105E) were both released in 1959.
Suddenly the demands upon the car-makers intensified. To compete against the Mini and, indeed, against their own cousins at Ford of Germany, Ford of Britain now needed a much lighter car than that developed as the new Prefect! Indeed, they really had to go back to the drawing board and start all over. But, there was no time to lose.
The all-new mid-size car model would have to meet Ford’s own strict new requirement for lightness, without sacrificing strength. Urgent work got under way to produce the new model, code-named “Archbishop”.
In the meantime, to carry matters over for Ford with a small four-door car, the life of the very dated 100E Prefect was extended by giving it the overhead valve 105E Anglia engine and a subtle facelift. Once that car was available to the market, the engineers dusted off the dies and moulds for the new Prefect in preparation for what would now be an interim model only. But, it doesn't rain, but it pours. There was another complication...
The next model Zephyr 6 and Consul, the Mark Three, was due for release in 1962. This time, the two models would share the same body - for this round, and even though it still had the shorter engine, the new Consul would not have a shorter front. This was a major departure from the Mark One and Mark Two models. Aside from the grill treatment, the bodies of the six and four-cylinder cars would be identical - and the Consul name would be dropped. The four-cylinder car would become the Zephyr 4.
So, when the new Prefect was finally released for the 1961 model year, gone was the name Prefect. Instead this was the Consul Classic 315 (pictured below). The reason for choosing the Consul moniker over the Prefect name is uncertain, but Ford's intent was for the Consul 315 (as it was known in New Zealand) to fill the gap left in the large car bracket by the name swap of the known car to Zephyr 4. The Consul had earned a reputation as a mid-size, solid and reliable car - and perhaps Ford was reminding the market of those qualities when they added the suffix "Classic".
Meanwhile, all stops had been pulled in order to prioritise the "Archbishop". Given the crash programme used to develop this all new car it is surprising how few blocks hindered its progress to production. With great fanfare, on 21 September, 1962 the “Archbishop” was given a simultaneous global release - but, being the first country to see a new day, New Zealand was the first to see the exciting new car from Ford! The name? This was the Consul Cortina. As a good consul, it was again expected to represent Ford of Britain all over the world – and it would go on to do exactly that! Within two years the Consul prefix was forgotten - the new car was simply the Cortina, and Cortina would go on to be the most popular car ever built by Ford in Britain.
Above:
Top left is an early Cortina - the name across the bonnet is Consul; in the facelift for the 1965 model year, the bonnet name (inset) became Cortina.
Top right shows a Consul Corsair, which was released following the end of production of the Consul Classic 315. This would soon become known also simply as the Corsair.
The lower illustrations are of the Mark Three Zephyr - the four and six cylinder versions were now that same size, and the two were distinguished by different grille treatments.
Ford New Zealand did not import the Consul Corsair for local assembly, as there was simply not a place for it in our relatively small market, which was adequately served by the existing Ford range. However, a number did arrive in New Zealand as private imports and under the "No Remittance" scheme. (See pages 131 to 133 of the Ford in New Zealand "Driving Ahead" book for a full explanation of that scheme.)
Meanwhile, when the Consul prefix was dropped from the Corsair model name, the Consul title disappeared.
But, it did make a brief comeback in 1972....
That is when it was resurrected for the model that replaced the Mark Four iteration of the Zephyr and Zodiac range. Possibly because the Z-car name and reputation had been muddied by the problems that had plagued the Mark IV, alternative names were selected. As with the Zephyr, there were two models, sharing the same body. The V6 powered car was also plusher - and it was to be known as the Granada. The lesser Pinto-engine model, fitted with fewer refinements, was released as the Consul. But the Consul name only lived on until 1975, when the lesser car also became known as Granada. The Consul name was killed off. Long live the Consul.
Note: Because of Britain's entry into the EEC, and New Zealand's closer economic ties with Australia - and not mentioning unfavourable exchange rates deeming British products uncompetitive - Ford New Zealand did not import the Granada and new Consul. Falcon and Cortina was all we needed.