12/5/2023 0 Comments 1962 ford thunderbird console lid![]() ![]() The Consul Classic was also mechanically similar to the Anglia, and used slightly larger 1340 cc and, from 1962, 1498 cc, variants of the Ford Kent Engine. At 21 cubic feet, this was 15% larger than the Zodiac MK2 and had obvious advantages for business use. The boot or trunk capacity was exceptionally large, with a side-stowed spare-wheel well, and more importantly, the huge high-lift sprung lid allowed a great variety of loads to be both contemplated and packed. Several of the car's features, unusual at the time, have subsequently become mainstream such as the headlight flasher ("found on many Continental cars") and the variable speed windscreen wipers. Single or two-tone paint schemes were offered. There was a choice of floor-mounted or column-mounted gear change. Inside, the separate front seats and rear bench had a standard covering of PVC but leather was available as an option. In fact, from the windows down the body design was a scaled-down version of Ford's large, US Ford Galaxie. With quad headlamps and different frontal treatment it was longer, wider and so heavier than the Anglia. This feature was imported from the 1958 Lincoln Continental where it was necessitated by the design requirement for an opening ("breezeway") rear window. The Ford Classic was similar in appearance to the more popular Ford Anglia, featuring the same distinctive reverse-rake rear window. Ford therefore entered the 1960s with the small Anglia, Popular and Prefect, the big " three graces" (Consul, Zephyr and Zodiac) launched back in 1956, and not the mid-size market Classic. In practice the run-away early success of the Anglia (1959 on) used up most of the car manufacturing capacity at Dagenham, vindicating the decision to compete against the BMC Mini (the Halewood plant did not open until 1963). Other aspects of R&D followed, and it is likely that a recognisably similar car could have been introduced in 1959 subject to different senior management decisions. The main styling cues came straight from Dearborn (Michigan) as they often did, defining the car as a scaled-down Galaxie 500, from the waist down, topped with a Lincoln Continental roofline. The styling exercises were mainly undertaken in 1956 under Colin Neale. The Classic was made by Ford to be "suitable for the golf club car park", and was originally intended for introduction earlier and deletion later than actually occurred. ![]() Those codes also distinguish the gearboxes and steering components which are not greasable on later cars, so cutting first-user servicing costs.ĭespite all these codes the cars all looked the same throughout production 1961–1963, the visual distinctions being the number of doors, the trim & equipment level between Standard and De Luxe and the choice of colours.įord Consul Classic 2-door Ford Consul Classic 4-door The Classic (and related Consul Capri) had the right-hand-drive and home market Ford code of 109E (but 110E if L.H.D.) for 1961–1962 models with 1340cc engines, or 116E (but 117E for L.H.D.) for 1962–63 manufacture with 1500cc engines. Obvious competitor models at the time included the Hillman Minx and Singer Gazelle from Rootes Group. It is sometimes referred to as the Ford 109E, though that was only one of four such codes utilized for the Consul Classic, as explained below. ![]() Steering and suspension also received "greased for life" joints. ![]() The 1,340 cc (82 cu in) four-cylinder pre-crossflow Kent engine was replaced in August 1962 by an over-square 1,498 cc (91.4 cu in) engine with a new five-bearing crankshaft and a new gearbox with synchromesh on all four forward ratios. The Ford Consul Capri was a 2-door coupé version of the Classic, and was available from 1961 until 1964. The name Ford Consul 315 was used for export markets. It was available in two or four door saloon form, in Standard or De Luxe versions, and with floor or column gearshift. The Ford Consul Classic is a mid-sized car that was launched in May 1961 and built by Ford UK from 1961 to 1963. ![]()
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