Mk2 Consul USA Model
There are six members of the English Ford family
(Popular, Anglia, Prefect, Consul, Zephyr, and Zodiac), and none bears any
resemblance to its American cousin fortunately. While Dearborn actually boasts
of a product "over 17 feet long", Dagenham sensibly offers (in the
Consul) an overall length of (14ft 4.5in) that can be conveniently contained in
the average home garage and street parking space. There is a look about the new
grille on the Consul II that remotely suggests a Thunderbird but similarity
ends there. Far from being "longer, lower, wider," the Consul's
moderate dimensions are, nonetheless, more than adequate to handle the transportation
needs of a reasonably prolific family on all occasions short of moving-van
duty. Although its overall height is only 2.1in. more than a U.S. Ford (59.3
vs, 57.2), the seat-to-roof space is 41 in. in front and 36.5 in back, and the
transmission/driveshaft tunnel, which has turned many a 1957 U.S. hardtop into
virtually a four-seater as far as leg room is concerned, obtrudes negligibly in
the Consul. Six people really can ride in the car, and a six-footer plus can
drive with plenty of head room which is an almost forgotten luxury in this
country. True, the car will not rumble off from 0 to 60 in ten seconds, but
neither will it consume gas at the rate of 15 mpg which is almost double that
of the Consul.
Our Consul test car was supplied by Bob Knapp Motors of
Pasadena and was finished in black with light plastic upholstery. Viewed from
the outside, the car is pleasantly free of superfluous ornament, has well
balanced contours, and is shaped in a body style popular in Detroit recently.
The Consul shares its unit-frame body shell with the more expensive Zephyr and
Zodiac, but has fewer frills and a four (instead of six ) cylinder engine All
four doors open wide for easy entrance and exit, and from any position inside
the car there is excellent all-around visibility. A wide, curved rear window
and high rear fenders which define the corners of the body combine to
facilitate backing and parking; the driver, in fact, has a reassuring feeling
at the wheel of the Consul that he can gauge the physical limits of his car with
a good deal of precision. The interior is fairly conventional as to layout and
materials, and front and rear seats are comfortably wide at 54 and 55.5 inches
respectively. In our test car there were a good many loose ends and "Irish
pennants" visible throughout the interior, as if the upholsterers had
finished up in a hurry, and there were also more rattles than might be expected
in a new car, but judging from other models inspected, neither criticism seems
to be characteristic.
Driver controls are conveniently located, with pendant
brake and clutch pedals and a mildly "dished" steering wheel that is
situated a little too close to the legs for easy exit-and entrance movement. As
one of several good safety features, the emergency brake is mounted under the
dash at the right of the steering column where it could be reached if necessary
by a passenger, The windshield is gently curved across the middle, more sharply
curved near the ends, and in the latter portions there is the inevitable
distortion which makes trees curtsy and fences dip when travelling along the
highway; the flaw is minor compared to most U.S. "wraparound"
however. The hood slopes down between the front fenders permitting a good view
of the road directly in front of the car, and absence of any hood ornament
gives a smooth, "customised" look to the front end. At the rear a
counterbalanced lid swings up to reveal 20 cu. ft of trunk space with the spare
mounted vertically on the right. Behind the hinged license plate bracket is
where the gas goes in.
Under the hood is a sturdy ohv four displacing 1702cc
(103.9 cu in) and developing 59 BHP at 4200 rpm. Power is transmitted via an 8
in., single-dry-plate clutch and 3-speed gearbox with the two top gears
synchronised. Although Ford has certainly not conceived of the Consul as a
"performer", it does well enough under the stopwatch to give a
feeling of security in American traffic, Our standing quarter and 0-60 mph
times were within the same half-second, which means that a Consul owner isn't
going to beat any domestic product at the stoplight, but on the other hand he
won't be trampled in the rush. Our top speed of just under 80 mph was a long
time in coming, but maintaining 70 for highway cruising is no problem. It
should be mentioned, however, that, characteristic of its breed, the 4-cyl.
engine is not notable for smoothness or quietness under pressure. It actually
has a laboured sound when pushed hard, even though a piston speed of 2500
vet./min. is just barely obtainable in top gear on a level road.
Perhaps the most winning quality of the Ford Consul
for anyone who cares how a car handles is its high degree of controllability
and obedience over a wide range of road surfaces. There is some understeer on
corners, but body roll is moderate and the suspension (coils with anti-roll bar
in front, semi-elliptics in rear) firm enough to avoid wallow at higher speeds.
With a light load, some may feel the suspension is a little too firm, since at
speeds under 35-40 mph minor shocks (but not major) are transmitted to
occupants, but for a 4-door family sedan the ride compromise seems to have far
more on the credit than the debit side. The same can be said for the steering:
3.2 turns lock-to-lock combined with a turning diameter of 32 ft. (8 ft shorter
than Dearborn's Ford) gives just the right ease of manoeuvrability for a 2500
lb. car. Special mention should be given the brakes which with a total lining
area of 147 sq. in., required less than average pedal pressure and showed good
resistance to fade. Like most British brakes, however, they were by no means
quiet at low speed. especially when inching along in traffic.
We also believe that of the British Ford line, the
Consul represents the most for the money in matching economy of cost and
maintenance against space and performance. And as an added and by no means
insignificant-attraction, British Fords are serviceable at selected Ford
dealers in this country and use the new international size nuts and bolts, thus
rendering innocuous that all-to-familiar bogey that has plagued so many
imported car owners who live or travel away from the coastal metropolises.