Argumentative Essay On Tarted-Up Family Cars

In 1950, Ford took the wraps off a range of cars that were nothing less than revolutionary. Billed as five-star cars on account of the quintet of areas in which they pushed the boundaries, the Mk1 Consul, Zephyr and Zodiac packed independent front suspension, oversquare overhead-valve engines and monocoque construction – all firsts for the Blue Oval. As if that wasn’t enough, there were also 12-volt electrics and hydraulic brakes all round, making these family cars more usable than anything that had ever come out of Dagenham before.
Fast forward several decades and this whole range of cars is still stylish, practical and surprisingly usable, while also being some of the most affordable classics around. If you’re looking for a catch, there isn’t
Packed with character, they also offer a reasonable turn of speed and surprisingly good dynamics, yet they’re eminently affordable.
As with all such family cars though, low values mean good examples can be hard to find, and there are plenty of cars out there which have had more money spent on cosmetics than mechanicals. As a result you need to be especially vigilant for tarted-up cars, which are commonplace. However, there are some cracking examples too, especially six-cylinder editions which tend to be more frequently cherished than their four-cylinder equivalents.
Predictably, the posher the car, the more sought after it is. So six-cylinder cars are more sought after than the four-pot Consul while the convertible is far more collectible (and hence more valuable) than the four-door saloons. Buyers tend to want Zodiacs over Zephyrs in the case of the saloon, but there was never a Zodiac convertible Mk1 offered, which is why the pick of the bunch overall is a drop-top Zephyr Six.

Tech spec
Zodiac
Engine
It’s not a strong transmission, with jumping out of second and third gears par for the course.
• Clutches are weak and hard to find, with pressure plates especially scarce. New six-cylinder parts are extinct, with used bits seriously rare. Used Consul bits are marginally more plentiful and they’ll fit six-cylinder cars, but they’ll fail almost immediately.
• Differentials are strong, unless allowed to run dry. Replacements are hard to find and there aren’t many parts left for rebuilds. Half shafts can also be weak, especially on six-pot cars. Decent used bits are readily available however, and replacing a half shaft isn’t tricky.
• Make sure the steering is light and precise, with no more than an inch and a half of play at the steering wheel. Stiff spots mean the box has been overtightened to adjust out the play – which may have damaged it beyond repair. Reconditioned steering boxes are available though.
• If the steering is uniformly stiff, it’s because the MacPherson strut top bearings have partially seized; a twanging noise as the wheel is turned between locks will confirm this. You can also lift the bonnet and see if the rubber cap is in place on top of the strut; if it’s not there, water will have got in; replacement bearings aren’t