From Dave S – I’m in the UK (south west London) and enjoy your Newsletters and the latest finds. I do a bit of this myself and attached are some photos of my latest find – a 1953 Ford Zephyr Six. I got it at an auction where it had been consigned as part of an estate sale. It’s pretty much original apart from the clunky after market indicators, which have to go. Apart from a couple of tatty areas on the body, it’s also really straight and solid with original paint and interior just needing a good cleaning.
It has been off the road since 2007 and before that, for quite a long period too. The odometer is showing 74,500 miles which is likely to be correct based on the overall condition and low ownership history (I’m the third owner). My pal, Guy, already has it running and the plan is to recommission and preserve, not restore. It took 62 years to look this good, why would you want to change that? Hope you guys like it.
We always love to see what cars you guys are pulling home and I want to personally thank Dave for sharing his Ford with us! It looks like he found a great project that he could actually drive while he works on it. I hope he keeps us updated on his progress, so we can follow along!
Great find, Dave! I really like the stylish steering wheel center/horn push–very graceful looking.
more photos including motor please. looks like it will be a fun driver. looks like a manual transmission, i see 3 pedals, with the gear shift located where? is the white car also yours? thanks for sharing.
Hi Jim,
Engine shot attached – apologies for the quality but all these images were shot when I viewed the car before the auction. No, the white car isn’t mine; it’s a Reliant Scimitar which also sold (very cheaply) at the same auction.
thanks very much.
Great Find – looks a lot like our 49/50 Ford Sedan here in the States. I wonder – is it a lot smaller than ours? Perhaps a picture with a person included beside the car? Do you know what size/displacement the engine is?
Great car! The interior looks about perfect. I would beg to differ on the indicators though…. They certainly aren’t overly large and should add a bit of safety in modern bumper to bumper traffic in and around London (where you need all the help you can get!).
Three speed tranny on the tree. Displacement 2262cc.
Greetings All,
Most Fords and Vauxhall/GM were scaled down versions, not sure if anything was shared across the sea.
This was a large car for the era. This was probably the equivalent of buying a Jaguar. Most Fords were 4 cylinder and petrol was expensive.
I believe this was the same engine that my Dad’s 2nd AC, an Aceca had after the Bristol? or BMW pushrod six was phased out.
Very interesting – thanks Ross / Gazzer
Hi all,
Thanks for the comments. Yep, it’s very much a scaled down 49-51 Ford sedan. 6 cylinder, 3 speed manual. Quite rare to find largely original versions in the UK now due to rust – we’re reimporting them back from sunnier climes, including the U.S, Australia and New Zealand.
Yes, Ross, I think this was the engine AC used (or possibly the larger 2553cc unit from the Mk2 Zephyr).
Re the indicators, early Minis had dual-filiment white front indicators that would fit and do the job and motorcycles have rear circular red/amber led jobs that could do the rear https://www.vintagecarparts.co.uk/parts_index/rear-lamp . One question – the reg 4619 H , if it was H 4619 it could be a plate transfer but I’ve never seen a single letter at the end of a UK reg. ?
Hi Bren,
Thanks for the contact details. Re the registration number, it is the original. The ‘H’ suffix originates from Middlesex and it is unusual to see a single letter plate.
Dave
Carl B and I agree that there’s a lot of the ’50s Ford in this one BUT for a minute I was confused by the grill. Damn if it doesn’t also copy the Aston Martin grills of that era.