SCZZEC Magazine March 2003

More accident reports from Norwich Union

Q: Do you engage in motorcycling, hunting or any other pastimes of a hazardous nature?
A: I watch the Lottery Show and listen to Terry Wogan.

�I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law and headed over the embankment.�

�A pedestrian hit me and went under my car.�

�In an attempt to kill a fly I drove into a telephone pole.�

�To avoid hitting the bumper of the car in front I struck the pedestrian.�

�An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my car and vanished.�

The time is sure flying by, with the April convention just next month. It will be great to catch up with friends and to see the cars out on the runs over Easter.
Our club had a run in February, with members enjoying marvellous weather and scenery during our trip to Lake Tekapo, Mt Cook, Twizel, Omarama and the lakes.
I would urge members to take advantage of these organised runs and to get your cars out and enjoy driving them.
It is always a "head turn" to see all the Marks out on the road. During the last run, we had many New Zealanders and tourists admiring and photographing our cars.

When it came to planning a replacement for the Mk II Consul/Zephyr/Zodiac range, Ford decided to move appreciably upmarket. First design thoughts - by Colin Neale (designer of the Mk II range) and visiting American stylist Elwood Engel - were rejected and Ford sought outside help from Frua of Turin. But the Frua design, too, was found wanting and the final form of the Mk III range took shape under the leadership of Dagenham�s newly-appointed chief designer Roy Brown. Canadian-born, Brown�s best-known prior design had been the disastrous 1958 Edsel.

During the weekend of 15 and 16 February, we would have had one of the best runs that I can recall, with spectacular weather and scenery.
We left Timaru on Saturday via the SPCA to deliver our excited dog to his holiday park accommodation.
Members had arranged to meet in Lake Tekapo for lunch, so we were surprised to see Malcolm Stewart and Dave Harkness with their heads under Dave�s Mk11 bonnet � nothing serious, just a leaking fuel pipe - and with Dave�s expertise and a selection of spanners, this was fixed.

While travelling through Kimbell, we spotted an antique shop, so back we went for a look (and purchase).
As we came over the hill into Tekapo, we were greeted with a spectacular view of the aqua-coloured lake. We parked the cars and sat and had lunch looking out over the lake to the mountains, which had a dusting of snow on them.
A tourist bus was parked close to us and there was a lot of interest in the cars and photographs taken � I think it must bring back memories for a lot of people.
Leaving Tekapo, we travelled in Marks, with Malcolm and Christine leading in their Mk1 convertible followed by Dave and Maryann in their Mk11 convertible, Bob and Anne and their English friends, Laurie and Jo in their Mk111 Zodiac, Reg and Margaret in their Mk111 Zephyr, and Laurie and Colleen in their Mk111 Zephyr.

At Mt Cook, Maryann told us of a great photo spot on the way back to Twizel, so with skilful parking, we got some good photos of the cars � all of us except Malcolm and Christine, who went straight past the spot � must have been photo shy, as we found them parked at the Glentanner Station later.
In Twizel we met at the Combined Services Club for drinks and a meal and later some of us had a pleasant walk around town in the warm evening.

Bob and Anne Stevens

The views over Lake Pukaki to Mt Cook were marvellous, as it was so clear with no wind and the lake was like a mirror.
We spent some time in the village and parked in a picnic spot with views to Mt Cook. Some members sampled latt�s in the caf�, while the rest managed to empty their thermos flasks.
It was at this point that we realised that Reg and Margaret were having trouble with a lack of DC voltage under the Mk111 bonnet. The giveaway was the umbilical leads coming from Laurie�s Mk111 to Reg�s battery!! No problem though and Reg assured me that there was a new battery in Temuka � that was after we all took part in Reg�s fitness programme � pushing a Mk111 Zephyr!!

On Sunday we all met at the petrol station (of course) and decided to have a free morning and meet up at Omarama.
After picking up lunch, we left Omarama and travelled down to Otematata and across the Benmore Dam to a picnic spot near Waitangi, where we had lunch under some willow trees.
We all agreed that this was one of the most laid-back runs we have had and look forward to more of the same.

After lunch we all made our own way back to Timaru. On our trip home, we visited a fruit farm just outside Kurow then on to Ikawai where we stopped at a small caf� for tea and scones. After such a successful weekend, we may have to make this an annual trip.

Some of the elements of the Frua design - the roofline and rear quarters - were evident in the final version of the top-of-the-range Zodiac, which for the first time became a unique model and was the first of the new range to be announced, in a launch programme spread over a fortnight - which guaranteed the new big Fords star billing in three consecutive issues of the motoring weeklies.
The Zodiac was a six-light saloon and the first 100mph car to be catalogued by Dagenham, the increased performance due to a redesigned, higher-compression cylinder head and dual exhaust system (which by itself added 5.5bhp).

With its mouth-organ grille incorporating quad headlamps, and more pronounced rear fins, the Zodiac looked bigger than its predecessor but was in fact almost exactly the same in overall dimensions; paradoxically, indeed, interior space was less generous due to the greater rake of the windscreen and a substantially lower roofline, and there were complaints about the lack of legroom in the back seats.
However, there was more room from side to side due to the use of curved side windows, another feature taken from the Frua concept.

A major breakthrough was a four-speed all-synchromesh gearbox, the first such transmission to be used on a large Ford car (though the retention of a steering column gearshift was perhaps not so satisfactory); Borg-Warner manual overdrive or three-speed �no-maintenance fluid-drive automatic transmission� were available at extra cost.

Two-speed electric windscreen wipers were another happy break with Ford tradition and screenwashers were standard on the Zodiac. The recirculating ball steering was of the new variable ratio type, lower-geared towards the extremities of lock to reduce parking effort. Another innovation was the use of zero-torque door locks, which could be closed without slamming. The foam rubber seats were trimmed with Cirrus 500 PVC or Bedford cord with the option of hide trim.

Two weeks after the Zodiac, Ford unveiled the Zephyr 4 (which replaced the Mk II Consul) and the Zephyr 6 (replacing the Mk II Zephyr). Though they were basically the same mechanically as the more expensive model, they were four-light saloons with differently shaped rear door windows and a less steeply raked backlight, which was also less curved than that of the Zodiac.

The Zephyrs also had simpler curved grilles and twin headlamps; the Zephyr 4 had a narrower one-piece grille with the lamps on either side; the Zephyr 6 had a two-piece grill which extended to take in the lamp housings.
There were fewer changes to the power units than on the Zodiac, though reciprocating parts were stronger and performance was noticeably brisker despite a slight increase in all-up weight. Standard trim was two-tone vinyl or �Saranweave�, with hide trim available as an option.
On the eve of the October 1962 Motor Show came a substantial modification to the bodywork to provide a couple of inches� extra rear seat legroom; this involved major modifications to the floor pan, rear bulkhead and wheel arches plus a 1.75in increase in rear track which involved new halfshafts and axle casing.
At the same time the interior trim of the Zephyr 4 was brought up to Zephyr 6 standard, with simulated wood fascia, horn ring and improved door trim.

Estate car conversions by Abbott of Farnham were also announced at the 1962 Motor Show and were available from mid November; though the conversion had attractive lines, demand was low and only 4350 Mk III estates were built; all versions used the Zodiac body-shell because of its thin �C� pillar.
The Mk III estate was a more thorough conversion than the two previous models, with a counterbalanced lift-up tailgate moulded from glass fibre and fitted with torsion-bar counterbalancing.

The Zephyr 4 and 6 had the same tail trim while the Zodiac had four horizontal trim strips across the back panel and a full-width wraparound bumper. The same rear window as on the saloon versions was used.
At the same time, Hooper Motor Services announced a luxury treatment of the Zodiac along similar lines to their Capri conversion.
A 14-coat cellulose paint job was allied to a complete retrim in Connolly hide and deep pile carpets, plus a new polished veneer dash incorporating all the original instruments. The big stumbling block was the price of the basic car! Among the optional extras was a glass division.
At the 1963 Motor Show, improvements to the interior trim of the two Zephyrs were announced and all models now had simulated American walnut grain dashboards.
More importantly, a floor gearshift was now available. Detail improvements to mechanical and trim details continued.

Then in January 1965 a new top-of-the-range Zodiac model was introduced which added a new word to the traditional Ford model designation lexicon: �Executive�.
The Zodiac Executive had such items as push-button Motorola radio, twin auxiliary lamps, seat belts, twin wing mirrors, locking petrol cap, high-output 30A dynamo and under-bonnet lamp as standard; trim was in black crushed hide and there was a choice of five colours, two the new acrylic metallic shades.
Autocar complained of the Executive�s �choppy ride� and still found the rear legroom �cramped�, but concluded that while the Executive�s performance and comfort were a little disappointing, �nonetheless it provides bulk and roominess with a prestige image somewhat above the ordinary run of the mill�.
During the currency of the Mk III range, it received regular prime-time TV coverage as the �starring� vehicle in the popular BBC-TV police series Z Cars.

Produced
Zephyr 4/6 January 1962-January 1966
Zodiac December 1961-January 1966
Mk III estate cars introduced November 1962

Zephyr 4 1962-66 SPECIFICATION
Engine in-line 1703cc four cylinder ohv
Bore x stroke 82.55x78.5mm
Maximum power 68bhp @ 4800rpm
Transmission four speed manual/optional overdrive or three speed automatic
Chassis pressed steel monocoque
Suspension independent MacPherson strut front/semi-elliptic rear
Brakes four wheel hydraulic; front discs/rear drums
Bodywork four door saloon, estate car
Length 180.5in (4585mm)
Track 53in (1346mm)
Wheelbase 107in (2718mm)
Maximum speed (approx) 84mph (135kph)
Total production 106,810 (Saloon BU80,972, BU export 11,488, KD 13,625; Estate BU663, BU export 62)

Zephyr 6 1962-66 Specification as above except:
Engine in-line 2553cc six cylinder ohv
Maximum power 98bhp @ 4750rpm
Maximum speed (approx) 95mph (153kph)
Total production 107,380 (saloon BU 43,512, BU export 15,891, KD 46,005; Estate BU 1632, BU export 340)

Zodiac 1961-66 Specification as above except:
Maximum power 109bhp @ 4800rpm
Maximum speed (approx) 103mph (166kph)
Total production (including Executive) 77,709 (Saloon BU 51,997, Bu export 11,899, KD 12,160; Estate BU 1576, BU export 77)