Graeme from Ruby Bay has taken 46 years to finally become the owner of a 1955 MkI Ford Zephyr. Graeme, a semi-retired plumber, says a MkI Zephyr has been on his wishlist since started his apprenticeship on $4 /2 shillings at Cambridge freezing works in 1964 where he saw older friends earning $11/10shillings driving theire MkIs.
In the 1960s the MKI seemed to attract the ‘Bodgies’, a group Elvis Presley lookalikes with greased hair who were seen hanging around milk bars listening to rock & roll. I remember MkI Zephyrs cruising up the Strand in Whakatane full of ‘Bodgies’ all smoking hanging out of the windows whistling to the girls. They liked the MkI for the big engine and exhaust noise. Graeme recalls , for a lot of young men of the day who pushed their MkIs too far and it became the death of them. Now days they are called ‘Boy Racers’ and nothing has changed.
The car body appears compact at 4.368m long and 1.765m wide making it a medium size car today but in its heyday it was billed as a big car. The bonnet is rolled with its signature spreadeagle bird mascot and guards raised from the bonnet and then down with a conservative roll under the door sills. Front grille scrolled again – just a little chrome to be interesting but not loud like American cars of the 50s. Sides have a nice chrome strip midway with stars moulded in at the front for a little treat. The back has a nice and tight ‘holding your cheeks together’ look about it with a decent sized piece of chromed number plate cover / boot opener all inclusive. The back wheel arch slightly covers the top of the tyre to hint at trendy wheel spats. Hot MkIs always had back wheel spats and the big ariel on the front guard with the triangular flags. Tyres 175 x 70 x 13 as you can no longer buy 640 x 13 cross ply tyres. Graeme’s car has a few extras for 1955 – a heater, twin horns, headlight shades, sun visor, twin mirrors on the guards and chrome wheel trims making his MKI a cut above the rest.
Inside this car its roomy with plenty of leg room but three burger eating Aucklanders would not fit across the seats. It feels spacious in the MK1 as the car is not cluttered with consoles, heater tunnels and having to provide under dash space for all the bells and whistles. A nice open parcel tray right across the front under the pressed steel dash .
Speedo, temperature and fuel all in a raised console right up under the thin bakelite steering wheel. The large diameter steering with half moon horn ring and centre indicator lever is required for turning as it was “powers steering? What’s that?’ in 1955. This has a luxury extra in 1955 – a heater just below the parcel tray and a dip switch type on/off for the single speed wiper now up graded from vacuum to electric.
A 2.6-litre MkII engine has been fitted to the car with custom free-flow exhaust manifold with a single barrel Zenith carburettor. Along with the three-speed gearbox and diff’ the 6-cylinder engine produces 68hp and can manage 0-50mph (80kph) in 14 seconds. The top speed is 130kph and it’ll run 23.7 mpg or 11.9 per/100k m.
I looked up Zephyr in two dictionaries and has a meaning of a ‘mild wind, west’. I suppose you will get mild wind so to speak if you stood road side when a MkI passed by. I plugged ‘Zephyr ‘in Google and yes the Ford Motor Company in 2004 revived the Zephyr as Model for their luxury Lincoln cars in USA.
As a child my Dad had Ford Prefects, Consuls and one day he came home in a new Zephyr. Well you should have seen us kids when the green and white MkII turned up the drive. Later I learnt to drive in the MkIII when that arrived, but Dad never made it to a Zodiac. Most New Zealanders will remember an occasion with a Zephyr. Wayne Coster tells me there was a MkV designed with a V8 but never went to production after the with troubles in the Mk IV.
Graeme took me for a drive the car had good positive acceleration in first gear and a nice lazy change into second gear to avoid clashing the synchros, up to 40mph before dropping in to top and there it stayed. No problems getting up the Bluff hill then a slow change to second to go round the hard left at the top and then back into top. There is no stress driving this car; everything takes a little time , making time to talk and watch the world go by. The column change in the narrow MkI leaves space and elbow room and I was tempted to wind the window down and hang my elbow out but, hey, I’m 59 now.
Graeme just likes to drive it when feels like it or let it sit in garage to remind him of the past . The car has been noticed in the Mapua village and we know you will look after it. The MkI Zephyr, a nice bit of NZ working class history when cars were very special.
Fred Cassin
