I think the MkIV Zephyr/Zodiac is my all-time favourite Ford.
As a kid in the mid ’70s there were still loads around. In fact MkIVs were a weirdly common sight on the roads, given how unsuccessful the model was supposed to have been.
A lot of the Zephyr V4s (single headlights) were mini cabs, and owning a caravan was seemingly a prerequisite for driving one of the V6 versions as there were few other big, affordable six-pot cars around to do the job.
The boxy, long-nose/short-tail styling was as American inspired as its tail-finned predecessor but, to its credit, the MkIV was roomier, quite a lot faster (104mph) and only marginally heavier than the MkIII, which really had its technical roots in the first ‘shoebox’ Zephyrs and Zodiacs of the early 1950s.
Ford laid on a lavish press launch in Tunisia for the MkIV, which rather blinded hacks to the cars’ shortcomings.
But it could not be denied that with its four-wheel disc brakes and the famous Essex V6 it was an impressive car, and it that represented value for money compared to both the established Humber Super Snipe/Austin Westminster 3-litre competition, and the modern 2-litre executive cars from Rover and Triumph.
