{"id":248,"date":"2012-06-24T11:21:52","date_gmt":"2012-06-24T10:21:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fccoc.org.uk\/?page_id=248"},"modified":"2024-02-24T14:07:26","modified_gmt":"2024-02-24T14:07:26","slug":"history-consul-classic-315","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.fccoc.org.uk\/fr\/history\/history-consul-classic-315\/","title":{"rendered":"Consul Classic 315"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ford Classic<\/strong><\/p>\n

The\u00a0Ford Consul Classic\u00a0or ‘Consul 315’ (as the export version was known) was a mid-sized car built by\u00a0Ford\u00a0in the UK from 1961 to 1963. Available with two or four doors, in Standard or De Luxe versions, with floor or column gearshift. It is commonly referred to as the Ford 109E, though four such codes are possible as explained below. Obvious competitor models at the time included the\u00a0Hillman Minx\u00a0and\u00a0Singer Gazelle\u00a0from\u00a0Rootes Group.<\/p>\n

The Classic (and related Consul Capri) had the Right Hand Drive and home market Ford code of 109E (but 110E if L.H.D.) for 1961\u20131962 models with 1340cc engines, or 116E (but 117E for L.H.D.) for 1962\u20131963 manufacture with 1500cc engines. Those codes also distinguish the gearboxes and steering components which are not greasable on later cars, so cutting first-user servicing costs. Despite all these codes the cars all looked the same throughout production 1961\u20131963, the visual distinctions being the number of doors, the trim & equipment level between Standard and De Luxe and their exciting choice of colours.[edit]Ford Classic model codes<\/p>\n

Concept and Development<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Classic was a quality model by Ford “suitable for the golf club car park” originally intended for introduction earlier and deletion later than actually occurred. The styling exercises were mainly undertaken in 1956 under Colin Neale. The main styling cues came straight from Dearborn, as they so often did, defining the car as a scaled down Galaxie 500, from the waist down, topped with a Lincoln Continental roofline. Other aspects of R&D followed, and it is likely a recognisably similar car could have been introduced in 1959 subject to different senior management decisions. In practice the run-away early success of Anglia (1959 on) used up most of the car manufacturing capacity at\u00a0Dagenham\u00a0vindicating the decision to compete against the BMC Mini. (The Halewood plant did not open until 1963.) Ford therefore entered the 1960s with the small Anglia, Popular and Prefect, the big “three graces” launched back in 1956, and NOT the mid-size market Classic.<\/p>\n

Description<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Ford Classic was similar in appearance to the more popular\u00a0Ford Anglia, featuring the same distinctive reverse-rake rear window. This feature was imported from the 1958\u00a0Lincoln Continental\u00a0where it was necessitated by the design requirement for an opening (breezway) rear window. With quad headlamps and different frontal treatment it was longer, wider and so heavier than the Anglia. In fact, from the windows down the body design was a scaled down version of Ford’s huge, US\u00a0Ford Galaxie. Inside, the separate front seats and rear bench had a standard covering of PVC but leather was available as an option. There was a choice of floor-mounted or column-mounted gear change. Single or two-tone paint schemes were offered. Several of the car’s features, unusual at the time, have subsequently become mainstream such as the headlight flasher (“found on many Continental cars”) and the variable speed windscreen wipers.\u00a0The boot or trunk capacity was exceptionally large, with a side-stowed spare-wheel well, and more important, the huge high-lift sprung lid allowed a great variety of loads to be both contemplated and packed. At 21 cubic feet, this was 15% larger than Zodiac mk2 and had obvious advantages for business use.<\/p>\n

The Consul Classic was also mechanically similar to the Anglia, and used slightly larger 1340\u00a0cc and from 1962 1498\u00a0cc variants of the\u00a0Ford Kent Engine. The car had front 9.5\u00a0in (241\u00a0mm) disc brakes and was fitted with a four-speed gearbox: early cars provided synchromesh on the top three ratios, while the arrival of the 1498\u00a0cc version coincided with the provision of synchromesh on all forward gears.\u00a0<\/span>Suspension was independent at the front using Macpherson strut units and at the rear the live axle used semi elliptic leaf springs. A contemporary road tester was impressed, noting that “probably the most impressive thing about the Classic is its road holding”.<\/p>\n

Performance<\/strong><\/p>\n

A car tested by\u00a0The Motor\u00a0magazine in 1961 had a top speed of 78.4\u00a0mph (126.2\u00a0km\/h) and could accelerate from 0-60\u00a0mph (97\u00a0km\/h) in 22.5 seconds. A fuel consumption of 35.8\u00a0miles per imperial gallon (7.89\u00a0L\/100\u00a0km; 29.8\u00a0mpg-US<\/small><\/sub>) was recorded. The test car was a 4-door deluxe version costing \u00a3801 including taxes,\u00a0<\/span>but the sticker price on a two-door standard Classic with the same engine was just \u00a3745 including taxes.<\/p>\n

Replacement<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Consul Classic was replaced in 1963 by the\u00a0Ford Corsair. Only 111,225 Classics and 18,716 Capris were produced (Including 2002 ‘GT’ Versions). These are small numbers by Ford standards, and probably indicative of the public not taking to the controversial styling.<\/p>\n

Kenyan estate conversions<\/strong><\/p>\n

Seventeen station wagon (estate) conversions were carried out by Ford Dealership ‘Hughes Limited’ of Nairobi, Kenya based on the two-door model. One of these vehicles made it over to the UK in 1964 and survives to this day in the South-East of England although it has not been used on the road since 2005.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Manufacturer<\/th>\nFord of Britain<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Production<\/th>\n1961\u20131963
\n111,225 made.[1]<\/sup><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Body style<\/th>\n4-door and 2-door\u00a0saloon<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Engine<\/th>\n1.3 or 1.5 L\u00a0Straight-4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Wheelbase<\/th>\n99\u00a0in (2,515\u00a0mm)\u00a0[2]<\/sup><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Length<\/th>\n170.75\u00a0in (4,337\u00a0mm)[2]<\/sup><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Width<\/th>\n65\u00a0in (1,651\u00a0mm)\u00a0[2]<\/sup><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Height<\/th>\n56\u00a0in (1,422\u00a0mm)\u00a0[2]<\/sup><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Curb weight<\/th>\n2070 pounds (940 kg)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Article reproduced with permission from Wikepedia with acknowledgment of the authors of the Wikipedia article – https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ford_Consul_Classic<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ford Classic The\u00a0Ford Consul Classic\u00a0or ‘Consul 315’ (as the export version was known) was a mid-sized car built by\u00a0Ford\u00a0in the UK from 1961 to … Lire la suite<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":253,"menu_order":10,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"kt_blocks_editor_width":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-248","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nConsul Classic 315 - Ford Classic and Capri Owners Club (1961-64)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The owners club for the Ford Consul Classic & Consul Capri models produced from 1961 \u2013 1964\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fccoc.org.uk\/fr\/history\/history-consul-classic-315\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_FR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Consul Classic 315 - 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