Meet The Owner – Roger Hagan and his Ford Zephyr 6 Mk. IV

Roger is the proud owner of a very Ford – one that represented a swansong for a particular design ethos at Dagenham. Between 1950 and 1972, the name Zephyr denoted ‘Scaled Down Americana’ for thousands of motorists, and the Hagan example is one of the last to depart the factory.

Furthermore, it is a prime example of the Big Ford ‘au naturelle’. The more expensive Zodiac and Executive Mk. IV were far less commonly sighted than the Zephyr 6, and Roger’s example has the key elements familiar to countless fleet buyers. There is the steering column gear lever for the four-speed transmission, the vast bench front seat, and the dummy radiator grille that always puts this writer in mind of the 1970 series of Z-Cars.

The Mk. IV range debuted in 1966, and its lines were in marked contrast to the outgoing Mk. III. If its predecessor still harked back to the 1950s with its canted tail fins, the latest Zephyr and Zodiac looked as brutalist as a new shopping centre or London office block. It also featured all-independent suspension and all-disc brakes.

A further departure from the Mk. III was the IV’s V-engines – 2.0-Litre V4 for the very underpowered Zephyr 4, 2.5-litre V6 for the Zephyr 6, and 3.0-litre V6 ‘Essex’ for the Zodiac and the Executive. The 1970 brochure described how the Zephyr 4 and 6 De Luxe came with luxuries beyond the dreams of the owners of the standard models – a floor gear lever, separate front seats, and a centre console.

Roger’s Zephyr left the Dagenham works in 1971, making it one of the final versions before the Consul/Granada replaced it in 1972. By then, a standard V6 model was £1,285 compared with its nearest rival, the Vauxhall Cresta PC at £1,462. There were no other options for the motorist who wanted a Detroit-style six-cylinder saloon, as neither British Leyland nor Chrysler UK offered such a car.

Successive fuel crises, neglect, and the ravages of age have made Roger’s Zephyr a very rare sight. He recently acquired it from a gentleman who was no longer able to drive on health grounds, and has made several improvements to return his Zephyr 6 to its original state:

I have changed the boot badge from ‘Zephyr De Luxe’ to ‘Zephyr’, removed the bumper over riders, and installed a correct rear seat that has been re-covered to match the front. My winter jobs include the front and rear screens, which are letting rain in, and the front glass will be replaced with a better one, as the existing one has some bad scratches.  I will also fill the underside with Lanoguard and the Zephyr now has yellow and white number plates as these would be period correct in 1972.

In addition, Roger has also installed a towbar to carry a friend’s mobility scooter and his fleet of chopper bikes - he owns some 27!

As a young motorist, Roger drove a Zephyr, and his latest acquisition evokes memories for many Britons of a mature age, from the front centre armrest that provides lateral support to the static seatbelts. “The long bonnet glides limousine like through the traffic”, claimed Ford, and a Zephyr 6 Mk. IV is a car with a definite presence.

Roger observes: “Before we added the ‘F O R D’ letters to the bonnet I did hear someone tell his friend it was a Lincoln Zephyr, and I didn't correct him!”. His plans for the Zephyr include the installation of “a correct looking battery”. His goal -” It is going to look like it just left the showroom”.

We look forward to hearing more of Roger’s Zephyr, for, although he would modestly deny it, it is quite a remarkable car. And in the meantime, here is the sales film designed to make you instantly head to your nearest Ford dealership.