Curbside Classic Jr: The 1955 Ford Mini Me – 1956 Ford Consul Mk II

Paul Niedermeyer
by Paul Niedermeyer

Too many Cubside Classics shot, not enough time to write about them extensively. So we’ll call it CC Jr.: heavy on the pics, light on the text.

The great import boom of the fifties involved everything from Europe; from Abarth to Zagato. And the Big Three got in on the act too, selling their European subsidiaries’ wares. The Opel Rekord sold particularly well, and they used to be easy to find, in California, anyway. And English Fords were mainly the smaller Anglia and the later Cortinas. But here’s a rare bird, a Consul, looking very much like a scaled down ’55 Ford.

The Consul was the four cylinder low-end version of the Zephyr, a gaudier and six-cylinder saloon, and related to the Zodiac (above) . Ford’s biggest offering in the UK.

The Zephyr and Zodiac would have been too expensive and competed unsuccessfully against the domestic big Fords, but the Consul filled the gap at the bottom until the Falcon arrived in 1960.

The Consul had a 1703 cc OHV four that generated 59 hp. According to a test by Motor, it had a top speed of 79 mph, and took 23 seconds for the 0-60 amble. Not too bad, actually, especially compared to the VW in the fifties. It’s not clear whether the column shifter now had four gears or still three; possibly either or.

More new Curbside Classics here

Paul Niedermeyer
Paul Niedermeyer

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  • Jeffer Jeffer on Oct 25, 2010

    I don't believe the car pictured is a '56. I believe the MK2 was introduced in 1957 and that the large tail lights on the pictured model make it a 1959 or newer.

  • Bryce Bryce on Oct 18, 2011

    Tail lights say 60/61 lowline body

  • Lorenzo Heh. The major powers, military or economic, set up these regulators for the smaller countries - the big guys do what they want, and always have. Are the Chinese that unaware?
  • Lorenzo The original 4-Runner, by its very name, promised something different in the future. What happened?
  • Lorenzo At my age, excitement is dangerous. one thing to note: the older models being displayed are more stylish than their current versions, and the old Subaru Forester looks more utilitarian than the current version. I thought the annual model change was dead.
  • Lorenzo Well, it was never an off-roader, much less a military vehicle, so let the people with too much money play make believe.
  • EBFlex The best gift would have been a huge bonfire of all the fak mustangs in inventory and shutting down the factory that makes them.Heck, nobody would even have to risk life and limb starting the fire, just park em close together and wait for the super environmentally friendly EV fire to commence.
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