Road Test 2076 Ford Zephyr V6

FORD (in this country, at least) are not a company to make changes purely for the sake of change. A new Ford model, therefore, is a new car which warrants the fullest treatment we can give it and this issue contains drawings and technical information on all details of the new Mark IV saloons, except its per-formance on the road; that is the purpose of this test..

We chose what we considered to be potentially the most popular version of the new range, a Zephyr 6 with floor-change manual gearbox and bucket front seats. With its close-to-Cl,000 price tag all in, this is the Ford that most firms would choose for their junior executives and for family men with a lot to carry.
It is one of the largest cars, size for price, available today.

The Zephyr 6 has a 2.5 litre version of the new vee-6 engine with bore and stroke identical with those of the 1700 V4 Corsair. It develops 112 b.h.p. net at 4,750 r.p.m., which is 14 b.h.p. more than the previous Zephyr in-line six and 3 b.h.p. more than the previous Zodiac. Maximum torque is practically the same as the old Zodiac's with 137-5 lb.ft. at 3,000 r.p.m.

The new car has put on a bit of weight - it is larger overall-and turns the scales at 258 cwt ready for the road, about 4 cwt heavier than the last Zephyr 6 we tested almost exactly two years ago on 10 April 1964. Bearing these figures in mind, one might expect the new car to perform about as well as a Mark III Zodiac, but it is difficult to verify this because we have only tested the automatic versions in recent years.
Compared with the previous Executive Zodiac, the new Mark IV Zephyr is much more sprightly. From rest, 60 m.p.h. is reached sec earlier in 14.6 sec and 80 m.p.h. comes up 3 2 sec sooner in 28.7 sec.
Maximum speed was a regular 96 mph. mean for several laps of the M.I.R.A. banked circuit with 102 registered on our electric fifth-wheel speedometer over the most favourable quarter-mile.

In its performance characteristics the new engine feels much like that of the 2-litre V4 Corsair GT we tested recently.
There is a lot of bottom-end punch, and although the engine can be run up to almost 6,000 before valve bounce sets in, it does not pay to go more than a couple of hundred r.p.m. beyond the peak of the power curve (4,750) for maximum acceleration.
During this testing we were impressed with the quietness of the engine, for it. never made itself heard except at the very top end; the only noise was the whoosh and roar of well-muffled intake and exhaust. In terms of smoothness there are no noticeable vibration periods, yet the sweetness of a straight six has been lost somehow particularly at the top end of the rev range.

Acceleration figures for each gear show the torque curve to be very flat with almost equal times for each 20-m.p.h. increment. First and second feel rather low compared with third, which has a very flexible range from I0 to 80 m.p.h. if required, although it is better not to go beyond 70 before changing into top. This makes it an ideal ratio for sweeping through the twisty bends of a country lane or surging past the inevitable 30-40-m.p.h. heavy lorries on trunk roads; each time we changed down again into second when baulked, we realized third would still have been adequate.

Gearbox

The gear-change is well up to the high standards set by smaller Fords, and in many ways it works and feels just like that of a GT Cortina. Reverse is over to the right beyond top, with a strong spring guard, and a key to the positions is moulded in the knob. The synchromesh is light and completely effective on all four ratios. The indirect gears run quietly with only a very faint, subdued whine that would never normally be noticed.
Despite being 0.5in. bigger in dia-meter and using higher spring clamp-ing pressures, the clutch now needs a pedal load of only 3Olb. instead of 50, while the travel has been cut by one inch to 4.0in. There is an over-centre diaphragm spring which causes a rather abrupt take-up, but we were able to spin the back wheels on dry concrete without clutch slip. No hot smells or loss of efficiency resulted from easing the car from rest on a I in 3 test hill.

Ford still use Girling brakes with servo assistance, but discs are now fitted at the back as well as at the front; the entire system, including the handbrake, is self-adjusting for wear.
Tested in neutral from 30 m.p.h., the brakes showed slightly better sensitivity than those of the previous model, with the rear wheels starting to lock at 751b on the pedal and an easy 90lb giving lg retardation.
During fade tests from 70 m.p.h. there was no loss of braking power at all, quite the opposite in fact, with the driver having to lift off from 45 to 35lb during each stop to maintain 0.5g on the Mintex gauge (our chart shows the mean value of 40lb). There was, however, some slight unevenness as temperatures increased, which made itself felt as a twitching through the steering wheel; occasionally we encountered this on the road as well. Stability during braking was excellent, with barely any slewing.

The handbrake is worked by a T-handle on the left of the steering column under the facia. It is easy to reach with seat belts fastened and will fly off rather noisily by twisting the handle and letting go.

Tested on its own from 30 m.p.h. it proved easily able to lock the back wheels (0.3g) and held facing up or down a l-in-3. However, we were surprised to find that when pulled really hard, as it needed to be, the handle came out a good 6.0in. beyond its more usual "on" position as something in the mechanism stretched. We would be worried about leaving the car parked like this, in case it caused some permanent set.

In one aspect the new big Ford has stolen a march on its competitors in the 2 to 3-litre class by including independent rear suspension in its specification. The system used is a new and unusual one with articulated fixed-length drive shafts and semi-trailing alloy wishbones. It is designed to give controlled amber and toe-in angle changes to the wheels to compensate for the weight distribu-tion differences between the driver-only and fully-laden conditions. With passengers in the back it is most effective and the previous tail-swing and poor steering response when carrying a load's effectively eliminated.

In this loaded state there is an initial stable understeering tendency as the corner is entered which de-creases towards the apex, so that the car seems to foflow round without any further correction. With only two in the front there is a big difference. As the car goes into the turn it feels just the same until the lateral forces reach the tail, which rolls appreciably and causes very definite oversteer. During fast laps of a closed test circuit we lifted the inside rear wheel at this point, and rather than be caught out by sudden break-away, we preferred to flick the tail round in stages by sawing at the steering wheel.
On ordinary roads, of course, one never reaches this point and the Zephyr can be thrust through fast bends, leaning hard but holding a very stable line. The liveliness of the previous beam axle is all gone, and we were able to patter over a level crossing diagonally without the tail tramping sideways.

Despite its extra weight and bulk, the new Zephyr returned an overall fuel consumption of 196 m.p.g., which is slightly better than before. Big Fords always seem to have a dip in their steady speed fuel graphs around 70 mph., so our estimated (DIN) figure is for once unrealistically low. On a run we found 20 mpg. quite easy to get, although cruising at near 90 mph. gives only I5 mpg. At this speed the engine is revving at 4,650 rpm., with a very low mean piston speed of 1,830 ft mm, well within its potential.
At speed the Zephyr runs more true than its predecessor, and showed remarkably little deviation when buffeted in gale-force winds across the downs behind Beachy Head. On rnotorwavs it runs straight right up to the maximum speed and there is no delay to steering movements when changing lanes.
One of our criticisms of the last Zodiac was the loud wind roar from the front door edges above 75 mph. and despite fixed front quarterlights there has been no improvement. With the radio speaker on the rear shelf we had trouble hearing it unless the volume was turned well up for motorways.

The tyres, too, make a lot of noise at times, whining on some types of road dressing and growling deeply on others.
All the time it feels as if they have been inflated too hard, and although we started the test at 28 psi all round for our performance work, there was no improvement when we later let them down to the normal pressure of 24.

For the first time these British Fords are fitted with an automatic starting device on the carburettor and it worked perfectly throughout the test. Hot or cold, one just touched the accelerator, turned the key and the engine started, Always it would pull away smoothly without any hesitation and idled smoothly. Within a mile of leaving home in the morning the heater blows out warm air.

Aeroflow ventilation of a type is fitted to the new Mark IV cars, but it is not as good as the system used on the Cortina and Corsair. There are extractor grilles on the rear quarters which dispense with the need to open a window for a through flow, and face-level ventilators each side of the facia. However, the temperature control proved very insensitive, switching itself suddenly from hot to cold over less than half an inch of its 4.5in. range and spoiling the effectiveness of the sensibly planned distribution valve. On the credit side, back seat passengers receive a good flow round their feet and at the same time those in the front can arrange for a refreshing cool stream to blow at face level.

The optional bucket seats are good, with much better springing than in the past. All the occupants sit high and have good visibility, so there is no disadvantage on this score in having to travel in the back. Lengthening the wheelbase by 8in, plus the shorter engine, have improved leg-room by at least as much and the driver can now get well back from the pedals if he has long legs.
In the back it is possible to stretch out, cross the knees and move around to prevent getting stiff on long runs.
An innovation is the vertical adjust-ment for the steering wheel which raises or lowers its rim by 1 5in. and is released and locked by a quick acting lever below the facia on the right.

In front of him the driver sees a small circular speedometer, accurate in the middle of its range and (even more unusual) pessimistic at the top end; there is a total mileage recorder (with 10ths) only, and this too is dead accurate.
On the left is a matching dial containing a steady and accurate fuel gauge with water thermo-meter alongside and two warning lights below. To the right of the column is a row of piano-key switches for the accessories, all labeled and illuminated at night to match the instruments.

Most features of the new Ford show considerable improvements over the Mark III models. It is a bigger car overall, with much more room inside and considerably better and more comfortable furniture.
There is a substantial performance increase, better braking, less heavy fuel consumption and the roadholding (especially with the car laden) has been made safer.
The comfort of the suspension and general noise level seem less good comparatively, but the price is a competitive one in a very tough sector of the big-car market.