Back in April, Paul wrote a Cohort Classic on the Ford Consul Capri, calling it “The British Edsel.” I’d never heard of the Consul Capri at the time, so imagine my surprise encountering this outrageous roofline at our local U Pull & Pay parking lot.
It has seen a few modifications, including wheels, LED tail lights, and dual exhaust. I’d be curious to know what’s under the hood, since most US V-8s would be a very tight fit. Perhaps a Cologne V-6 or an aluminum Buick V-8.
The article also stated, “Technically the Consul Capri was sold in the US, but (Paul had) never seen one, ever; even back in the day.” Well, this blue coupe should be a US market car, since the steering wheel mounts on the left side.
Overall, I like the exterior appearance. The color may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I can live with it. These wheels really work for me, and while larger diameter than the originals, they still look “era correct.”
The interior is also quite cool (although still unfinished), so I included this very poor shot to show the modifications. The center of the dash and the console use knobs and switches from electric guitars and amplifiers. These parts also fit the sixties era, and look very hip and cool. Even though the door panel is unfinished, I’m loving the execution.
So there you have it, perhaps the only US market Consul Capri still on the road. In Paul’s article he hypothesized “Maybe there’s one rusting away in some overgrown lot or out in the desert somewhere.” Today’s discovery provides a brighter picture, a roadworthy car delivering some American swagger to Ford of Britain’s first “Personal Car.”
The mystery is why it’s parked at the U Pull & Pay. Perhaps there are six more inside and the owner is busily scavenging parts to keep his blue baby on the road? 🙂
I am always amazed at why certain cars survive long term while most do not. How did something like this, rare to begin with but not at all valuable, survive the ravages of time and miles to still be here?
Looking at this car some more, I think I have decided it would have been more attractive if the designers had swapped the front and rear ends. The rear would have made a more attractive front than the car has now, and the actual front would have made for a really dramatic tail end.
See if you can’t unsee this; the front of the Consul is the rear of a 1959 Thunderbird, the back is the front of a 1959 Buick.
I’ve always heard of this car being described as an English interpretation of the ’58-’60 Thunderbird (a.k.a. the Squarebird).
I’m willing to bet that the original driveline is long gone and the U-Pull is helping to supply whatever upgrades that have been done. Very cool car and definitely the only one at any show and cruise.
Might be hunting for some Cortina mechanical bits to plug in, they’re pretty standard British Ford underneath that outrageous skin.
My first thought when looking at the bubbletop Consul Capri is that it was designed by a committee of designers who were absolutely not working in the same location. And you know, remote work back in the late 1950s/early 1960s probably would have involved a lot of snail mail, long distance telephone calls, and maybe a telegram or two. Point is, it was kind of hard to get everyone literally on the same page under those conditions, so they just each took a part of the project and in the end had “the girl in the office” tape everything together and send it along.
Still, I like it! Depending on which side or angle that I see it.
What I’m not a fan of on this particular example is the headlight and tail light treatment. Yechhhhhhhh. (but maybe it looks entirely different up close)
“What I’m not a fan of on this particular example is the headlight and tail light treatment. Yechhhhhhhh. (but maybe it looks entirely different up close).”
Yeah the lights are the weakest part of it, and getting up close doesn’t help. The tail lights look especially odd, just flat sliver reflector plates with pine cone LEDs. Not sure how well they will hold up, since they have no lenses for weather protection.
Thanks for that clarification re. what the tail lights are. That’s what it looked like to me, but I can’t even wrap my head around how that could be legal. I’m assuming red LEDs, but still… 🙁
You can see why the Consul Classic and Consul Capri did not sell particularly well and were replaced by the Consul Cortina and Consul Corsair. Quality-wise, the Cortina and Corsair were probably not any better than the Classic and Capri, but the were arguable better-looking.
Not sure about the British Edsel moniker. Looks more like a British AMC Marlin, to me.
I immediately smelled fish as well.
I’ll be darned if the back end doesn’t look like the front end of a different car.
Think 1957 -58 Desoto.
Hey, I know that lot, that’s a great find there Dave. It looks to be smaller than the orange Dart next to it and the styling is so clean with minimal affectations, so unlike everything else you usually see either stock or modified with fairly large fins on the back. I like it.
Yes, smaller in every dimension, just under 171″ long on a 99″ w.b.
With those modded rear lights the back is a bit like a ‘Square Bird’.
Wow, a 1960 Ford!
Bingo! From the rear and sides, anyway. All but the bug-eyed front.
Great find; congratulations.
This is all-too obviously a resto-mod, with its big dual exhausts and those massive 5-lug wheels (the original had 4-lug wheels). This was undoubtedly a long stored non-runner, whose body was then given lots of new chassis and drive train components. I bet it’s got a healthy V8 under its hood.
Those wheels look “period correct” to you? Hmm. Not to me, by a long shot. Minilites would, but not these.
About 15 years ago, my dad and I had found one of these on eBay. It was in a junkyard somewhere near Boston for $500. We tried over and over to contact the seller to buy it, but didn’t hear back for months. Finally when we did, he said a tornado had come through and destroyed the car. Wish I had saved the photographs.
My dad did eventually find a RHD sedan in Michigan, which does run and drive. If not a beautiful car, it sure is interesting
Your photo shows the Consul Classic, I was offered one back in 1970 for £15, but it needed a new diff, so I passed. Quite rare on British roads today.
That’s a pretty distinctive-looking car as well! Reminds me a lot of a Citroen Ami 6. Makes me wish that these Ford Consuls weren’t as rare as they seem to be. Pretty distinctive cars.
Also, bad luck about losing one to a tornado in MA! I think I can count on one hand the number of tornadoes we’ve had (that caused significant damage) in the Boston area over the past 15 years.
Here’s an Ami 6. Looks like a Consul doppelganger (to me at least)…except the rear of the Consul does look almost like front of the Ami 6.
There are a good bit of design similarities. The strange roofline, the eyebrows over the headlights with the sloping hood. The Consul Classic is probably a whole size larger than the Ami, though a small car in the US.
Who knows what actually happened to that car, there had been storms that summer all around the north east, so maybe it was destroyed. Or maybe he just sold it or crushed it and didn’t want to hear about it anymore. Seemed a shame for such a rare car
Looks like a “key wound” ride.
It’s certainly weird, I’m not sure about the wonderful though .
Looking at the first picture made me think of the 1961 Ford…….
Those LED taillights are F.U.G.L.Y. but get a pass I supposed because it’s clearly a Hot Rod, no attempt at restoration .
-Nate
The greenhouse (though certainly not any other part of the car) has a similar shape as Ford’s later Capri (1969-74) that was very popular. The follow-up to that car was called the “Capri II”, although it was really the Capri III. Ford essentially wrote the Consul Capri out of its history, much like the ’58-60 Continental Mark III/IV/V that were ignored when the second Continental Mark III debuted also in 1969.
Love mine….
Pre-production it was called the Sunbird after influences from the 1960 Galaxie Sunliner (rear) and 1960 Thunderbird (front). Just under 20.000 produced, and less then 200 on the road a very rare Ford production.
Very rare here though Capri survivors probably out number Consul Classic survivors those seemed to rust and get wrecked for upgrade mechanicals for 100E/105Es back in my day it all interchanges throughout the smaller UK Fords and nobody seemed to want Classics, now they do and theres hardly any left.
They were a ” Ladies” car in the day and rotted away in 3 years. I knew a Rock n Roller who’s wife drove a restored 1500 GT version. Sold it for big money.
Long forgotten now as the first Capri.
Tony ~ we need pictures please ! .
-Nate
As a car crazed kid in the 1960s I can only recall seeing one of these back then.
By the late 50s both Ford and Fiat were exporting a wide assortment of cars to the US, but by 1963 both were bringing a much smaller number of models.
I remember seeing a road test of one of these in Road & Track when they were new they were not impressed.
Early mercury comets were supposed to be edsels… Some similar lines to my 63…