Who made the car Zephyr?
The Zephyr was made by Ford Motor Company, specifically Ford of Britain.
The Zephyr name referred to a family of mid-size cars produced in the United Kingdom beginning in the early postwar era. It was developed for the British market and exported in various forms, and it sat alongside Ford’s Zodiac and Consul models in the UK lineup. Over time, the Zephyr branding was phased out as Ford shifted its focus to newer models in the 1960s and early 1970s.
Origins and manufacturer
Ford of Britain, the UK subsidiary of Ford Motor Company, designed, assembled, and marketed the Zephyr for the British market. The model was part of Ford’s strategy to offer a mid-size, upmarket car tailored to British tastes while leveraging Ford’s global engineering.
These facts summarize who built the Zephyr, where it was produced, and how it fit into Ford’s broader product range in the mid-20th century.
- Manufacturer: Ford of Britain (Ford Motor Company)
- Market: United Kingdom, with exports to other markets
- Launch context: Part of Ford’s postwar expansion of mid-size cars in the UK
- Related models: Zodiac and Consul, sharing platforms and engineering with the Zephyr
- End of Zephyr branding: The name was gradually phased out in the early 1970s as Ford focused on newer models
In summary, Ford of Britain is the origin of the Zephyr, anchoring the car as a staple of the UK mid-size segment during the 1950s and 1960s.
Model lineup and evolution
This section provides a concise look at how the Zephyr lineup developed and how it related to Ford’s UK offerings over time.
- Positioning: The Zephyr served as the mid-range, upmarket option in Ford of Britain’s lineup, alongside the more luxurious Zodiac and the more utilitarian Consul.
- Platform sharing: Bodies and mechanicals were commonly shared across the Zephyr, Zodiac, and Consul families to maximize efficiency.
- Timeline arc: The Zephyr name appears across several generations in the 1950s and 1960s, with branding gradually retired by the early 1970s as Ford moved toward newer models
These points illustrate how Ford structured its UK mid-size offerings under the Zephyr banner during the postwar era.
Notable variants
In Britain, the Zephyr and Zodiac became the recognizable duo within Ford’s mid-size lineup, with the Consul occupying a related position. The Zephyr name persists in automotive history as a symbol of Ford’s postwar engineering and styling in the UK.
Summary
The Zephyr was a Ford product built by Ford of Britain in the United Kingdom. Introduced in the 1950s as part of Ford’s mid-size, upmarket family alongside the Zodiac and Consul, it remained a prominent part of the UK lineup through the 1960s before the branding was phased out in the early 1970s in favor of newer models such as the Cortina and Granada. Its legacy endures in British motoring history as a hallmark of the era’s design and engineering.
What brand of car is a Zephyr?
The Zephyr and its luxury variants, the Ford Zodiac and Ford Executive, were the largest passenger cars in the British Ford range from 1950 until their replacement by the Consul and Granada models in 1972.
When was the Lincoln-Zephyr made?
The Lincoln Zephyr was produced in two main periods: from 1936 to 1942 for the original line of mid-size luxury cars, and again for the 2006 model year before being renamed the MKZ. A new sedan was also introduced in 2022 as the "Lincoln Z," originally known as the Zephyr, which is currently in production.
You can watch this video to learn about the model history of the Lincoln Zephyr: 1mThe Hopeless Car GuyYouTube · Oct 13, 2023
- 1936–1942: The original Lincoln-Zephyr line was produced as a mid-size luxury car with a V12 engine. Production ceased due to the war effort in 1942, and the name was dropped after the war.
- 2006: A new car was sold under the Zephyr name for a single model year before it was rebranded as the Lincoln MKZ.
- 2022–present: The name was revived for the "Lincoln Z," a mid-size sedan currently built in China.
You can watch this video to see a 1940 Lincoln Zephyr convertible: 55sLou CostabileYouTube · Jul 6, 2021
How much is a 1937 Zephyr worth?
Typically, you can expect to pay around $28,925 for a 1937 Lincoln Zephyr in good condition with average spec.
How much does a Ford Zephyr cost?
In average condition, a Ford Zephyr is worth £8,424. What is the most expensive Ford Zephyr to sell in history publicly? The most expensive Ford Zephyr to sell in history was sold for £26,040.
