Produced by Ford UK between 1961-63 the Consul Classic was their offering when it came to a mid-sized family car that came in either two or four-door configuration. Baring slight resemblance to the Anglia with its reverse-rake rear window the Consul was designed to be suitable for the golf club car park, so a bit more upmarket than the basic Anglia. 

The main design cues were bought over from the American car sector, it was said that the Consul Classic was to look like a scaled-down version of the Galaxie 500, and with its twin headlights and small fins at the rear you can see the resemblance. 

Dogged with a complex and expensive production process the Consul Classic was not set to be on the road for long with just over 100,000 units produced over its two-year production life it is rare to find one on the roads anymore. This car has had some work to keep her on the road but she is now presented in great condition. 

Rolling off the production line at the start of 1962, this Consul was first registered for the road on the 25th of May 1962, meaning its 60th birthday is soon approaching. It would go to the first owner but then the trail goes cold until around ’97 when it is with its 3rd owner. So obviously the first two owners of the car loved it, keeping it for a combined 35 years. 

From 1997 it passes between a few owners in quick succession pushing the number of owners up to 6 by the time we get into the new millennium.

Having a look at the rest of the paperwork it would reside in the London area and could well have fallen into a state of disrepair. When the previous owner acquired this car in around 2013-14 they set about making this car what it is today.

There is a vast collection of paperwork that comes with this car, however, this paperwork starts in the mid to late noughties, leading through its re-build and up to today so there aren’t many pieces of historic paperwork. 

What one of the previous owners has done is gone back as far as they could with the available V5’s to create a basic ownership history that documents around 4 of the previous owners between ’97-’00. 

Along with this basic history, there are a lot of invoices that are mainly for parts put onto the car during its re-build in 2014, such as the fully stainless-steel exhaust system, a full re-trim of the interior, and even paint supplies. 

It is lovely to see the amount of paperwork that has been kept from the recent history of this car, the next owner will be able to sit down and have a rummage through so they can understand all of the time and effort that has been put into this car.

The interior of this Consul Classic is in great condition, but it is a world away from how it would’ve left the factory in 1962. The most modern change is the electrically operated front seats, these have been through a re-trim process and now sit in great condition with no rips, tears, or stains to the cream leather. 

The only area of note with these seats is that they could do with a little clean around the base and the drivers’ seats forward/backward toggle can be a little difficult to get it to go, just push it in a little bit and pull back and it’ll work fine. The rear bench seat is in great condition and seems like they haven’t been used regularly since the re-trim. 

You will also see that the headliner also matches the cream leather seats, this headlining is in great condition too, with an interior light fitted that looks brilliantly art deco. The seats and headlining are just a couple of the areas that received some work through the build-in 2014. 

The carpets appear to have been replaced with a nice red carpet, which matches the exterior colour and complements the cream seats beautifully. Along with the red carpet, the red-painted dash is in great condition, once again matching the exterior colour. As you would expect with an interior of this condition all of the smaller elements like the door cards, special V8 etched gear stick, modern radio, and dials are also in great condition.

Although the cabin is in great condition it is within the massive boot where things get interesting. With its matching red carpet, it carries on seamlessly from the cabin. 

The best part of the boot is all of the trophies that are in it, there are many ‘best in show’ accolades, ribbons/rosettes, car club plaques, and even a glass trophy that says it won its class at the Brighton and Hove Motor Club’s Classic Car Show & Concours in 2017. It is no surprise that this car won so many shows, the interior is in great condition with some modern touches. 

A great prospect for anyone looking to buy a characterful classic car, this interior will be at the center of many happy memories in the future. It is clearly capable of winning shows, so why not carry on the tradition.

From the beginning, the Consul Classic was always designed to look beautifully elegant. With the distinctive rear window from an Anglia but exterior looks more akin to the American Ford Galaxie 500, it is a real looker. Today it is present in near perfect condition with a slick deep red paint job and silver alloys to match. 

It is hard to say if this is the same colour that it left the factory with, but it wears this paint job well. What we should mention is that it is not only the exterior that is painted this deep red but some of the underside is also painted this red and even the engine bay has been painted. Little details like this show that no expense was spared when it came to the build of this subtle hot rod.

The great thing about the exterior of this Consul is just how subtle it is, the main party piece of this car sits under the bonnet and we will talk about this in a moment, but for now, the exterior looks like any other Consul Classic out there, the only slight indication that not all is as it left the factory with is the twin tailpipes at the rear.

If you are into your Consul’s you will notice that this example wears a Consul 315 badge on the rear, this would usually mean that it was an export car designated for New Zealand. But with the VIN plate starting with 109E it was a car built for the UK market. Maybe the 315 now refers to the party piece under the bonnet.

Overall, the exterior condition of this car is almost perfect. All of the trim is correct and present with all the chrome work showing no signs of any wear or tear. The alloys are in great condition with no curb rash, they are also wrapped with 4 matching Falken tires. This is a great-looking car in great condition, it will be the perfect addition to anyone’s collection.

When this car rolled off the production line in 1962 it would have been fitted with the 1.3L Ford Kent engine with a four-speed manual gearbox. However, as has slightly been hinted to throughout the words, this car no longer has a 1.3L engine under the bonnet. During its rebuild in 2014, the owner at the time decided to fit a huge 4.0L V8 out of a TVR and a new gearbox to deal with the additional power.

The new engine that has been fitted now fires into life quickly providing a soundtrack to die for, turn petrol into noise, and smiles this car is now the perfect example of a Consul Classic.

Along with the new engine and gearbox, it is clear to see that the owner at the time put a lot of effort into the suspension too, pop your head under the rear of the car and you see the GAZ shocks, the underside of the front looks just as clean as the rear with what appear to be some newer parts too.

Whilst out on the road there are a few squeaks here and there but for a near on 60-year-old car, she performs beautifully well. It’ll be a joy to take this car anywhere, whether it’s the shops or a weekend away at a car show you’ll never regret this purchase.

In a world of ever downsizing engines why wouldn’t you want a car with a stonking V8 out of a TVR, it provides a sound unrivaled by any modern car. With all of the work that has been completed to this car recently, it has ensured that this car can live on long into the future providing many happy memories for her owners. 

This is one of those custom-built cars that has been done right with no corners cut through the build process. With all the time and effort spent on this car you cannot afford to miss it, one like this may never come up for sale again.