In June 1961 the UK offshot of the Ford motor company had taken the first of two steps towards introducing a model designed to fill the gap between the compact saloon car family and their larger luxury saloon range.
In that month they announced the 109E Classic Consul saloon which also came as a coupe version.
Both models had an all-American lookalthought the two- and four-door saloon Consul Classic and fastback Capri were designed and produced in Dagenham, England.
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ord's intention with the Classic range was to offer 'a model between the gap between the Anglia 105E and Zephyr/Zodiac ranges. Indeed, the powerplant and gearbox were the same 1340cc (82 cu in) unit as used in the Anglia although reworked to suit a larger car.
The biggest thing about the Classic was its boot, a massive 0.6 cubic meters (21 cu ft) of space.
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The Ford Consul Classic was an acceptable car to own during the early Sixties, right to be seen in and better to drive, especially when a 1500cc engine was fitted in 1962 to give better performance.
Although the Classic (officially "Consul Classic," by the way) had a brand new monocoque, and little mechanically in common with the Anglia 105E, it was effectively the second iteration of that car.
The original engine was a longer-stroke 54bhp 1340cc version of the Anglia's unit, and the gearbox was the same (though in this case there was a column-shift option), while there were similarities in the MacPherson
The Classic has often been looked upon as a rather unfortunate styling example, its reverse-angle rear screen inherited from the Anglia looking rather out of place on the larger car, and its large than life tail fins never quite 'clicking' with the public.
The public was given a choice of either Standard and DeLuxe trim, with the De Luxe coming with a distinctly mid-Fifties Duotone look inside and out, including, concealed door handles, and a steering column gear change as an optional extra. Both the two-door and four-door models could be provided in De Luxe form.
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win headlamps were fitted side-by-side in broad wings ;with circular sidelights mounted outboard, while twin rear lights were provided on either side. Front disc brakes were standard with the usual Macpherson struts,
Not long after the release of the Consul Classic, Ford released a special two-seat two-door version, the Capri coupe.
The Ford Classi Capri was styled very closely after the Classic below the waistline but had a forward sloping rear screen in what would later be termed 'fast-back' styling, although a separate horizontal boot-lid was retained. Both column and floor-change models were available.
The Capri was a two-seater that looked fast and sporty, although anyone that ever tested one would soon discover that it was neither to any great degree.
By that time the new Cortina had been released, a much more practical option for the typical UK driver for much the same price tag.
In July 1962 the 1340-cc engine was discontinued and replaced by the 116E 1498-cc engine, this having been stroked out to 72.7 mm, and featuring a very rigid five-bearing crankshaft now allied to a new all-synchromesh four-speed gearbox.
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he modified Classic also had greaseless steering and suspension joints to minimize maintenance, and the Capri followed it in having the original 'thirteen-forty' unit replaced by the new long-stroke 1498 cc engine.
Production figures for both the Classic and Capri models were modest by UK Ford, a " mere" 130,000 units, 110,000 of these cars being Classics and the remaining 18,000 Capris.
