1953 Ford Zephyr Six

Picture the scene.

It’s 1953 and you’re on the back seat of the Ford Zephyr Six with your big sister Tina and your little brother Alan.

Your parents, Harold and Gladys, are sitting on the front bench seat with, between them, six rounds of fish paste sandwiches wrapped in greaseproof paper, some barley sugar travel sweets in a tin, and a tartan Thermos flask full of Bovril.

The tin of barley sugars is something you’ve all got your eyes on. Sweets and chocolate only came off rationing in February.

Father is driving. He is wearing flannels, a sports jacket, a trilby and string-backed gloves. 

He is quietly enjoying some moist Navy flake in his briar pipe and imagining being Burt Lancaster rolling about in the surf with Deborah Kerr in ‘From here to Eternity’. 

Mother is wearing a headscarf and long white gloves. She is following a knitting pattern in the Woman’s Weekly. She is imagining being Deborah Kerr, rolling about in the surf with Burt Lancaster in ‘From Here to Eternity’.

You are playing I-Spy with your siblings and, occasionally, hitting each other.

Among the things you ‘Spy’ are occasional RAC sentry boxes, petrol pump attendants, and people setting up picnic tables and chairs right next to the road.

Things you don’t ‘Spy’ include motorways or any speed limits outside of built-up areas. 

There isn’t a radio in your car but, in your head, you’re playing ‘(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window’ by Patti Page and ‘I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus’ by Jimmy Boyd.

The boot is full of ‘Globetrotter’ luggage, buckets and spades, picnic sets, spare fan belts, sandals and blankets.

You’ve just set off from Croydon for a week of summer holiday fun in Weston-super-Mare and, if everything goes smoothly, you’ll be there in just 7 hours. 

Secretly, you’re all feeling just a little bit self-satisfied in your lovely new car because, aside from the occasional Alvis, Humber, Rover or Jaguar, the Ford Zephyr Six is definitely one of the more desirable cars on the road. 

Fast forward to 2023 and behold a car that could have driven right out of that rose-tinted tableau as if in a time-warp.

The car was bought by the vendor’s father a few years ago partly because of its fabulous original condition, but mostly because he recognised its rarity.

You see, this is one of a just a handful of ‘small bumper’ Zephyr Sixes still in existence, and one of even fewer to come with a chassis number that’s sequentially approximate to that of Gatsonides’ winning car in the ’53 Monte Carlo Rally. It’s even in pretty much the same colour scheme as that fabled vehicle.

This car is extraordinarily well-preserved and authentic in every respect and nothing we’ve seen has given us any reason to doubt the odometer reading of 60,730 miles.

The vendor has dry stored the car and only taken it out on high days and holidays when the sun is shining. His father had an equally protective approach to it.

It was extensively restored in 1989, and again in 2009, when much work was carried out to overhaul, refurbish or replace (as appropriate) the car’s brakes, suspension, gearbox, overdrive, other mechanicals and electrics. You’ll find the work recorded in the documents section.

The car left the factory with the 3-speed manual gearbox and EOTTA overdrive it has today.

Now then.

There are a couple of things we should mention, neither of which in any way detract from the car’s appeal.

Firstly, you’ll see from the paperwork that previous owners have been engaged in one of the longest and most bizarre arguments with the DVLA we’ve yet seen, and it’s all to do with retention of the car’s original number plate.

Unbelievably rarely, this car comes with its original sales invoice, stating that it was sold to a Mr. R. Buckler by a Yeovil Ford dealer on 29th July 1953 with the registration number GFX 56. 

You’ll find this in the documents section, along with all manner of correspondence from Owners’ Clubs, respected authorities on the marque and model, etc, all of whom are resolutely of the opinion that this car was and always should have been registered as GFX 56.

For reasons best known to themselves (they move in mysterious ways), the DVLA has decided that none of this absolutely nailed-on evidence is good enough, which is why the car is listed on the V5 today as being (i) first registered in the UK in 1987, (ii) but ‘declared manufactured’ in 1953, and (iii) currently registered – yes, you’ve guessed it – as GFX 56.

Bonkers.

The second thing to mention is that the vendor has ordered a brand-new master cylinder for the car because the brakes have decided to take early retirement. His objective is to carry out the simple task of fitting this before the auction closes. We’ll keep you posted.

Anyway. Enough of all that.

The only truly important thing to know is that this is almost certainly the best ‘small bumper’ Zephyr Six you’ll find outside of a private collection or a museum.

This utterly-of-its-period car oozes charm from every pore.

We defy anyone who sees it not to break into an inane grin within seconds.

The curvaceous, compact bodywork is devoid of any dinks, dents, creases, ripples or folds that we can see.

The panels, panel gaps and shut-lines are even, consistent and crisp. The doors close with satisfying weight and precision.

The green paintwork is shiny and bright.

The chrome work glistens and dazzles on the bumpers, hubcaps and most other trim, save for the door handles, which are showing a little foxing and pitting.

The lights, lenses and badging are all beyond reproach, as are any other exterior fixtures and fittings, as far as we can see.

The wheels seem to be in very good, largely unmarked order, and are shod in matching Kelly Steelmark II tubeless radials.

For the record, and frankly we’re just being picky here, we found two small spots of nascent blistering under the badges on the bonnet either side of the front grille. 

There is a small scuff on the driver’s door and one or two stone chips on the n/s/f wheel arch.

There’s also a scratch on the windscreen described by the arc of the nearside wiper. 

That’s it. Everything else is fine and dandy.

The inside of this marvellous car, you won’t be entirely surprised to learn, is every bit as authentic, original and remarkably preserved as its exterior counterpart. 

The tan leather upholstery, front and back, is undamaged and has just an attractive light patina to attest for the passage of time since 1953.

The seats are supportive and comfortable.

Some of the carpets appear to be original, some rather more recent: either way, they and their accompanying mats are all in decent nick.

The door cards are irreproachable. 

The headlining looks to be original and is, correspondingly, coloured by the patina of the ages (and, perhaps, a distant memory of Harold’s Navy flake).  

The trim on the ‘B’ pillars is coming away and has the odd short rip here and there. Elsewhere, some of the fabric trim around the door seal is becoming a little threadbare.

The steering wheel, gear selector, instruments, dials and controls all look to be in fine fettle.

We didn’t tweak every lever, press every knob or flick every switch (not that there are many of them), but those we did tweak, press and flick did as they were told without complaint or reluctance. 

The carpeted, green-painted boot, which contains a spare wheel, is as faultless as the rest of it.

The engine bay is spectacularly clean, shiny, dry and tidy, and everything appears to be in its right and proper place. 

Never mind a mechanic’s survey, we’d give it 5 stars on a food hygiene report. 

The undersides look to be as squeaky clean and full of structural integrity as the rest of the car. 

This is a simple, honest car from a by-gone age. There is nowhere for any bad news to hide.

It is, we feel very confident, every bit as good as it looks – and it has the bills, invoices, receipts, correspondence and other bits and pieces to back up these claims. 

It was last serviced around two years ago, and has covered few very miles since.

The car comes with a clean HPI check.

Unless you’ve got a Tardis in your back garden, this is easily the best and most convincing way to transport yourself back to 1953 and a golden age of automotive innocence and purity.

If you’re holding out in the hope of finding a better example…..good luck.

We are happy to offer this vehicle for auction with an estimate in the range of £12,000 - £14,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at the Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are strictly by appointment. To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.