74 http://www.modelcollector.com | august 2019
S
tand by for a r ivet-
counting rant from a
grumpy old man...
Whatever our special
interests, we all like to collect
models of cars we have owned.
From time to time, you print
letters from frustrated readers
seeking information or advice
on models of unmodelled
family cars that mean a lot
to them. I’ve been fairly
fortunate – my own 105E
Anglia, Mk 1 Cortina, Mk 1
Granada, Rover SD1 and Skoda
Octavia Estate have been easy
to come by. Similarly, my dad’s
1955 E Model Vauxhall, Mk 3
Zephyr 4 and Triumph 2000
were easy acquisitions. Even
my father-in-law’s taste for
exotica, such as his 1966 W100
Grosser Mercedes 600 and his
1969 Jensen FF, have presented
no problems. I’m still missing
my FD Vauxhall Victor,
Vauxhall Omega and Mk 3
Scorpio, but that’s partly
down to my reluctance to pay
the higher prices commanded
by hand-built models.
I have, however, recently
plugged one gaping hole. My
dad and my brother both ran
Mk 2 Ford Consuls. Dad’s was
the original ‘highline’ version
and my brother’s the slightly
revised ‘lowline’ variant. When
the range originally came out
in 1956, the 4-cylinder Consul
shared the basic body structure
of the 6-cylinder Zephyr and
Zodiac, save for the fact that
ahead of the A-pillar the
larger-engined cars had an
extra three inches added to
the wheelbase to accommodate
the longer motor, making their
front end noticeably longer.
The two types sported the same
rear-end, with a huge luggage
boot. The stylists, however,
worried that the Consul wouldlook unbalanced with its short
bonnet and long boot, so they
redesigned the rear wings for
the Consul version, giving it
a forward-sloping tail light
cluster, as opposed to the
rear-sloping Zephyr/Zodiac
version. The latter emphasised
the length, while the former
created an illusion of being
shorter (which it wasn’t).
To enhance the illusion,
they made the rubbing strip
along the side around a foot
shorter on the Consul.
In 1959, the range received
a mid-life facelift, with the
roofl ine being lowered an
inch or two (hence the
nickname ’lowline’), new
dashboard and interior and
new wide stainless-steel
windscreen surround.
At the same time, the
Consul’s unique rear wings
were abandoned, though its
new tail light cluster remained
diff erent from the Zephyr/
Zodiac’s. Its shorter rubbing
strip was also dropped.
In the 1960s, I was delighted
to see Revell advertising a
range of 1:43 scale plastic
construction kits of British
cars, with the Mk 2 Consul
amongst the launch models.
They were expensive at 9s 6d
(48p) when compared with
Airfi x’s 1:32 scale range of cars
at 2 shillings (10p). 1:43 didn’t
sound much diff erent from
1:32, but it looked a lot
smaller – in volumetric terms,
it’s 2.4 times smaller. But the
higher price of the Revell
model brought what the
manufacturer advertised as
silver parts. I assumed this
meant vacuum-plated
chrome-like fi nish, so it
was a disappointment to
fi nd that it simply had the
chrome parts moulded ingrey plastic instead of white.
Whereas Airfi x cars had clear
plastic mouldings for the
windows and light lenses,
the Revell came with a sheet
of clear acetate to cut out
and fashion into your own
windows – very tricky for
that big, wrap-around rear
screen. My Revell model
has long since been lost,
and the kit is very hard to
come by now.
Recently I spotted on eBay,at a bargain price, what was
advertised as an Ixo 1:43 scale
diecast model of the Mark 2
Consul in French Police car
guise. I placed an order and
it arrived from Poland a few
days later. It’s a De Agostino
part-work, made in China,
and a reasonable model,
but a curious amalgam of
highline and lowline features.
To my eye, it has the higher roof
of the highline and it certainly
has the forward-sloping rearWhen two become one
Model Collector, MyTimeMedia Ltd, Eden House, Enterprise Way, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 6HF email: [email protected]
your letters
“Winners will be sent a lucky dip from our fantastic prize pool”
The Ford Consul Mk 2 ‘Highline’ (1956-1958) with its higher roofl ine, forward-sloping
tail-light cluster with small round refl ectors and shorter chrome rubbing-strip.The Mk 2 ‘Lowline’ (1959 -1962) with its lower roofl ine, rear-sloping tail-light clusters with
large round tail-lights incorporating refl ectors and full-length stainless-steel rubbing-stripIxo's 1:43 scale model of a Ford Consul Mk 2. Note the higher roofl ine, forward-sloping
tail-lights with large tail-light/refl ectors, full length rubbing-strip, smaller rear window –
positioned lower, perforated disc wheels and thinner rear bumper.