V6 ZEPHYRS AND ZODIACS

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31041, 22 April 1966, Page 9

V6 ZEPHYRS AND ZODIACS

Zephyr and Zodiac! models, with V 6 engines,! all-independent suspension ! and four-wheel disc brakes! have been announced by I Ford. The Zephyr has a 122! b.h.p. 2.5 litre engine, the; Zodiac a 145 b.h.p. 3-litre, and in both cars the spare wheel is mounted in front of the engine, leaving the boot clear of obstruction. Both cars have styling slightly reminiscent of the Mustang, and American styling influence seems strong throughout. Aeroflow ventilation, new transmissions, an automatic choke, electric windshield washers and a constant-charge alternator for the Zodiac are among the cars' features. The Zodiac engine has a twin-choke Weber carburettor,) and provides a top speed of about 103 m.p.h. Acceleration; from 0 to 60 m.p.h. takes 11.51 seconds. The Zephyr has a I top speed of 97 m.p.h. and; acceleration from 0 to 60 m.p.h. takes 13.1 seconds. Both cars have 15-gallon fuel tanks. The V engines embody many technical advances, including combustion chamber in piston design and crossflow cylinder heads, which in conjunction with high compression ratios and large valves lead to good breathing and combustion efficiency. The conventional rocker shaft is replaced by individual stud mountings for each valve rocker and this new method of location makes fine tappet adjustment easier. The V6s have an “oversquare” bore to stroke relationship for sustained high performance and long life. Standard equipment includes an automatic choke and a crankcase emission control. SHORTER

The engines are eight inches shorter and 181 b lighter than the superseded in-line six. This brings advantages in the layout of the car and its weight distribution and, consequently, enhances performance and passenger comfort. The four-speed, all-synchro-mesh gearbox is of new design. The column change in both the Zodiac and Zephyr is light and the diaphragm spring clutch requires as little as 281 b of pedal effort. The Zodiac instruments include a rev. counter, and gauges for temperature, alter- ! nator charge, oil pressure and I fuel tank contents. There are warning lights for indii catons, ignition, main beam and handbrake. The Zephyr has gauges for fuel and temperature, and warning lights for other functions, with the exception of the handbrake warning. The Zodiac has lights in its glovebox and boot, and is fitted with reversing lights.

SUSPENSION A feature of the front sus-j pension is the flexible union! of the MacPherson-type (struts with the connecting stabiliser bar. This permits a degree of fore and aft deflection to absorb impact ;shock as the wheels encounter road projections. Ford has patented the independent rear suspension, which is of semi-trailing arm type with coil springs and ! telescopic dampers. The ! assembly is mounted on a separate sub-frame for strength, precision of alignment and (the most effective insulation (of the body structure from road noise. Servo-assisted disc brakes i are fitted on all four wheels 'on both cars and they are i self-adjusting, handbrake included. The doors are equipI ped with anti-burst crash I locks and the rear fittings are also child-proof. AU interior handles are well recessed. The body is of integral construction giving great strength and rigidity and the front end has the capacity to absorb crash energy by deforming progressively in the event of major collision. The two-spoke steering I wheel is designed to yield under impact. The horns are operated by bars set flush with the wheel spokes. This also gives unrestricted sight of the instrument panel, which is recessed into the padded fascia. The interior mirror is designed to detach from its stem on impact. The variable flow of fresh air from two directional vents at each end of the fascia provides good ventilation. Additionally, the system can be )used in conjunction with the ! heater controls to demist or i defrost the side windows as (well as the windscreen.

The Zodiac is the first car in the world to have a seveninch four headlamp system. It provides a total light output of 250 watts when all four lamps are on main beam, and 120 watts when dipped. With the spare wheel housed in the engine compartment the effective luggage space is even greater than on the previous Mark 111 models. The brakes and clutch are self-adjusting and the “chassis” components are all lubricated for life, including the differential unit. Gear oil is changed only once, on completion of the first 3000 miles. Accessibility to everything in the engine compartment requiring periodic check or adjustment is good.

AT THE WHEEL Early this week motoring correspondents from newspapers throughout New Zea: land test-drove the new Fords at the Levin racing circuit. Undoubtedly the new trailingarm independent rear suspension is a major improvement, and greatly improves both ride and handling. The ride is well-damped and absorbs bumps smoothly and silently, there is little roll, and road noise is reduced. The handling is very safe, being basically neutral and giving very high limits of adhesion. When a sweeping corner is taken very fast the car eventually starts to slide gently and progressively, and always seems to go exactly where it is pointed, whether being cornered with power on or not. On slow corners taken very rapidly, the outside rear wheel tends to lift slightly at the limit, but the car holds its course without dramatics.

The new V 6 engine is much smoother than the previous straight six unit, and revs very freely, biit a very inaccurate rev counter in the test Zodiac prevented any exact readings being taken. The unit is very flexible. The brakes are excellent: progressive and very powerful. The very light and smooth clutch is a vast- improvement on the heavy control on the previous models. All passengers have plenty of room, and the boot is large but has a high lip. The seats in the Zodiac are very comfortable, those in tile Zephyr somewhat less so, but still good. The front quarterlights in both cars no longer open, which reduces wind noise considerably, but makes one wonder why they were not deleted entirely. The recessed door handles are a great improvement, but the front

window winders are too lowgeared. As far as the Zodiac is concerned. visibility is inferior to the Mark 111. This is largely because of the solid rear quarter panels, which cause a considerable blind spot, and it is not possible to see the rear extremities of the car from the driver’s seat a disadvantage when parking. Although the gear ratios are much better spaced than on the previous models, the gear-change, still by column lever, is rather more vague and when selecting third or reverse one often raps one’s knuckles on the edge of the instrument binnacle. There is insufficient spring loading of the lever to the third-fourth plane, so that one has to make a positive movement to push the lever through the gate when changing up from second. The synchromesh on all gears is excellent. PEDALS

Pedal positions are better than on the Mark 111, the pads being nearer to the same plane. The turning circle is very good, and the steering light and accurate. The dash design in both cars fails to give the impression of quality one would expect. On the passenger side both cars have the Mark 111 Zodiac-style glove drawer, painted black, and surmounted by a small padded roll on the dash top. The sliding heater controls are not as easy to use as the Mark 111 Zodiac type, and while the heater blower has two speeds, both are noiser than before. The heater, however, is most efficient, as are the Aeroflow ventilators. Toggle switches are used for

I lights, washers, wipers and heater blower, and are better than the previous knobs. The Zodiac’s dash, of patterned material, looks cheap and rattles when tapped. On both test cars the switch panels seemed flimsy. All Zodiac gauges are marked in coloured segments rather than figures, but are reasonably well placed. In the Zephyr the dash panel, which contains only two circular dials, is of matt-finish metal, and looks cheaper than the artificial woodgrain previously used. The steering wheel tilt adjustment is easy to use, but seems less useful than an adjustment for reach would be. The Zodiac has a dipping rear vision mirror; the Zephyr has not. The sweep of the wipers, now two-speed instead of variable speed, hhs been altered, but the main result is to move the driver’s side blind spot six inches up from its previous position. The electric washers are a considerable improvement on the previous type, but the separate control would be better combined with the wiper switch.

Both cars performed well, but on the circuit, where speeds up to 70 miles an hour were generally all that were possible, the extra power of the Zodiac did not seem particularly noticeable. The stopwatch tells a different story, however. The finish of the test cars was only fair, although it must be remembered both were very new and among the first produced. In sum, both are very pleasant cars with excellent handling. The Zephyr has a tentative price of £1450 and the Zodiac a tentative price of £1750.