Introduced in 1963, the Ford Consul Corsair was created by Ford of Britain to fill the space between the hugely successful Cortina and the larger Zephyr and Zodiac range, while also replacing the short-lived Consul Classic.
Built at Ford's Dagenham works in Essex, the Corsair combined thoroughly British family motoring with styling heavily influenced by contemporary American Fords, most obviously in that unmistakable pointed nose, reminiscent of the Ford Thunderbird.
The Corsair was aimed at the family motorist or company-car driver who wanted something a little more substantial and prestigious than a Cortina without moving into full-sized executive-car territory.
Beneath its more flamboyant body it shared much with the Cortina, but its greater size, generous use of chrome and Transatlantic detailing gave the Ford Corsair an identity all its own.
Later versions included estates, convertibles and the more luxurious 2000E, yet the Corsair never achieved the enormous popularity of its Cortina stablemate.
Production ended in 1970 as Ford rationalised its range around the larger Mk3 Cortina. That comparatively brief life has helped make the Corsair one of the more unusual classic British Fords of the 1960s today — instantly recognisable from the front and a wonderful example of the period when a little American glamour found its way onto British roads.
