Estate car bodies for the large British Fords, until recently, have been rather obvious adaptations of standard saloons, adequate and praiseworthy but, distinctly, still conversions. With the current Zephyr 4 and 6 and the Zodiac III, E.D. Abbott Ltd. have been able to restyle the bodywork to make each estate car a Ford model in its own right, and the benefit is immediately apparent. There is an unbroken roofline, even though from forward to the centre door pillars the front is the same as the corresponding saloon. The design's rather rakish treatment of the back half does not appear to have been hampered by any limitations of the standard saloon body shell.

Seafaring folk might well describe this estate car as a spanking big craft with a nice turn of speed. It is big, by our standards, but one soon forgets this as the ease of handling and the unusual smoothness and quietness become apparent.

We had rather longer than is usual with a Road Test vehicle to appreciate the Zephyr's qualities, for it took some members of our staff to Geneva and back. apart from the normal test mileage. For the 1,300 and more miles of this Continental journey, driven hard and well loaded, its fuel consumption was a very creditable 19.6 m.p.g., somewhat better than the 18.2 m.p.g. recorded during over 1,000 miles of normal test mileage in this country. Incidentally, the Zephyr 6 used no measurable quantity of oil at all in its runs across France and in Switzerland. London traffic caused the fuel consumption to rise to 16.6 m.p.g., whereas a very typical normal road journey through the English Midlands produced 24.9 m.p.g. By way of contrast, we noted that a steady 35 m.p.h., on the level in overdrive top gave the impressive figure of almost 40 m.p.g.

Premium fuel was used for taking our test figures, but the engine will also run very happily on 50-50 mixture of premium and regular petrol without pinking.

This 2,554 c.c.six-cylinder Ford engine gives the impression of being a glutton for work, if not for fuel, and is particularly smooth and quiet throughout its range. It started readily, hot or cold, except when the carburettor fuel level produced jet starvation on a 1-in-3 test hill.

Since a Zephyr estate car was last tested the net engine power has been increased from 85 b.h.p. at 4,400 r.p.m. to 98 at 4,750 r.p.m., and the mean maximum speed is now a very useful 91 m.p.h., 8 m.p.h. more than before, However, the last model lacked what is surely the most important Ford advance for years, the four-speed all-synchromesh gearbox now fitted, so that there are no equivalent intermediate gear ratios which can be compared for acceleration times.

For a standing quarter-mile, the present estate car takes 20.0sec, the former 20.9sec. From rest it reaches 50 m.p.h. in 11.2sec and 80 m.p.h. in 37.8 sec, whereas the corresponding times before were 12.6 and 40.2sec respectively. These are appreciable, if not outstanding, gains which result in the livelier road performance demanded by modern conditions. Both cars weighed roughly the same, the new one being the heavier by only 65lb.

Concerning the gearbox, it was unfortunate that on the Geneva journey the pilot bearing in the first motion shaft failed. This caused noise and roughness in the indirect gears, compelling the drivers to use direct and overdrive top much more than they would have normally. However, this was an additional test of the flexibility and good slogging power of the engine. When the bearing fault had been rectified back at the works, the gearbox became a very quiet one, with well-spaced ratios giving practical maximum speeds of 36, 51 and 72 m.p.h. for first, second and third.

Borg-Warner overdrive was fitted as an extra to our test car and operated on second, third, and top-even on bottom if you wanted to have a bit of fun. With the good spacing of the direct ratios we decided that the most practical value of the overdrive was with top gear on motorways and the long straight roads of France, It is engaged or locked out by a push-pull control below the facia, in conjunction with the usual Borg-Warner kick-down mechanism operated by the accelerator pedal.

On all four gears the synchromesh operation was beyond reproach. The steering column gearchange mechanism was quite good, but there was just that trace of whippiness in the lever and the slight lag in response that make many drivers prefer a floor change for its directness. Like the engine the transmission had no vibration periods. There is quite a long travel on the clutch pedal before anything happens, and the small amount of working motion can result in some jerky take-offs unless care is taken and the pedal is fully depressed. The clutch itself proved well up to all demands made on it, including several attempts to start on a 1-in-3 gradient. This proved just too much for the Zephyr, although it gets away happily on 1-in-4.

Most estate cars behave quite differently between running light and fully loaded. Not so the Zephyr, which very nearly ignores such minor irritations as a 6cwt load of concrete blocks in the back, or a full load of passengers and luggage. With the 6cwt load it took only 1.5sec more (21.5sec) for a standing quarter-mile, at the end of which it was doing 64 m.p.h. (unladen 68 m.p.h.)

In normal trim its ride qualities are impressive, and it sails along on good or indifferent road surfaces without exhibiting any vices. Little road noise is transmitted to the interior and even on quite sharp corners the amount of heeling over is small. Perhaps because of Ford experience in the East African Safari, the suspension shows up particularly well on a simulated "washboard", or corrugated surface. At 40 m.p.h. on this the car feels better than most others we have put to this severe test. the ride smoothing out to a remarkable degree. It is less happy at the same speed on pave, bouncing around quite a lot, while at 50 m.p.h. the car becomes difficult to keep under control. All these characteristics remain unchanged with a 6cwt load, except that on reasonably good surfaces the general comfort of the ride is enhanced. With this load there was a slight amount of rear-end swing, but nothing like so much as with most other estate cars.

Rather low-geared, the steering is light and positive. The car understeers, but not obtrusively, and is directionally stable. On a motorway in a fresh breeze it holds its course well without constant and tiring need for steering corrections, and the large body is not particularly affected by gusty side winds. There is no unusual tendency for the tail to slide on wet roads, and deliberately induced skids can be controlled very easily.

With gentle applications at low speeds the brakes, disc at the front, drums at the rear, seem at first to lack "bite". Only a small increase in pedal load brings in full servo action smoothly and the brakes then before excellent. As will be seen from our table, an 80lb load on the pedal is enough to give maximum braking. Loads above this simply increase the stopping distance by locking the rear wheels. At maximum braking there is no wheel locking, judder or sideways movement of the car. In fact, the system is highly satisfactory.

The handbrake lever is of the pull-out T-handle type below the facia to the left. It is quite a long reach to get at it, and although it would hold the car, up or down, on a 1-in-4 hill, it would only just hold it facing down 1-in-3, not up.

A comfortable driving position and room for two passengers distinguish for front bench seat, and there is a wide, folding central armrest, useful for locating a single passenger. The p.v.c. upholstery material is non-slip and the squab gives good support at the vital lower part of the back, preventing slouching. The driver sits high, and the vast surrounding areas of glass give him, and all his passengers, a commanding all-round view. Pedal angles are quite good, the organ-pedal type accelerator being well positioned, but the dipswitch is rather deeply embedded in the floor covering and not always easy to use quickly

Door release catches are unobtrusive, below the front ends of the four armrests, and these catches have been modified in shape recently for easier operation. The window winders are also well placed for easy use, but the heater switch, which has a warning light, is a long way from the driver and would be better at the opposite end of the central panel carrying this, a cigarette lighter and an ashtray. The heater itself delivers a good volume of air and has two large control knobs on the facia. Unfortunately, a lot of the air seems to miss the driver's feet, and only warms him above the ankles. The demister grilles also seem to disperse the hot air rather widely instead of concentrating it right on the windscreen.

The back seat squab is too upright for comfort over long distances. This is probably connected with the hinging arrangements for folding the back flat to increase the size of the luggage platform. All doors give good clearance for getting into or out of the seats, and interior air circulation can be varied widely by using the front-door quarter lights or the large forward-hinged windows behind the rear doors.

Safety features include a plastic surround to the interior mirror, padded edges to the facia and the shelf below it on the left, a dished steering wheel and soft sun visors. A make-up mirror is well embedded in the padding of the passenger's visor. There is no shelf for oddments below the facia on the driver's side, but there is a slim map pocket in each front door.

A cowled horizontal-strip speedometer, with mileage recorder but no separate trip register, is visible through the large steering wheel, and its panel incorporates a fuel gauge, water temperature gauge and indicator lights. The screen wipers are effective at all car speeds, and the control knob varies the speed of wiping. It also operates the washer, but this knob is rather out of the way behind the steering wheel and gear lever. With its locking glove box on the left, the facia is plain but neat and functional.

A headlamp flasher knob on the end of the turn indicator lever is for finger-tip use room the steering wheel, and the headlamps give plenty of light for fast driving. One ingenious Ford device is a switch at the extreme right of the facia, for parking purposes. This leaves only one front and one rear lamp lit (offside in Britain) and at the same time isolates the ignition and starter. Thus the car cannot be started with only these two lamps operating.

When the rear squab is folded forwarded there is still clearance between its end and the back of the front seat. This enables loads to be reached more easily through the back doors. The tailgate, which has a window as wide as that of the Zephyr saloon, is of fibreglass. It gives a high and wide opening, and is supported by vertical stainless steel struts linked to torsion bars below the floor, which is covered with a tough p.v.c. material, easy to clean.

A stainless steel bar is mounted behind the rear seat squab, for use as a handle for moving it and as a guard rail for stopping bulky luggage from sliding forward under sudden braking. The floor space, with the seat back flat, is 5ft 10in. long and 4ft 9.5in. wide, but unlike that of the more recent estate car in the Ford family, the Cortina, this floor is very high above ground. Available carrying space is said to be 62cu.ft. with the floor flat and 29cu.ft. with the back seat in use.

How much of this space is safely and conveniently useable depends on the owner and what he wants to carry, Normal holiday luggage for six people would probable disperse itself just as well, and more securely, in the 21 cu.ft. boot of the standard saloon, but a pig or two would probably complain. Spare wheel and tools are below the rear floor in a separate compartment.

Fords were pioneers of reduced maintenance, and although there are still 12 points needing a grease-gun, this is required only at 5,000-mile intervals. Engine oil changes are recommended at the same mileage, while the gearbox and final drive simply call for the occasional check and topping-up

For those who want a fast, big, tough estate car that will take everything in its long stride, the Zephyr 6 should have a very strong appeal. In a dual role of workhorse and town carriage it can have few rivals at the price.