Around 1960, the Ford Group chose to equip new models with rear windows that sloped inwards. The Consul 315 was produced for a short period between 1961 and 1963. Was the model discontinued early because the rear window concept had gone out of fashion?
Model history
Consul was not a new model designation for British Ford. The Ford Consul had been produced in several editions since 1951 until the Consul 315 was launched. It was equipped with disc brakes and twin headlights. In the first year of production, the cars got a 1340 ccm OHV engine. From 1962, the cars got a 1.5 liter engine which was later continued as an engine option in the Ford Cortina. When the Ford Cortina arrived in 1962, it received the model designation "Consul Cortina". Both Cortina and Corsair are considered successors to the Consul 315.
Slanted rear window
From 1959, Ford had begun designing models with an inward-sloping rear window. The concept was inherited from American models such as the Ford Galaxie 500, Mercury Monterey and Lincoln Continental. Seen from today's eyes, the Consul 315 looks very stylish – and in my opinion it looks best from the rear. But it wasn't the rear window that caused the model to be discontinued early. It was because it was supposedly too expensive to produce compared to its competitors. The Consul 315 wasn't a bad car.
Consul Capri
A 2-door Coupé model was called Consul Capri - or 335 Consul. It had the same front as the sedan models, but the rear window sloped "the right way" and no center pillar. The engines were the same as those supplied for 2- and 4-door sedan models. From 1963 a GT version with a trimmed 1340 cc engine was available. The Consul Capri was kept in production until 1964.
About the pictures
The main photo was taken at a car meet in Morden Park, London, in the summer of 2022. The red car is a Consul Capri – the coupé variant of the Consul 315. The photos were taken at the Oslo Motor Show when it was held at Exporama.
Click on an image to view in a larger format.
Copyright notice
See
