IT’S ALWAYS hard to let go of a car when you buy a new one, so the Jones family decided to keep their old car – for fifty six years.
Not only that but they flew their Ford Zephyr Zodiac all the way from Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) when the family decided to finally relocate here. The almost pristine 1954 Mark 1 model now has its own garage within which to languish in Luccombe – it hasn’t been driven since 1989.
“Have you come to see the churry?” asks Noreen Jones when we arrive at their home. Churry is the word for an old car in Africa, and although she is undoubtedly a vintage model, she certainly looks very good for her years.
Erle Jones is now thinking about restoring the car to its former glory, although her paintwork in the original colours looks pretty good for such an old gal. She’s been garaged for 19 years, and Erle’s neighbour even helped to build a special garage just to keep her snug and dry.
“When we left Northern Rhodesia the exchange rate was so low that it was only £250 to fly the car over,” explained Erle. “I had only been offered £60 for it in Africa and we had to spend our money before we left and I thought I’d kick myself if I didn’t bring it over with us.
“I was three years old when it arrived at our home in the bush – my father and a friend flew down to pick it up from Salisbury and had to drive it back to Kitwe at 50mph. It took two days because they had to stop and have it serviced half way in Lusaka and they were entertained to lunch by the director of Ford in Northern Rhodesia. It was one of only two in the country at that time.
“Although it was my mother’s car for everyday use such as shopping, we had many wonderful trips in it out in Africa. One was up to Lake Tanganyika and we had to drive through the Congo to get there. Another time went to a game reserve in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) with my mother Noreen, my father Erles and my older sister Margaret.
“One gloomy day my father decided to take us fishing, but the stream we crossed earlier in the day became engorged with the rain when we returned. I remember my sister and myself waking up in the back of the car with the river running under the car, and beginning to come into it.
“My father had to go out in the dark to get help and left us in the car. He walked to the Rhodes Hotel and they said, “My gosh, you’re lucky.” Leopards had been sighted in the area just a couple of days before. They came with a Land Rover and pulled us out.”
On another trip Erle’s father decided to paddle a canoe across a crocodile infested lake to photograph some elephants with his Rolleiflex. “He fell out of his canoe and my sister had to take a little boat to rescue him, which wouldn’t start at first – it was nail biting for those few minutes,” he remembered.
“It was the first car in the world to have Macpherson strut suspension, which gave it very good road holding abilities,” Erle explained. “The same model car won the Monte Carlo Rally in 1953 – driven by Gatsonides who invented the speed camera.
“My aunt and uncle had the same car as did two of their relatives – it became the most popular car. Channel Four did a programme on the British car industry and in 1955 two out of five cars were Ford Consuls or Ford Zephyrs.
“We still have the original HP agreements, which were done through my father’s company – he was the MD of an engineering company on Northern Rhodesia’s copper belt and did contracts for the mines,” said Erle.
“In 1964 he bought a new car and put this one in the garage, where it remained until 1989 when we flew it over here. I would love to find someone to help and advise me with it,” he wished. “My father would have known about these things but unfortunately he died in 1996.”
One thing is for certain, this car won’t be crowded out by other Ford Zephyrs or Consuls if Erle ever does get her back on the road. Are there even any other models on the Island?
“I’m hoping to make a start on it next summer – or maybe this summer,” said Erle. Maybe Noreen will get to do her shopping trips in her again one day?
