RAF 3 Piece vehicle set.

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I discreetly took this today at a Steam rally, is it Corgi or Dinky ?

Looks like the Vintage Corgi Classics RAF VEHICLES 'Battle of Britain' 50th Anniversary Set D35.

I hope that you paid for it.

Does any one know when the Ford Zephyr MK2 took over from the Standard Ensign as the RAF Staff Car ?

I thought the 50th anniversary had been in 1968 when they were at the Mk 4 version of the Zephyr ( Zephyr Six ? ) range.

I remember that the Standard Vanguard had been a staff car in the late 1940's because a friend who purchased items from military disposal sales obtained a number of crates with replacement Standard engines in that had never been taken out of their boxes.

Forty years ago on my first visit to America discovered that they had a Standard Car Model called the TR10 which I had never heard off in England ( May have been the export model for the 1950's Standard Ten before they purchased Triumph Motors and dropped the Standard Name. )

I've seen the model three set advertized around the £20 mark so £18 was not much of a saving ~ depends upon the condition of the box set lid.

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My MKII Zephyr model that I bought from a Duxford airshow a few years ago.

Peter wrote:

Did they do an automatic version?

I used to know someone who had a pristine Armstrong Siddley that was automatic, a Sapphire I think so automatics were around then. I know Dad had an automatic something with column shift so the letters were easily seen above the steering wheel.

Peter ~ The Zephyr MK2 had been the first to offer a 3 speed automatic as an option.

In my reference books it records the MK2 had two body style options ( Highline & Lowline ) and ran from 1952 to 1962.

I have the MK3 as being from 1962 to 1966 and the MK4 as from 1966 to 1972 when they must have introduced the Consul Granada range.

In the early 1950's the Armstrong Siddeley's were participating in the Monte Carlo Rally and my old boss from Rugby bought one to refurbish in his retirement.

Peter wrote:

I nearly added that I used to work with a guy who was involved with a Zephyr 7 days endurance record in 1966 but Google tells be it was the Zodiac Mk2. Close!

Z Cars anyone? da da di dadadada......

I believe that Paul's Duxford purchased model is of the ' Lowline ' body type with a Cambridge County Council registration.

I understand now that they have an official ' Endurance Rally Association ' to marshal these events ~ We drove a MK3 Cortina from Upper Heyford to Cortina in Northern Italy in 7 days in the mid 1970's while the competitors I believe drove there and back in 7 days ( Roger Clark ? )

Z cars was a good product placement for Fords as every one associated it with their Zephyr Six range of cars that were released in the same year ( 1962 ? ) however our contacts in the BBC told us that it was taken from an unused call sign from the North of England police force. ( The Sweeney also promoted the Ford Consul Granada range for their series in the mid 1970's )