World’s oldest Ford Zephyr Mk2 has reappeared 70 years on
- The oldest Ford Zephyr Mk2 in the world has resurfaced
- The car has a bit of a patchy history
- Its new owner is keen to find out more
Published on Feb 02, 2025 at 12:00 PM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Jan 31, 2025 at 8:21 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
The world’s oldest Ford Zephyr Mk2 has resurfaced almost 70 years after the carmaker gifted it to a UK mayor – but where it’s been all that time is a bit of a mystery.
Back in 1956, Ford gave one of the very first of its Zephyr Mk2s to Darlington mayor and Ford dealership owner John Neasham.
The vehicle was registered in March 1956 – a month before the Ford went on sale to the general public.
Fast-forward seven decades, and that same vehicle has got a new owner – and she’s desperate to find out more about where it’s been.
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The Ford Zephyr Mk2 was modified by its previous owner
The British-made Zephyr was introduced in 1950, with the completely restyled Mark II – or Mk2 – rolling off production lines in 1956.
The Ford Zephyr Mk2 came with a 156 cubic-inch powertrain that had a top speed of 88mph.
To promote the vehicle, Ford gave one to Major Neasham who was a well-known figure in Darlington and the car was registered as NVN 254.
Not quite content with the stock 88mph, Neasham fitted a Raymond Mays conversion kit that pushed its top speed to 101mph – not quite up there with the sort of record speeds you see today but impressive back in 1956.
But just months after taking ownership of his Zephyr Mk2, Ford had a new car it wanted to promote and sent a brand-new model to Neasham.
The vintage vehicle has a patchy history
And it’s around this time the car ‘vanished’, according to The Northern Echo.
Now, that’s not to say the car has been missing the whole time, but its past is patchy at best.
It’s unclear where the car went after Neasham got his hands on the newer vehicle, but in 1974 – and with just 4,500 miles on the clock – it was taken off the road after its engine was badly damaged by frost.
According to the Northern Echo, it then reappeared in 1998 and was given a full restoration by its new owner.
In more recent years, it’s been with a collector and in December was bought by a woman named Sarah Perkins, who was keen to find out more about its history.
She took to social media to ask anyone with any information on it’s ‘amazing history’ to get in touch.
Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Across her career she's covered a wide variety of topics, including celebrity, cryptocurrency, politics, true crime and just about everything in between.
