MK2 ZEPHYR - Glory Days

Malcolm U. has built the Ford V8-powered 1959 Zephyr that he craved as a young man. Older is faster...

As much as we love living on the cusp of existence and all the things that can give us, like the internet, cheap travel and the luxuries of modern life, do you ever wonder what it would be like to turn the clock back. Of course you do, no matter how old you are there's the 25-year rule: whatever was cool when you were 15, give it 25 years and it will be an appreciating asset as other people will feel the same and get all nostalgic.

South African, Malcolm Uytenbogaardt has built the Ford V8-powered 1959 Zephyr that he craved as a young man. Older is faster...

What's the reality though? Is there a chance you're blinded by the rose-tinted specs? In Malcolm Uytenbogaardt's case, most certainly not, he's always had a self-confessed soft spot for British Fords, American Fords and sports cars in general so his Zephyr is the period perfect mix of this interest. Being located in South Africa means his influences come from all angles and countries, and English cars with V8s were what you aspired too. The culture here is a melting pot of styles and the cars reflect that.

Malcolm was in his late teens and early 20s in the '70s and this is the era that he wanted to ape with his Mk2. "I bought it to build a period type street rod of the late '60s early '70s. The kind you'd see cruising around back then." Can you imagine rolling down the Cape Town waterfront, V8 burble at the back and some cash in your pocket? No credit cards, no mobile phones and the police only had their wits to catch you with. Sounds good, huh?

Pastel master

The base for the project came to Malcolm as a rolling '59 shell in need of some bodywork. The finish now is crisp and clean and here in the low sun the yellow top half looks like it's melting over the cream lower. The pastel shades have an air of understated respect about them, no flame jobs or gaudy colors here.

The base for the project came to Malcolm as a rolling '59 shell in need of some bodywork

Z-cars instantly look tough with a little extra wheel and tire. "In those days banded steel rims were in," says Malcolm, "but if you were 'The Man' then a set of Torque Trust D's or American Racing Mags were the thing to have." Which is exactly what we have here, subtly color-coded with gold centers; not massive at 7x15-inch, but enough to add some menace.

Underneath the bonnet is where the real rebel lives in this Zephyr, Malcolm took the race - tuned 302 V8 out of his '67 Mustang race car, and upgraded that to a 351 and Jericho 'box. Taking some of the tune out of the V8, it went in with a manual 'box, because shifting gears and lighting the rears is where it's at.

Teenage spots

Once again he's kept it period with a few dress up goodies like the chrome rocker covers and air cleaner. In fact the whole build is very subtle - we love the fact there's a manual shifter on the inside, but it's sat in front of the stock bench seat. We reckon that central armrest must stay permanently folded down to keep the driver in place, and did you notice the lack of belts? You just didn't crash back then... The spotlights mounted on the cut-down front bumper may divide opinion, but when you blast along the back roads getting your latest girlfriend home before curfew, you'd probably appreciate them.

The spotlights mounted on the cut-down front bumper may divide opinion

What Malcolm has created here is the perfect memory that he never had. "It's a real sleeper and can comfortably cruise at 80 mph, but put your foot down and she really takes off " We'll bet it does Malcolm, because sometimes it'd be nice to just go back in time and shrug it all off for a while. Cherry-pick the bits of the past you want and have them all to yourself. As Malcolm momentarily lights them up and heads off, it occurs to me that maybe the Zephyr is the coolest time machine I've seen...

What Malcolm has created here is the perfect memory that he never had