Back to back: Consul or Cambridge?

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Auctioneers H&H are hammering down an array of classics on the 28th at Donington Park -  full lot list here. We pick out two of the loveliest bread-and-butter cars on offer, which also happen to be close competitors: a Ford Consul and an Austin Cambridge. Both cars that were real opponents back in the day when they were new, like they still are now. Apart from their year (both are 1956); engineering (both are 1500s); design (both are typically American inspired medium sized saloons), colours schemes (both come in two-tone with cream and pale blue/green) and condition (both have matching numbers and are said to be good); their estimates are about the same too: £4,500-£5,500 for the Consul; £4,000-£5,000 for the Cambridge.

To start with the Ford – it’s one of 54 Mk1s known to be on the road in the UK today, which is a remarkably low number. It comes with manual transmission and uses very nice red upholstery. But the slightly more understated A50 Cambridge has the advantage of a noteworthy history, with supposedly just 5,058 miles from new. Well, unwarranted, that is. But it’s credible as the car was used on a Malaysian IADS airbase (for Integrated Air Defence System) from new until 2000 when RAF Flight Sergeant Stephen Pollitt took it to the UK. The question now is: which one do you prefer?

(Words Jeroen Booij, pictures courtesy H&H)

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