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  1. #1

    Default The Zephyr Is Back! ... ugh

    Nope, it's not a crossover or anything, it's a GREAT looking sedan! ... but it's only for China.

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    So, we're back to this, I guess. They offer amazing products I really want, but not in this market. I REALLY HATE THIS FORD!! It's REALLY HARD to be loyal right now!
    Brad

    '79 Mercury Zephyr ES 5.0L GT40 EFI, T-5
    '17 Ford Focus ST
    '14 Ford Fusion SE Manual

  2. #2
    FEP Power Member mcb82gt's Avatar
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    nice lines from the side view!
    Mike

    Now stang-less.

    88 Cougar 5.0

  3. #3
    Moderator wraithracing's Avatar
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    Tell Ford to import it from China. We seem to import almost everything else these days, why not!?
    ​Trey

    "I Don't build it hoping for your approval! I built it because it meets mine!"

    "I've spent most of my money on Mustangs, racing, and women... the rest I just wasted."

    Mustangs Past: Too many to remember!
    Current Mustangs:
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  4. #4
    FEP Power Member 4-barrel Mike's Avatar
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    Meh! Another ugly 4-door nothingburger.

    Mike

  5. #5
    FEP Super Member xctasy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 4-barrel Mike View Post
    Meh! Another ugly 4-door nothingburger.

    Mike
    Sayz the guy (4bbl Mike) with the two door somethingburger to the guy (ZephyrEFI) with the other two door somethingburger.

    4 door non SUV's = 4-door nothingburger. Wise words.

    IMHO, the Chinese can have all the four doors it likes. It'll always be an X taxi.

    The rest of the world has moved on to SUV's, 4 door cab pickups and 2 door specialty coupes. SUV's and X overs and 2 doors make USA great.

  6. #6

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    I thought I read that Lincoln Town Cars are also sold in China but not here?
    That Chinese Zephyr reminds me of the late model Continentals.
    79 Zephyr, 4.6L 4v/4r70w swap, with team z front and rear suspension, 8.8 and upgraded brakes and coil overs. Running Holley Terminator X Max.

  7. #7
    FEP Power Member Broncojunkie's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by xctasy View Post
    Sayz the guy (4bbl Mike) with the two door somethingburger to the guy (ZephyrEFI) with the other two door somethingburger.

    4 door non SUV's = 4-door nothingburger. Wise words.

    IMHO, the Chinese can have all the four doors it likes. It'll always be an X taxi.

    The rest of the world has moved on to SUV's, 4 door cab pickups and 2 door specialty coupes. SUV's and X overs and 2 doors make USA great.
    Hopefully, this is just a trend. After seeing nothing but 4-doors for a few years, lots of people will start reminiscing about the old sporty 2-doors. The other thing that gets me is the vanishing manual transmissions. I was 12 when I first started driving a manual. It was an old chevette. I had a job detailing cars at a used car lot on weekends and during the summer. It was a pretty big place and there was some room on the gravel lot behind the shop where they didn't mind me doing a few laps here and there. I never had an adult sit in the car with me and coach me. A guy just stood beside the car with me in the drivers seat. He explained how it worked and I took off. Now, I know adults in their 30's who consider driving a manual impossible. I've even tried to teach them and I guess they have it in their heads that only the elite car enthusiast is capable.

    Personally, I'm sticking with my 2-door manual cars...except for my '17 tacoma, which is a 4-door manual. I wanted the 4-door in a truck not so much for the extra doors, but for the extra room.
    79 Pace Car - 331, t5
    79 Pace Car- 302, 4 spd
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  8. #8
    FEP Super Member NAVYCAT's Avatar
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    now thats a beautiful ford sedan????? Hello Mr Ford
    2017 Ford Explorer Sport (DD) 1986 Capri 5.0 Silver/Red
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  9. #9
    FEP Senior Member dtmilsap's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by NAVYCAT View Post
    now thats a beautiful ford sedan????? Hello Mr Ford
    Just drop a 500 hp engine in it and I would buy it. Don't care v6 turbo or v8 na.

    Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

  10. #10

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    I've read that Ford has been taken by surprise by how high the Bronco's take rate is with the manual. See, you cheap bastards?!

    I held out owning only 2-doors until I ran out of Ford/Mercury/Lincoln models to buy in 2006. I never did make it into an Escort ZX2 or a Focus ZX3, but meh. I never liked the first gen Focus that was sold here until 2011. Now my preference is sedans/hatches with manuals. Ford sells exactly ZERO products I'm interested in at this point. I'm not a crossover guy, or a truck guy. Not interested. I'd hoped they'd let Lincoln hold onto a sedan model, but they announced both the Continental and MKZ were getting the axe in the past year. They totally COULD sell a sedan here since the upcoming Fusion "outback" thingy and Edge both share the CD platform they still build the Mondeo on. Not to mention the RWD Explorer/Aviator platform would be an excellent place to start on a luxury sedan. But nope. No such plans exist. Cheap bastards. Our current cars are in good shape for now, but what about in 5 years? What will we do then? I would LOVE to add a second Zephyr to the fleet... you listening Ford? No? Didn't think so.
    Brad

    '79 Mercury Zephyr ES 5.0L GT40 EFI, T-5
    '17 Ford Focus ST
    '14 Ford Fusion SE Manual

  11. #11
    FEP Super Member NAVYCAT's Avatar
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    the new focus and fiesta are NOW hot rockets! they are kicking ass everywhere....(but here) ford's new CEO is saying that he loves the new Puma, and there are pictures of some driving around for testing.
    2017 Ford Explorer Sport (DD) 1986 Capri 5.0 Silver/Red
    1969 Falcon XW GTHO coupe (SOLD) went to Australia
    Past 4 eyes-
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    Both '84 Capri's vin# were 10 away from each other
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  12. #12

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    The Puma is a crossover. It's certainly better looking than the Ecosport though I guess....

    I sure like my Focus ST. It's the best handling car I've ever had for sure. It's a blast to drive. Even the other 3 mk3 Foci we owned were great driving cars too. But nope, they had to shoot themselves in the foot with that stupid DSG.
    Brad

    '79 Mercury Zephyr ES 5.0L GT40 EFI, T-5
    '17 Ford Focus ST
    '14 Ford Fusion SE Manual

  13. #13
    Moderator wraithracing's Avatar
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    I just looked up the Puma. It looks like a slightly less ugly version of the Nissan Juke. Not a huge fan of the styling. NOT so hideous you can't deal with it, but still don't like the HUGE Bug Eye headlights. Oh well not coming to the US, so no worries.
    ​Trey

    "I Don't build it hoping for your approval! I built it because it meets mine!"

    "I've spent most of my money on Mustangs, racing, and women... the rest I just wasted."

    Mustangs Past: Too many to remember!
    Current Mustangs:
    1969 Mach 1
    1979 Pace Car now 5.0/5 speed
    1982 GT Stalled RestoModification
    1984 SVO Still Waiting Restoration
    1986 GT Under going Wide Body Conversion Currently

    Current Capris:
    1981 Capri Roller
    1981 Capri Black Magic Roller Basket Case
    1982 Capri RS 5.0/4spd T-top Full Restoration Stalled in TX
    1984 Capri RS T-top Roller
    1983-84 Gloy Racing Trans Am/IMSA Body Parts

  14. #14
    FEP Super Member NAVYCAT's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by wraithracing View Post
    I just looked up the Puma. It looks like a slightly less ugly version of the Nissan Juke. Not a huge fan of the styling. NOT so hideous you can't deal with it, but still don't like the HUGE Bug Eye headlights. Oh well not coming to the US, so no worries.
    I think it will come here trey because other manufactures are coming out with something like it, and yes to replace the eco sport...what ever its called lol.
    2017 Ford Explorer Sport (DD) 1986 Capri 5.0 Silver/Red
    1969 Falcon XW GTHO coupe (SOLD) went to Australia
    Past 4 eyes-
    4th. 1981 Capri "White" Black Magic I6
    3rd. 1984 Capri RS V8 Black/grey
    2nd. 1984 Capri RS V8 White/red
    1st. 1984 SVO Grey/grey (traded it for a worn out 1970 BOSS 302)
    Both '84 Capri's vin# were 10 away from each other
    U.S. NAVY 1980-2009

  15. #15

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    Oh man, the Juke is certainly one of the ugliest cars of recent memory. They did somehow manage to top it with the Kicks though. Even uglier. There's a Toyota that looks like that too, CHR or something. They look like a poop emoji on wheels. I can't believe anyone buys those. We don't want sedans, but we want those....
    Brad

    '79 Mercury Zephyr ES 5.0L GT40 EFI, T-5
    '17 Ford Focus ST
    '14 Ford Fusion SE Manual

  16. #16
    FEP Super Member gr79's Avatar
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    Why would any auto co marketing group name a product with a word combo of joke and puke?

  17. #17

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    Haha good point.

    Jalopnik posted an article saying "this is the future of Ford sedans like it or not"

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    Ford says the Evos was co-developed with their Chinese partner and is for the Chinese market only. They are showing it at the same show where Lincoln introduced the Zephyr. It does look a lot like the Mach E and might point the direction of a future model in the US, like the Fusion replacement. This one picture looks okay, but trust me, it is the ONLY angle that's the case. Side and rear view are TERRIBLE. It looks like a Honda Crosstour, one of the ugliest creations Honda's come up with recently. On par with the ZDX. See for yourself.

    https://jalopnik.com/the-evos-is-the...not-1846721014

    Horrible. They NEED to bring the Zephyr here. Yeah, build it in China if you have to, but it's a better option than no cars at all. What about the Mustang though, you ask? As soon as they slapped a Mustang badge on the Mach E, the traditional V8 coupe's days became numbered.
    Brad

    '79 Mercury Zephyr ES 5.0L GT40 EFI, T-5
    '17 Ford Focus ST
    '14 Ford Fusion SE Manual

  18. #18
    FEP Super Member xctasy's Avatar
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    The time honoured rule is: Never build a four door car from a specialty coupe two door body line.

    Porsche Lamborghini and Ferrari realised that four door cars based on two or three door specialty coupes really murder the economics unless it's a SUV.

    Maserati somehow got way with it four times between 1966 and 2020...via shear dumb luck as far as I can tell.


    Important Roman Rules apply here:-


    It's okay to do it if you are Maserati building Quattroportes, but not if your Aston Martin or Ford or Ferrari.

    Ford decide to keep a zone of separation by making the March E an SUV, with no Mustang DNA except the image. Image and part sharing must not cross..the customer will cotton on, and disinfranchisE themselves from paying cost plus a margin for a specialty coupe.

    China will always love four doors. But four doors de-value a 2 door production line unless there is some cLear separation. Customers of expensive specialty two door coupes know they are being "conned" if they can buy a four door at less margin. This is a rule. Robert L McNamara learned it. Two door two place Coupes, different issue. You can have a 2+2 or 2 seat Jaguar, Nissan or Datsun sharing the same body engineering, but never down grade a specialty coupe by adding two doors and calling it a sedan. Mazda killed it's 929 Cosmo series in 1982 doing just that. Melding a radical two door into a hardtop 929 Cosmo body and wrecking the economics.

    Ford were a 25% share holder in Mazda, and we're hoping to build the Falcon off a four door Mazda Cosmo 2 door base. Apparently, the compromises are too great to head room and space utilisation and the public bite hard against the 4 door variant. It's a simple rule that Ford have learned.


    It works the other way too. If you make a two door from a 4 door sedan, it must have major body DNA changes. The Mazda 626 two door was a marketing failure, being just a hardtop version of the 626 sedan and 5 door hatch.


    These rules are based on Fords marketing studies from 1962 to 1984. They aced the class.

    GM would have done well to copy FoMoCo's process, but instead, from 1982 to 2003, they killed mainline specialty coupe production and focused on two doors based on front drive four doors.

    The 4 door Holden Commodore verses the 2 door Monaro and GTO...the 2 door car was not a specialty coupe as it shared too much of the four door car.

    The Mustang has always had a huge amount of specialty DNA. Front gaurds, hoods and wind shield and A pillar to C pillar proportions cannot be shared..or the customer will know they have been lied to.

    Ford almost made the same mistake with the 1980-1982 Cougar XR7 and Cougar Wagon. It's a fine line that Ford worked with considerable risk of screwing itself during the Fox era. Lee Iococo pushed the envolope with the K car, Datona Front drive specailty coupe and Omini and Rampage and Voyager and made it work.

    FoMoCo won't import 4 doors, or it will devalue it's 2 door and 5 door Mustang March E line.

  19. #19

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    *** EDIT ***

    Mach E rant deleted. It's not a Mustang. They never should have called it that. I can only see bad things coming from this.

    If the Zephyr needs to be imported for us to be able to buy it, it's worth it. If it's at Lincoln dealers, it's not stepping on the Mustang's toes. From what I've heard, Lincoln dealers are screaming for a sedan to sell their traditional buyers. It would be incredibly stupid for them to not do this.
    Last edited by ZephyrEFI; 04-26-2021 at 07:08 PM.
    Brad

    '79 Mercury Zephyr ES 5.0L GT40 EFI, T-5
    '17 Ford Focus ST
    '14 Ford Fusion SE Manual

  20. #20
    FEP Super Member webestang's Avatar
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    I have not liked anything from Ford since the 05 Mustang. But man....that China Zephyr is way cool. And for sure would look even cooler as a 2-door coupe.

    Scotty
    1985 Fox Notch 4-banger Ranger tube header Eastwood Royal Blue
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