The most desirable Fords from this pre XD Falcon period is a toss-up between any Falcon GT, XM, XP and XA to XC Hardtop, V8 Fairlane, Galaxie, LTD or a Cortina GT 500. They’re all great cars and very much part of our Australian motoring heritage, and I’d love any of them. But, the operative word here is ‘favourite’. I was fortunate enough to have a happy childhood, and during that time, my extended family had four Zephyrs – two 1955 Mark Is and a Mark II Wagon and Ute. I learned to drive on all of them, getting my license in the Wagon. Sixty odd years later, I still go weak at the knees whenever I see one at a car show, particularly if it’s still in stock condition. I’ve been known to walk past acres of exotica to talk to someone with an original ‘55 or wagon, because it brings back a wave of good memories and yes, nostalgia for a past which may or may not have been better than today. The Zephyrs gave great service around our farm, all of them getting bogged, and then extricated in time to go for a family outing to the local Drive-in, copping the odd busted windscreen on the way. Annoying features like vacuum wipers, extra low clearance and extra large turning circles were no deterrent. Zephyrs are becoming the almost forgotten Ford, very much part of the ‘50s and ‘60s Australian motoring scene.