in 1961, the first project copp became involved in was project "panda", which became the mkiv zephyr/zodiac range. as the car used the new v-series engines, the then traditional long bonnet concept created a problem until copp required that the car was both larger and had more internal space, and came up with the idea of placing the spare wheel ahead of the radiator on an angle. the result was a vehicle of similar dimensions to the north american ford fairlane. unfortunately, as the mkiv carried over so little engineering from the mkiii, copp's insistence on independent rear suspension resulted in an alarming “tuck-under” of the outer rear wheel when cornering with the back seats empty. neat “bow-back” styling made the capacious boot look deceptively short, but the large expanse of bonnet was unkindly likened to the landing deck of an aircraft carrier by some journalists.