Ford Anglia

The Ford Anglia was a British car from Ford in the UK. It was related to the Ford Prefect and the later Ford Popular. The Ford Anglia name was applied to four models of car between 1939 and 1967.

1,594,486 Anglias were produced, before it was replaced by the new Ford Escort.

Anglia E04A (1939–1948)

1946 Ford Anglia E04A

Production 1939–1948

55,807 units

Body style(s)

2-door saloon

Engine(s)

933 cc I4

Related Ford Prefect

The first model, launched in 1939 and given the internal Ford model code of E04A, was a facelifted version of the Ford 7Y, a simple vehicle aimed at the cheap end of the market, with few features. Most were painted Ford black. Styling was typically late-1930s, with an upright radiator. There were standard and de-luxe models, the latter having better instrumentation and, on pre war models, running boards. Both front and rear suspensions used transverse leaf springs and the brakes were mechanical.

A 1172 cc straight-4 engine was fitted for some export markets, including North America where imports began for model year 1948; these cars used the slightly more aerodynamic "three-hole" grille from the 1937-8 Ford Ten 7W, prefacing the 1949 E494A facelift. They also had sealed beam headlights and small, separate parking lights mounted underneath as well as dual taillights, into which flashing turn signals could be added without adding additional lights.

The 2-door Anglia is similar to the 4-door E93A Ford Prefect.

Production, hindered by the closure of Ford's factory during the Second World War, ceased in 1948 after a total of 55,807 had been built.

Anglia E494A (1949–1953)

1953 Ford Anglia E494A

Production 1949–1953

108,878 units

Body style(s)

2-door saloon
2-door panel van
2-door tourer (Australia)
2-door coupe utility (Australia)

Engine(s)

933 cc I4

Transmission(s) 3 speed manual

Wheelbase 90 in (2286 mm)

Length 154 in (3912 mm)

Width 57 in (1448 mm)

Height 63 in (1600 mm)

The 1949 model, code E494A, was a makeover of the previous model with a rather more 1940s style front-end, including the sloped, twin-lobed radiator grille. Again it was a very spartan vehicle and in 1948 was Britain's lowest priced four wheel car[2].

An Anglia tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1948 had a top speed of 57 mph (92 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-50 mph (80 km/h) in 38.3 seconds. A fuel consumption of 36.2 miles per imperial gallon (7.80 L/100 km; 30.1 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £309 including taxes. [2]

Delivery vans based on the Anglia supported British commerce for several decades:
these 'commercial' versions often retained the mechanical components and front sections of superseded Anglia saloons.

Including all production, 108,878 were built. When production as an Anglia ceased in 1953, it continued as the extremely basic Ford Popular until 1959.

Anglia 100E (1953–1959)

1960 Ford Anglia 100E

Production 1953–1959

345,841 units

Body style(s)

2-door saloon
3-door estate car
2-door panel van

Engine(s)

1172 cc Straight-4

Wheelbase 87 in (2210 mm)

Length

151.75 in (3854 mm) (saloon)
141.75 in (3600 mm) (estate)

Width 60.5 in (1537 mm)

Height 57.25 in (1454 mm)

Curb weight

1,624 lb (737 kg) (saloon)
1,792 lb (813 kg) (estate)

Related

Ford Popular
Ford Perfect

In 1953, Ford released the 100E, designed by Lacuesta Automotive. It was a completely new car with a more modern "three-box" style. The 100E was available as a 2-door Anglia and a 4-door Prefect. During this period the old Anglia was available as the 103E Popular, touted as the cheapest car in the world.

Internally there were individual front seats trimmed in PVC, hinged to allow access to the rear. The instruments (speedometer, fuel gauge and ammeter) were placed in a cluster around the steering column and the gear change was floor mounted. A heater and radio were optional extras.

Under the bonnet the 100E still housed an antiquated, but actually new, 36 bhp side-valve engine sharing the bore and stroke of the old unit but now with larger bearings and inlet valves and pump-assisted cooling. The three speed gearbox was retained. The vacuum-operated windscreen wipers were also kept, notorious for slowing down when driving up steep hills, or coming to a complete rest when trying to overtake. The separate chassis construction of the previous models was replaced by unit construction and the front suspension used Macpherson struts, with anti-roll bar and semi-elliptic leaf springs at the rear. A rare option for 1957 and 1958 was Newtondrive clutchless gearchange. The electrical system became 12 volt.

1958 Ford Anglia 101E

The 100E sold well; by the time production ceased in 1959, 345,841 had rolled off the production line. There were from 1955 two estate car (US: station wagon) versions, the Escort, based on the Anglia and the Squire based on the Prefect. Small commercial variants, badged as Thames, were also made.

An Anglia saloon tested by the British Motor magazine in 1954 had a top speed of 70.2mph (113.0 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 29.4 seconds. A fuel consumption of 30.3 miles per imperial gallon (9.32 L/100 km; 25.2 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £511 including taxes.

Anglia 105E (1959–1967)

1967 Ford Anglia 105E

Production 1959–1967

1,004,737 units

Body style(s)

2-door saloon
3-door estate car
2-door panel van

Engine(s) 997 cc I4

Wheelbase 91 in (2311 mm)

Length 154 in (3912 mm)

Width 56 in (1422 mm)

Height 56 in (1422 mm)

Curb weight 1,624 lb (737 kg) (saloon)

1966 Ford Anglia 123E in Wales

The final Anglia model, the 105E, was introduced in 1959. Its American-influenced styling included a nose line sweeping down to a slanted grille in between prominent 'eye' headlamps. Its smoothly sloped line there looked more like a 1950s Studebaker (or even early Ford Thunderbird) than the more aggressive-looking late-'50s American Fords, possibly because its British designers used wind-tunnel testing and streamlining. Like late-'50s Lincolns and Mercurys and the Citroën Ami of France, the car sported a backward-slanted rear window (so that it would remain clear in rain) and a flat roofline (which gave it reasonable rear headroom) and it had tailfins, albeit much toned-down from its American counterparts. An estate car joined the saloon in the line-up in September 1961.

The new styling was matched by a new engine, something that the smaller Fords had been needing for some time—a 997 cc overhead-valve straight-4 that became known by its "Kent" code name. Acceleration from rest was still sluggish (by the standards of today), but it was much improved from earlier cars. Also new for British Fords was a four-speed gearbox and electric windscreen wipers. The Macpherson strut independent front suspension used on the 100E was retained.

The 105E set 6 new World Records for an under 1100 cc car in 1962 when Tony Brookes and his twin brother Michael Brookes and their team achieved an average speed of over 83 mph (134 km/h) for seven days and nights at the Montlhery circuit just south of Paris.

A new Anglia saloon tested by the British Motor magazine in 1959 had a top speed of 73.8 mph (118.8 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 26.9 seconds. A fuel consumption of 41.2 miles per imperial gallon (6.86 L/100 km; 34.3 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £610 including taxes of £180.

The old 100E Anglia became the new 100E Popular and the Prefect bodyshell remained available as the new Ford Prefect (107E) which had all 105E running gear, including engine and brakes, while the 100E Escort remained available unchanged. In 1961 the Escort was replaced with the 105E Anglia estate. Both cars are popular with hot rodders to this day, helped by the interchangeability of parts and the car's tuning potential.

References in Popular Media

Vyvyan from the BBC sitcom "The Young Ones" owned a yellow version of the car with a flame job.

Roland Rat had a pink 1957 Ford Anglia known as the 'Ratmobile'.

A blue 105E car prominently featured in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, as Harry Potter's friend Ron Weasley's father's car, one he charmed to give it the capability of flight. Ron later crashes the Anglia into the Whomping Willow attempting, along with Harry, to reach Hogwarts on time after missing the Hogwarts Express.

The 1960 film Never Let Go revolves around the theft of a Ford Anglia, and subsequent attempts to recover it.

The Portuguese triple-play service, meo, uses a white Ford Anglia with modded interiors for their commercials. That car is known by the people as the "meo commanders's car" (o carro do meo comandante).

Super Anglia 123E (1962–1967)

1966 Anglia Super

Production 1962–1967

79,223 units

Body style(s)

2-door saloon
3-door estate car
2-door panel van

Engine(s)

1198 cc I4

From 1962, the 123E Anglia Super was available alongside the 105E, replacing the last of the line of Prefects, with a larger 1198 cc engine and other refinements.

The same car was also sold in Europe. One Europe-only variant was the Anglia Sportsman that carried its spare tyre on the back, somewhat similar to the continental kit often seen in the United States. Chrome bumper overriders, broad whitewall tyres, and optionally a side stripe kicking up at the end into the tail-lights/fin were also fitted.

Towards the end of the run Ford experimented with two colours of metallic paint on the Anglia, "Blue Mink" and "Venetian Gold". 250 were made in the Blue and 500 were made in the Gold, so they are both quite rare.

Anglia saloons were provided with various levels of trim. The base model was the Standard, and this sported no chromework, painted rear light surrounds, steel slatted grille and limited interior trim. The deluxe had a chrome side strip, chrome rear lights, glovebox lid, sun visor and full width chrome radiator grille. The top of the range was the Super, which had twin chrome side strips, contrasting coloured roof and side flash, plusher interior trim, together with the 1198 cc engine and a gearbox with synchromesh on first gear.

Optional extras were the mechanical upgrade of a Deluxe to a Super, retaining the Deluxe trim, or the upgrade of a Deluxe to a Super trim, but retaining the 997 cc engine, an option rarely taken up.