Ford Anglia
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Missing image Ford.anglia.bristol.750pix.jpg 1953 Ford Anglia E494A |
Missing image 1960.ford.anglia.100E.arp.750pix.jpg 1960 Ford Anglia 100E |
Missing image Ford.anglia.105e.moors.arp.750pix.jpg 1966 Ford Anglia 105E in Wales |
Missing image 1967.ford.anglia.arp.750pix.jpg 1967 Ford Anglia 105E |
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 1940 and 1967.
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Anglia E04A (1940 - 1948)
The first model, launched in 1940 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-30s, with an upright radiator. 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 for a total of 55,807 built.
Anglia E494A (1949 - 1953)
The 1949 model, code E494A, was a makeover of the previous model with a rather more '40s style front-end, including the sloped, twin-lobed radiator grille, rather reminiscent of a BMW. Again it was a very spartan vehicle. While production as an Anglia ceased in 1953, it continued on as the extremely basic Ford Popular until 1959. Including all production, 108,878 were built.
Anglia 100E (1953 - 1959)
In 1953, Ford released a completely new car - the 100E 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 Ford Popular, touted as the cheapest car in the world. Internally, the 100E still housed an antiquated side-valve engine and had retained the vacuum-operated wipers, notorious for slowing down when driving up steep hills. However, they sold well; by the time production ceased in 1959, 345,841 had rolled off the production line. There were two estate car (US: station wagon) versions, the Escort and the Squire.
Anglia 105E (1959 - 1967)
The final Anglia model was the 105E, 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 '50s Studebaker 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, the car sported a backward-slanted rear window and a flat roofline (which gave it reasonable rear headroom) and it had tailfins, albeit much toned-down from its American counterparts.
The new styling was matched by a new engine, something that the smaller Fords had been needing for some time - a 997cc overhead-valve straight-4. Acceleration from rest was still, by the standards of today, sluggish, but it was much improved from earlier cars. Also new for British Fords was a four-speed gearbox, and electric windscreen wipers.
The old 100E Anglia remained available as the new Ford Popular, while the Escort remained available unchanged. In 1961 the Escort was replaced with the 105E Anglia estate.
Super Anglia 123E (1962 -1967)
From 1962, the 123E Anglia Super was available alongside the 105E replacing the last of the line of Prefects, with a larger 1198cc 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 style often seen in the United States. Chrome bumper overriders were also fitted, broad white stripe tyres, and optionally a side stripe kicking up at the end into the taillights/fin.
An enchanted, flying light blue Ford Anglia 105E features in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The Anglia in the book can magically stretch (on thie inside) to accommodate all the Weasleys and Harry, become invisible, and fly.
1,288,956 105E Anglias were produced, before it was replaced by the new Ford Escort.
| Succeeded by: Ford Escort |