1962 Ford 105E Anglia Deluxe – and now for something completely different
By: shortfinals
Tags: 105E, automobile, British motor industry, car, drum brakes, Electrics, England, Ford, Ford 'Kent' engine, Ford Anglia, Ford F107E Popular, Lucas, Panda car, technology
Category: Uncategorized
| Aperture: | f/9 |
|---|---|
| Focal Length: | 18mm |
| ISO: | 100 |
| Shutter: | 1/0 sec |
| Camera: | NIKON D3100 |
Amongst the plethora of preserved automobiles on display at the recent Codman Estate Antique Auto Show, there were odd little knots of Britishness. An incredibly rare Austin 8, a beautiful ‘Roller’, two well-loved Jaguar XKE’s, and I admired these echoes of my youth. Then I walked around a Chevy truck – and nearly fell to the floor! As I live and breath – a Ford Anglia; not just that, not one of the older, ‘sit up and and beg’, models (my brother had one of those), but the attempt by Ford in the U.K. to produce a popular car of the moment – and that moment was the 1960s, the Beatles, Swinging London, Carnaby Street; in a word, the last time London mattered, before the 2012 Olympics!
In the mid 1950s, Ford in Britain were still producing a staid little ‘three-box’ shape car called the Ford 100E Popular in two and four door forms, but something was brewing in their Dagenham factory. Then on 30th September, 1959, the Ford 105E Anglia burst on the scene. The company had actually resorted to a windtunnel to shape their new small car, and imported lots of design touches from across the Pond – small rear fins, chrome ‘bumper’ with over-riders, chrome side trim, and hooded headlights. Not only that, but with a touch of the 1958 Lincoln Continental, there was a reverse angled rear window ‘to keep it rain-free’ it was said. The engine was new, also, a little 4 cylinder unit displacing only 998cc, called the ‘Kent’, putting out 39 brake horse power and returning 41 miles per Imperial gallon. There were useful touches such as the opening rear ‘quarter-light’ and the straps to aid rear seat passengers from the car. There was NEVER a four-door version; the best Ford could do was produce the old Ford 100E body shell, but with new Anglia mechanicals, making it a Ford 107E Popular! A strange state of affairs.
Performance was pedestrian – 74 mph, 0 – 60 in 26.9 seconds. If you WERE a pedestrian, you had better hope that a skilled driver was behind the wheel, because cross-ply tyres were standard (inflated to only 22 psi) and stopping power came via 8″ drum brakes, all round.
I suppose the ONE weak point was the electrics. Firstly, the car did not have a new-fangled alternator, but a far less efficient generator; secondly, the unit was built by Lucas. Yes, ‘Lucas, Prince of Darkness’ – the bane of all British motorists! There were other quirks – the heater as optional, not standard, and the spare wheel stood upright at the rear of the boot (trunk, for my American reader), taking up a good deal of space.
Despite all this, the little car was a huge success, being regarded as both stylish and modern. Even various British Police forces used it in rural areas as a patrol car – replacing the policeman on the beat (or bicycle!), the Anglia then being known as a ‘Panda car’, as it was often finished in contrasting panels of blue or black and white; this term has persisted to this day!
The Anglia’s production run finished in June, 1968, and by that time there had been no less than 954, 426 cars built, 129,529 ‘estates’, and 205,001 vans. It was replaced by the Escort, which turned out to be even MORE popular (sorry, bad Ford joke there!) One surprising fact was that the price FELL during the production run. For example, the price of the ‘Standard’ model was £589 in 1959, and £535 in 1967!
The example of the 1962 105E De Luxe you can see here, at the Codman Estate, is owned by Mr John Soares, and I was delighted to see it on show. There is an International Ford 105E Anglia Owners Club, who offer spares support and advice, and a grand group they are. Their technical representatives will tell you how to upgrade the clutch, for example (basically use a Cortina 1500 unit), but their suggestion for replacing that out-dated generator, starts ‘First, get a LUCAS alternator, from a Ford Fiesta 1100….’ – I shuddered!
The Ford Anglia, a truly stylish British small car.
bit.ly/TPMShop
Shortfinals - aviation and more! 
I like the reverse angled rear window idea though I’d like to have better tires and brakes! A nice looking auto and parking would be a joy I’d bet 🙂
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The reverse-angled window was carried over to Ford’s next model in the UK, the Ford Consul Classic. A slightly bigger car, it was nowhere near as popular, and only last three years in production. You can fit 155x80x13 radials to your Anglia (inflated to 26psi) and they will work nicely! Unfortunately, the brake conversion (using Cortina components) is complex; it works well, but I would classify it as ‘major surgery’!
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I remember as a child being driven round in a Ford “Thames” the van version of the Anglia, as I recall, seats were wooden benches running front to back, no seatbelts – probably not a Ford fitment!
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Ahhh, yes! A bit of a ‘local mod’, I think! I would have liked to have seen those wooden seats. Thanks for the information.
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I’ve found your photo of my car. It has brought joy to my family my whole life, so glad it brought you joy as well. This beauty was my grandfather’s fo decades, mine now and my kids love her too.
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I am delighted to feature your Anglia Mr Soares! This brought back images from my youth!
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