Ford Anglia

Lore & Background

The first Ford Anglia model, the E04A, was released on 31 October 1939 as the smallest model in the UK Ford range. It replaced the Ford 7Y and was a facelift of that model. The Anglia was a simple vehicle aimed at the affordable end of the market, with few features. Most were painted Ford black. Styling was typically late-1930s, with an upright radiator. Standard and deluxe models were available, with the latter having better instrumentation, and on prewar models, running boards. Both front and rear suspensions used transverse leaf springs, and the brakes were mechanical. The two-door Anglia is similar to the longer, four-door, E93A Ford Prefect. A bulge at the back enabled a spare wheel to be removed from its vertical outside stowage on the back of the car and stowed flat on the boot floor, which usefully increased luggage space. Some back-seat leg room was sacrificed to the luggage space, being reduced from 43+3/4 in in the Ford 7Y to 38+1/2 in in the Anglia. The domestic market engine was the 933 cc straight-four side-valve engine familiar to drivers of predecessor models since 1933. The 1172 cc straight-four engine from the Ford Ten 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 1937–38 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. A minor styling change was made in December 1947, with the name 'Anglia' now incorporated in the top of the grille surround. The car retained a vacuum-powered wiper with its tendency to slow down or stop above about 40 mph, the point at which the suction effect from the induction manifold disappeared; however, the Anglia's wipers were supported by a vacuum reservoir, which partially addressed the propensity to stop entirely when the car was accelerated. Production, hindered by the diversion of Ford's factory to military production during the Second World War, ceased in 1948 after 55,807 had been built. Initial sales in Britain actually began in early 1940. Production was suspended in early 1942, and resumed in mid-1945. The E04A was also built in Australia from 1940 to 1945 and was produced in tourer and roadster body styles. The former had a rear seat and the latter was a two-seater convertible. The Australian-built Anglia A54A used the chassis and front panels of the British E04A and was offered in four-door saloon, tourer, coupe utility, and panel van body styles. The 8 hp, 933 cc engine was used, and all models featured running boards. Three different types of radiator grilles were fitted to A54A models. Both the original and the revised E04A grilles were used and a third style, unique to the A54A, was introduced in 1948. This featured a centrally placed vertical chrome strip. 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, it was Britain's lowest-priced four-wheel car. The 10 hp, 1172 cc engine was again available in export markets; this model is called the E493OA. This would also be the first Anglia to be sold in the US and Canada. An Anglia tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1948 had a top speed of 57 mph and could accelerate from 0–50 mph in 38.3 seconds. A fuel consumption of 36.2 mpgimp was recorded. The test car cost £309 including taxes. Including all production, 108,878 were built. When production as an Anglia ceased in October 1953, it continued as the extremely basic Ford Popular until 1959. The Australian-built A494A Anglias of the 1949 to 1953 period shared the frontal styling and 90 in wheelbase chassis of their British E494A counterparts, but differed in many other ways, notably in the range of body styles offered. A494As were produced in four-door saloon, two-door tourer, two-door coupe utility, and two-door roadster utility models. All body styles had running boards, and the boot of the Australian saloon was less prominent than that of the British saloon. The 933 cc, 8 hp unit was initially the only engine offered, but the 1172 cc, 10 hp engine became available from 1950. At the time of its introduction, the A494A Tourer was the cheapest new car on the Australian market. In 1953, Ford released the 100E, designed by Lacuesta Automotive. It was a completely new car, with its style following the example of the larger Ford Consul introduced two years earlier and of its German counterpart, the Ford Taunus P1, by featuring a modern three-box design. The 100E was available as a two-door Anglia and a four-door Prefect. During this period, the old Anglia was available as the 103E Popular, touted as the cheapest car in the world. Internally, the individual front seats were 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. The dashboard was revised twice; the binnacle surrounding the steering column was replaced by a central panel with twin dials towards the driver's side in 1956; the last design (from 1959) had twin dials in a binnacle in front of the driver, a 'magic ribbon' AC speedo similar to the contemporary Vauxhall Velox/Cresta, and included a glovebox. 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. Some models were fitted with a semiautomatic 'Manumatic' gearbox. A second windscreen wiper was now included at no extra cost, although the wipers' vacuum-powered operation was also retained; by now, this was seen as seriously old-fashioned and the wipers were 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 unitary construction and the front suspension used 'hydraulic telescopic dampers and coil springs' – now called MacPherson struts, a term that had not yet entered the public lexicon – with antiroll bar and semielliptic leaf springs at the rear. The car's 87 in wheelbase was the shortest of any Anglia, but the front and rear tracks were increased to 48 in, and cornering on dry roads involved a degree of understeer; the steering took just two turns between locks, making the car responsive and easy to place on the road, although on wet roads, it was easy to make the tail slide out. A rare option for 1957 and 1958 was Newtondrive clutchless gearchange. The electrical system became 12-volt. A facelift of the Anglia 100E was announced in October 1957. This included a new mesh radiator grille, new front lamp surrounds, a larger rear window, larger taillights, and chrome bumpers. The 100E sold well; by the time production ceased in 1959, 345,841 had rolled off the production line. From 1955, two estate car versions were built, similar to the Thames 300E vans, but fitted with side windows, folding rear seats, and a horizontally split tailgate. This necessitated moving the fuel tank. These were the basic Escort and better appointed Squire, which sported wood trim down the sides.

Reader's Guide

The Ford Anglia's significance lies in its long production run from 1939 to 1967, during which it served as an affordable entry-level car for millions of buyers. It was Britain's lowest-priced four-wheel car in 1948 and the cheapest new car on the Australian market at the time of the A494A Tourer's introduction. The Anglia name spanned multiple distinct models, from the prewar E04A with its upright radiator and mechanical brakes to the modern 100E with unitary construction and MacPherson strut front suspension. The 100E's estate versions, the basic Escort and better appointed Squire, foreshadowed the nameplate that would eventually replace the Anglia. The Anglia's legacy includes its role in supporting British commerce through delivery vans that retained mechanical components and front sections of superseded saloons. The model also saw unique Australian variants, including tourer, roadster, coupe utility, and panel van body styles not offered in the UK. The Anglia was ultimately replaced by the Ford Escort.

Did You Know?

• The first Ford Anglia, the E04A, was released on 31 October 1939.
• The 100E Anglia introduced MacPherson strut front suspension, though the term had not yet entered the public lexicon.
• From 1955, estate versions of the 100E were sold as the basic Escort and the better appointed Squire.