Ford Anglia

Ford Anglia at a glance

Anglias before the 105E

The Anglia name began on 31 October 1939 with the E04A, Ford's smallest British car, powered by a 933 cc side-valve four. Production paused from early 1942 to mid-1945, and 55,807 were built. The E494A followed in 1949; The Motor tested one in 1948 at 92 km/h (57 mph) flat out, priced at £309 with taxes, and 108,878 were made. In 1953 came the 100E with a 27 kW (36 bhp) side-valve engine; The Motor measured 113 km/h (70.2 mph) in 1954, when it cost £511, and an estate arrived in 1955. Ford built 345,841 of the 100E.

Development and launch of the 105E

The 105E entered production in Britain in June 1959 and made its public debut at Earls Court that October. Its designers used wind-tunnel testing, and the backward-raked rear window was an idea taken from the 1958 Lincoln Continental.

Demand was strong from the first day: German Wikipedia reports more than 101,000 orders at the 1959 Motor Show and more than 200,000 cars sold in Britain in 1960. In September 1959 the Standard cost £589 and the Deluxe £610, including taxes. Ford sold the Anglia in almost every Western European market except West Germany.

Design and engineering

Under the bonnet sat a new short-stroke engine of 997 cc (bore 80.96 mm, stroke 48.41 mm, compression 8.9:1), the first of the Kent family, which later powered the Escort as well. Behind it was the first four-speed gearbox in a British Ford, with a central lever and synchromesh on the upper three gears. The front suspension used struts, and the Anglia kept rear-wheel drive.

The Standard model had no chrome and a grille of steel slats; the Deluxe added a full-width chrome grille, more brightwork, a temperature gauge and opening rear quarter windows. Small engineering changes followed: a new carburettor in 1960 to cure a flat spot at low revs and a timing-chain tensioner in 1961. Owners had to grease eleven points every 1,000 miles (1,600 km), an interval stretched to 5,000 miles with the Super.

The Motor's 1959 test of a 105E saloon recorded a top speed of 119 km/h (73.8 mph). That is modest by later standards, but at 737 kg the Anglia was light, about 25 kg lighter than the 100E. Owners who want to compare its output with modern cars can use our power converter.

Super 123E, estate, van and other versions

The Super was launched at £598 in October 1962. Classic & Sports Car notes twin chrome side strips, two-tone paint and a better interior, and 79,223 were built. From late 1962 the 1,198 cc engine was also offered on the Deluxe as the "1200 Package". Coachbuilders offered their own variants, such as the Friary Touring Saloon of 1961 and the Abbott Anglia Sports Saloon of 1962.

Production and plants

The first cars came from Dagenham, and in 1963 production moved to the new Halewood plant on Merseyside. Overseas assembly took place in Broadmeadows (Australia), Lower Hutt (New Zealand), Port Elizabeth (South Africa), Salisbury (Rhodesia), Belgium and Portugal. British production ended in November 1967, and the Escort took its place.

The two main sources count the output differently but agree on the size. Classic & Sports Car and English Wikipedia give 1,004,737 cars of the 105E and 79,223 of the 123E. German Wikipedia counts 954,426 saloons and 129,529 estates. Either way, about 1.08 million cars left the lines, plus the vans. All Anglias together, from 1939, came to 1,594,486 cars according to English Wikipedia.

Records, racing and the Harry Potter car

In October 1962 a 105E fitted with Ford's £13 Performance Kit set six International Class G records at the Montlhéry track near Paris, averaging 134.3 km/h (83.47 mph). Many survivors have since been prepared for motorsport, and Classic & Sports Car notes that the highest prices today are paid for expensively rally-prepared cars.

The car's fame among younger audiences comes from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), in which an Anglia with the registration 7990 TD flies. The production used a genuine Anglia Deluxe mounted on a rotating crane. One of the film cars was stolen in 2005 from South West Film Studios in St Agnes, Cornwall, and later found.

Buying an Anglia today

Classic & Sports Car's buyer's guide of May 2023 treats rust as the main enemy. The chassis number is stamped on the right-hand front strut top, a common rot spot, so check the quality of any repair there and around the suspension mounts. In 2023 a new front wing cost more than £1,000.

Mechanically the Anglia is simple, but listen for bearing rumble, little-end or timing-chain rattle, and check for oil leaks; most engines have been rebuilt at least once, and the guide put a full rebuild at about £2,500 in 2023. Second gear can jump out on any car, and first-gear synchromesh wears on the 1200s. Spares supply is good, helped by the Ford Anglia 105E Owners' Club.

In May 2023 an average saloon was worth about £6,500, roughly €7,500, and a show-condition van about £20,000, roughly €23,000 at 2023 exchange rates. Prices follow condition rather than trim, so a Super costs little more than a Deluxe.

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