FORD ANGLIA 105E SERIES 1959-1967

Of all the new cars launched in the year 1959, perhaps just two stand out in peoples' minds as being personal favourites: the Mini and the Anglia 105E. Both cars were great steps forward for their respective manufacturers and scored great successes on both the British and Continental markets.

That's where most of the similarities end however, for both cars were aimed at different segments of the market to attract different types of buyers. The Anglia 105E series, launched in the U.K. on September 30th 1959, was Ford's new contender in the small family saloon class to replace the then ageing and increasingly uncompetitive Anglia/Prefect 105E series. To say it got off to a flying start would probably be an understatement. Just two models were available initially, the Standard and Deluxe Saloons. Both were powered by an overhead valve 997cc engine capable of up to 75mph whilst still returning excellent fuel economy figures.

This new engine had particularly oversquare proportions for the period, with a bore of 80.96mm and a stroke of 48.4mm, and was mated to Ford's first ever four-speed gearbox in a production saloon. The 105E's brakes consisted of 8ins x 1 ¼ins drums all round to give a reasonable degree of 'stopping power' whilst the steering was courtesy of the recirculatory ball system. It wasn't the car's mechanicals that really caught the public's interest though; it was its styling. Never before had Ford produced a car with such an obvious and drastic change in style compared with its predecessor.

The swept-back nose gave an impression of improved aerodynamics whilst the reverse-rake rear window blending into the mm, prominent and functional rear fins had more than a hint of American influence on display. The Standard model was a sparse and functional tool with the minimum of 'unnecessary' chrome trim and a lack of such 'luxuries' as a glovebox lid, passenger sunvisor, temperature gauge and so on. The Deluxe though, had an abundance of exterior chromework to complement the Angl ia's unique body styling, such niceties including a full-width front grille, chrome side-strip, chrome rear lamp units, opening rear quarter windows and optional two4one paint This two~ar range continued virtually unchanged until June 1961 when the first major additions were introduced - the 5cwt and 7cwt Vans. Available with a choice of either high or low compression (40 or 35bhp respectively) versions of the 997cc engine, the Vans were only the same as the Saloon as far back as the bulkhead, the front end being broadly similar to that of the Anglia Standard on the 5cwt whilst the 7cwt boasted extra chromework.

Even the windscreen and side doors differed from those of - the Saloon, a design feature of the side doors being that they swept up towards the rear to avoid contact with the kerb. At the back of the Van, two large side-hinged doors provided easy access to the generous loadspace available, making the Anglia Van particularly popular with small businesses. In September of the same year, the Anglia Estate was introduced and proved an immediate hit with those who found the Saloon lacked a little in luggage space. With its large tailgate opening upwards to display a useful loadspace of 35.75 cubic feet with the rear seats folded flat, it's not surprising that Ford managed to sell almost 130,000 examples. The only other major addition to the Anglia range was launched in 1962 following the announcement of the Cortina MK.1.

It was the Anglia Super which not only employed the 1198cc engine from the Cortina but was also visually more appealing with two-tone paintwork as standard, a distinctive side-stripe, extra chrome trim and a more plush interior.

All these versions of the Anglia continued in production with only relatively minor alterations until November 1967, prior to the launch of the Escort Mk.1 in January of the following year. The total production was as follows:

Launched at the same time as the Anglia was the Prefect 107E which combined the bodyshell of the Prefect 100E with the mechanics of the Anglia 105E. This was in production for little more than eighteen months however, hence the relatively low figure of just 38,154 sales.

COMPLETE ANGLIA RANGE -105E - 997cc SALOONS (1959-1967) and ESTATES (1961-1967)

123E - 1198cc SALOONS and ESTATES (1962-1967)

307E - 997cc Scwt and 7cwt VANS (1961-1967)

309E - 1198cc Scwt and 7cwt VAN (1962-1967)

l07E - 997cc PREFECT (1959-1961)

PRICE COMPARISONS

©2008 Ford Anglia 105e Owners Club Limited