Ford Anglia 105E

Publicity art (featuring a left hand drive model) for the final Anglia model, the 105E, introduced in 1959. Its headlight and grille design owed something to the first generation Ford Thunderbird and the 'swept back' look something to the Studebakers of the time. On deluxe versions, there was a full-width slanted chrome grille in between the prominent 'eye' headlamps. (Basic Anglias featured a narrower, painted grille.) Like late-1950s Lincolns and Mercurys and the Citroën Ami of France, the car sported a backward-slanted rear window (so that it would remain clear in rain, according to contemporary marketing claims).  As well as being used, by Ford, on the Consul Classic, this look was also copied by Bond, Reliant and Invacar, for their three wheelers. The resulting flat roofline gave it better rear headroom. It had tailfins, albiet much toned-down from American cars. An estate car (station wagon) joined the saloon in the line-up in September 1961.

The new styling was matched by a new engine—a 997 cc overhead-valve straight-4 with an oversquare cylinder bore, that became known by its "Kent" code name. Acceleration from rest was still sluggish (by the standards of today), but it was much improved from earlier cars. Also new for British Fords was a four-speed (manual) gearbox with synchromesh on the top three forward ratios: this was replaced by an all-synchromesh box in September 1962 (on 1198 cc engined cars). The notoriously feeble vacuum powered windscreen wiper set-up of earlier Anglias were replaced with (by now) more conventional windscreen wipers powered by their own electric motor. The Macpherson strut independent front suspension used on the 100E was retained.

In October 1962, twenty four year old twin brothers Tony and Michael Brookes and a group of friends took a private Anglia 105e fitted with the Ford £13 Performance Kit to Montlhery Autodrome near Paris and captured 6 International Class G World Records averaging 83.5 mph (134.3 km/h). These were 4,5,6 and 7 days and nights and 15,000, and 20,000 km. The Anglia's strength and durability meant that no repairs were required whatsoever other than tyre changes.

The car's commercial success was subsequently overshadowed by the even greater sales achieved by the Cortina. In 1960, when 191,752 Anglias left Ford's Dagenham plant in the 105E's first full production year, it set a new production-volume record for the Ford Motor Company. From October 1963, production continued at Ford's new Halewood plant at Merseyside alongside the newly introduced Corsair models. The Anglia Super introduced in September 1962 for the 1963 model year shared the longer stroke 1198 cc version of the Ford Kent 997 cc engine of the newly introduced Ford Cortina.  The "Anglia Super" version was distinguished by a painted contrasting-coloured stripe on side. A new Anglia saloon tested by the British Motor magazine in 1959 had a top speed of 73.8 mph (118.8 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 26.9 seconds. A fuel consumption of 41.2 miles per imperial gallon (6.86 litres/100 km; 34.3 mpg US) was recorded. The test car cost £610 including taxes of £180.

The old 100E Anglia became the new 100E Popular and the four-door Prefect bodyshell remained available as the new Ford Prefect (107E) which had all 105E running gear, including engine and brakes, while the 100E Escort and Squire remained available, unchanged. In 1961 the Escort and Squire were replaced by the 105E Anglia estate.  The 100E delivery van also gave way to a new vehicle based on the 105E. Identical to the Anglia 105E back to the B post, the rest of the vehicle was entirely new.

This model lasted to 1967 when the Anglia ceased. Some will recognise the 105E from recent media - in Harry Potter movies and as a police car in the Heartbeat TV series.