Ford short-changed buyers with the Prefect

1953 was a surprisingly active year for all-new cars.

It was the year iconic cars such as the FJ Holden, Chevrolet Corvette, Triumph TR2, Mercedes 180, Cadillac Eldorado and Austin Healey — all began production.

All of these automobiles have been celebrated in books, magazine, TV shows and online.

Then there are the not so prominent all-new cars of that year.

One such car is the Ford 100E.

It was sold as the Anglia and Prefect.

Picking the difference between the duo is easy.

The Anglia has two doors and horizontal grille bars.

The Prefect has chromed vertical grille bars and four doors.

Their styling was dictated by Ford in Detroit.

They were essentially a scaled down version of the 1951 Consul/Zephyr/Zodiac, with a bit of 1952 American Ford thrown into the mix.

And that made them one of the most modern looking cars of 1953, ensuring their major competitors — the Austin A30 and Morris Minor —  looked very much like the previous decade’s cars.

All-new unitary construction and, for then, the technologically advanced MacPherson strut front suspension system, added to the allure of “newness”.

But, there was a downside.

For some strange reason, Ford created a completely new side valve 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine when everyone else was converting to overhead valve technology.

Not only that, the engine was the same size as the 1930s developed side value it replaced.

Mind you, power increased by 20 per cent to . . . wait for it . . . 36bhp (that’s 27kW).

And there is more. 

Instead of a four-speed transmission, Ford short-changed buyers with a three-speed.

There was no synchro on first and the gearing between 2nd and 3rd was widely spaced, making overtaking a challenge.

And let’s not forget those dangerous vacuum operated wipers.

Tiny 7.0-inch/180mm drum brakes made an attempt to retard forward motion.

The Anglia/Prefect sat on an 87 inch/2200mm wheelbase, which meant that interior room was tight.

Once inside the car, potential buyers found it was trimmed to a low price.

PVC material covered the seats.

Leather upholstery was an option, as was a heater.

During its life span it was sold in the USA, Europe, South America, New Zealand and Canada.

Australia first saw the 100E in 1954.

Despite the drawbacks, the Anglia/Prefect sold reasonably well in its home market.

But not in the numbers Ford had envisioned.

When production ceased in 1959 almost 350,00 had been sold.

Despite its old-fashioned styling, twice as many Morris Minors were sold during the same time frame.

In Australia, the sales ratio was similar.

It was not until the arrival of the 1959 Anglia and 1962 Cortina that Ford started to overtake BMC sales, both here and in the UK.

David Burrell is the editor of retroautos

 

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