Ford Prefect (car)
Encyclopedia
The Ford Prefect is a line of British
cars
produced by the UK section of the Ford Motor Company
, and a more upmarket version of its direct siblings the Ford Popular
and Ford Anglia
. It was introduced in October 1938 and remained in production until 1941; returning to the market in 1945, it was offered till 1961. The car progressed in 1953 from its original perpendicular or 'sit-up-and-beg' style to a more modern three-box
structure.
Like its siblings, the car became a popular basis for a hot rod
especially in Britain where both its lightweight structure and its four-cylinder engines
appealed to builders.
, Essex
. The original Ford Prefect was a slight reworking of the previous year's 7Y
, the first Ford car designed outside of Detroit, Michigan
. It was designed specifically for the British market. It had a 1200 cc side-valve engine with thermocirculation radiator (no pump) and the ability to be started by a crank handle should the battery not have sufficient power to turn the starter motor running from the 6 Volt charging system. The windscreen wipers were powered by the vacuum ported from the engine intake manifold — as the car laboured uphill the wipers would slow to a standstill due to the intake manifold vacuum dropping to near nil, only to start working again as the top was reached and the intake vacuum increased. The windscreen opened forward pivoting on hinges on the top edge; two flaps either side of the scuttle also let air into the car.
The most common body styles were two- and four-door saloons, but pre war a few tourers and coupés were made. Ford Australia
also produced 2-door coupé utility
and 2-door roadster utility
variants. Post war, only four-door saloons were available on the home market, but two-door models were made for export.
41,486 were made up to 1941 and a further 158,007 between 1945 and 1948.
were fitted (internally lit semaphores springing out from the door pillars to signal left and right turns), though due to space restrictions these were left out on the Australian-built Ute. Only four-door saloons were available on the home market, the two-door sector being left to the Anglia
but some were made for export.
The brakes remained mechanically operated using the Girling rod system with 10 in (254 mm) drums and the chassis still had transverse leaf springs front and rear.
A Prefect tested by the British magazine The Motor
in 1948 had a top speed of 61 miles per hour (98.2 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-50 mph (80.5 km/h) in 22.8 seconds. A fuel consumption of 33.2 mpgimp was recorded. The test car which had the optional leather upholstery cost £412 including taxes. In standard form, they commented that it was the cheapest 4-door car on the British market.
192,229 were made.
and remained in production until 1959. The old separate chassis had gone, replaced by integral construction, and coil independent front suspension supplanted the transverse leaf spring. Girling hydraulic brakes were fitted, initially 7 in drums but quickly increased to 8 inches (203.2 mm) A new side-valve engine of 1172 cc engine was fitted having the same bore, stroke and layout of the previous engine, but in all other respects completely different. Externally, it can be distinguished from the Anglia by having vertical bars on the radiator grille and four doors.
Inside there were separate front seats trimmed in PVC with leather as an option and two circular instruments in front of the driver one containing the speedometer and the other a fuel and water temperature gauges. De Luxe models included glove box locks. The gear change was floor-mounted. The heater was an optional extra.
From 1955, the estate car version (the Squire
) was introduced, mechanically identical to the estate car version of the Anglia 100E (the Escort) but with wooden strakes.
The Motor magazine tested a de-luxe 100E in 1957 and recorded a top speed of 71 mph (114.3 km/h) and acceleration from 0-60 mph (96.6 km/h) in 32.2 seconds. A "touring" fuel consumption of 33.1 miles per gallon (imperial) was recorded. On the home market it cost £658 including taxes of £220.
100,554 were made.
. 38,154 were made, most of them in a two-tone colour scheme.
Drum brakes of 8 in (203.2 mm) diameter were fitted, hydraulically operated, and the suspension was independent at the front using MacPherson strut
s. The rear driven axle used semi elliptic leaf springs. The steering mechanism used a worm and peg system.
On test, The Motor magazine recorded a top speed of 73 miles per hour (117.5 km/h) and acceleration from 0-60 mile per hour in 27.2 seconds. A "touring" fuel consumption of 36 miles per gallon (imperial) was recorded. On the home market, it cost £621, including taxes of £183.
Optional extras included a heater, windscreen washers, radio and leather upholstery to replace the standard PVC
.
, New Zealand
, Argentina
and Canada
. The Canadian model was left-hand drive. The Australian built model was also available in a Coupe Utility or "Ute" form that had an open rear tray area similar in design to an American pick-up, but based on the sedan and not derived from a truck or commercial vehicle. It was also license built in Latvia by Ford-Vairogs
as Ford-Vairogs Junior.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
cars
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
produced by the UK section of the Ford Motor Company
Ford of Britain
Ford of Britain is a British wholly owned subsidiary of Ford of Europe, a subsidiary of Ford Motor Company. Its business started in 1909 and has its registered office in Brentwood, Essex...
, and a more upmarket version of its direct siblings the Ford Popular
Ford Popular
The Ford Popular is best known as a car from Ford built in England between 1953 and 1962. When launched, it was Britain's lowest priced car.The name Popular was also used by Ford to describe its 1930s Y Type model...
and Ford Anglia
Ford Anglia
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 was Britain's lowest priced four wheel car....
. It was introduced in October 1938 and remained in production until 1941; returning to the market in 1945, it was offered till 1961. The car progressed in 1953 from its original perpendicular or 'sit-up-and-beg' style to a more modern three-box
Three-box styling
Three-box design is a broad automotive styling term describing a coupé, sedan, notchback or hatchback where — when viewed in profile — principal volumes are articulated into three separate compartments or boxes: engine, passenger and cargo....
structure.
Like its siblings, the car became a popular basis for a hot rod
Hot rod
Hot rods are typically American cars with large engines modified for linear speed. The origin of the term "hot rod" is unclear. One explanation is that the term is a contraction of "hot roadster," meaning a roadster that was modified for speed. Another possible origin includes modifications to or...
especially in Britain where both its lightweight structure and its four-cylinder engines
Straight-4
The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
appealed to builders.
E93A (1938–49)
The Ford Prefect was introduced in October 1938 and built by the Ford plant in DagenhamFord Dagenham assembly plant
Ford Dagenham is a major automotive factory located in Dagenham, United Kingdom operated by the Ford of Europe subsidiary of the Ford Motor Company...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. The original Ford Prefect was a slight reworking of the previous year's 7Y
Ford 7Y
Ford 7Y is a car from Ford built in the United Kingdom between 1938 and 1939. During that time 65,098 cars were produced.The car was officially marketed as a Ford "Eight", and was a rebodied and slightly larger version of the Ford Model Y...
, the first Ford car designed outside of Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. It was designed specifically for the British market. It had a 1200 cc side-valve engine with thermocirculation radiator (no pump) and the ability to be started by a crank handle should the battery not have sufficient power to turn the starter motor running from the 6 Volt charging system. The windscreen wipers were powered by the vacuum ported from the engine intake manifold — as the car laboured uphill the wipers would slow to a standstill due to the intake manifold vacuum dropping to near nil, only to start working again as the top was reached and the intake vacuum increased. The windscreen opened forward pivoting on hinges on the top edge; two flaps either side of the scuttle also let air into the car.
The most common body styles were two- and four-door saloons, but pre war a few tourers and coupés were made. Ford Australia
Ford Australia
Ford Australia is the Australian subsidiary of Ford Motor Company and was founded in Geelong, Victoria, in 1925 as an outpost of Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. At that time, Ford Canada was a separate company from Ford USA...
also produced 2-door coupé utility
Coupé utility
The coupé utility automobile body style, also known colloquially as the ute in Australia and New Zealand, combines a two-door "coupé" cabin with an integral cargo bed behind the cabin—using a light-duty passenger vehicle-derived platform....
and 2-door roadster utility
Roadster utility
A Roadster utility is an automobile with an open-topped roadster body and a rear cargo bed. The concept is similar to that of the coupe utility which combines a closed coupe body with a rear cargo bed...
variants. Post war, only four-door saloons were available on the home market, but two-door models were made for export.
41,486 were made up to 1941 and a further 158,007 between 1945 and 1948.
E493A (1949–53)
Post war, the Prefect design changed little until replaced in 1952. The headlamps moved into the wings and trafficatorsTrafficators
Trafficators are semaphore signals which, when operated, protrude from the bodywork of a motor vehicle to indicate its intention to turn in the direction indicated by the pointing signal. Trafficators are often located at the door pillar.-History:...
were fitted (internally lit semaphores springing out from the door pillars to signal left and right turns), though due to space restrictions these were left out on the Australian-built Ute. Only four-door saloons were available on the home market, the two-door sector being left to the Anglia
Ford Anglia
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 was Britain's lowest priced four wheel car....
but some were made for export.
The brakes remained mechanically operated using the Girling rod system with 10 in (254 mm) drums and the chassis still had transverse leaf springs front and rear.
A Prefect tested by the British magazine The Motor
The Motor (magazine)
The Motor was a British weekly car magazine founded on 28 January 1903....
in 1948 had a top speed of 61 miles per hour (98.2 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-50 mph (80.5 km/h) in 22.8 seconds. A fuel consumption of 33.2 mpgimp was recorded. The test car which had the optional leather upholstery cost £412 including taxes. In standard form, they commented that it was the cheapest 4-door car on the British market.
192,229 were made.
100E (1953–59)
In 1953 a much redesigned Ford Prefect was introduced alongside the similar Ford AngliaFord Anglia
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 was Britain's lowest priced four wheel car....
and remained in production until 1959. The old separate chassis had gone, replaced by integral construction, and coil independent front suspension supplanted the transverse leaf spring. Girling hydraulic brakes were fitted, initially 7 in drums but quickly increased to 8 inches (203.2 mm) A new side-valve engine of 1172 cc engine was fitted having the same bore, stroke and layout of the previous engine, but in all other respects completely different. Externally, it can be distinguished from the Anglia by having vertical bars on the radiator grille and four doors.
Inside there were separate front seats trimmed in PVC with leather as an option and two circular instruments in front of the driver one containing the speedometer and the other a fuel and water temperature gauges. De Luxe models included glove box locks. The gear change was floor-mounted. The heater was an optional extra.
From 1955, the estate car version (the Squire
Ford Squire
The Ford Squire is a car from Ford for the United Kingdom market built between 1955 and 1959.It was a two door, four seat estate design, the brother to the Ford Prefect 100E four door saloon, sharing the same 1172 cc Ford Sidevalve engine and other parts and the same interior trim...
) was introduced, mechanically identical to the estate car version of the Anglia 100E (the Escort) but with wooden strakes.
The Motor magazine tested a de-luxe 100E in 1957 and recorded a top speed of 71 mph (114.3 km/h) and acceleration from 0-60 mph (96.6 km/h) in 32.2 seconds. A "touring" fuel consumption of 33.1 miles per gallon (imperial) was recorded. On the home market it cost £658 including taxes of £220.
100,554 were made.
107E (1959–61)
This was a reworked 100E body with the engine and four-speed gearbox from the Anglia 105E, produced until replaced by the Ford ClassicFord Classic
The Ford Consul Classic or 'Consul 315' was a mid-sized car built by Ford in the UK from 1961 to 1963. Available with two or four doors, in Standard or De Luxe versions, with floor or column gearshift. It is commonly referred to as the Ford 109E , though four such codes are possible as explained...
. 38,154 were made, most of them in a two-tone colour scheme.
Drum brakes of 8 in (203.2 mm) diameter were fitted, hydraulically operated, and the suspension was independent at the front using MacPherson strut
MacPherson strut
The MacPherson strut is a type of car suspension system which uses the axis of a telescopic damper as the upper steering pivot. It is widely used in modern vehicles and named after Earle S. MacPherson, who developed the design.-History:...
s. The rear driven axle used semi elliptic leaf springs. The steering mechanism used a worm and peg system.
On test, The Motor magazine recorded a top speed of 73 miles per hour (117.5 km/h) and acceleration from 0-60 mile per hour in 27.2 seconds. A "touring" fuel consumption of 36 miles per gallon (imperial) was recorded. On the home market, it cost £621, including taxes of £183.
Optional extras included a heater, windscreen washers, radio and leather upholstery to replace the standard PVC
Polyvinyl chloride
Polyvinyl chloride, commonly abbreviated PVC, is a thermoplastic polymer. It is a vinyl polymer constructed of repeating vinyl groups having one hydrogen replaced by chloride. Polyvinyl chloride is the third most widely produced plastic, after polyethylene and polypropylene. PVC is widely used in...
.
Exports
In addition to the UK, Ford Prefects were also sold in the USA (Advert from 1958), AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The Canadian model was left-hand drive. The Australian built model was also available in a Coupe Utility or "Ute" form that had an open rear tray area similar in design to an American pick-up, but based on the sedan and not derived from a truck or commercial vehicle. It was also license built in Latvia by Ford-Vairogs
Ford-Vairogs
Ford-Vairogs was the name of a car factory in Riga, Latvia, that produced license built Ford cars between September 1937 and 1940 when it was expropriated as the property of the Soviet government...
as Ford-Vairogs Junior.