Ford 103E Popular.
Well into the 1950s there was still a demand for back-to-basics motoring, one that enabled families on regular incomes to afford a new car. Despite being based on archaic pre-war undergarments, the 103E Pop, ultimate development of the pre-war 8/10hp sidevalve Fords (such as the 7W Ten and 7Y), still found many eager buyers in the Ford showrooms. Ease of maintenance, excellent (and cheap) spares availability, and decent reliability meant that these old stagers were regular sights on Britain's roads throughout the 50s and into the 60s, as old examples were kept running thanks to their owner's ingenuity and indifference to newer car designs.
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The engine fitted in the Pop was a 4 cylinder 1172cc unit, rated at 10hp (RAC), driving the rear axle via a 3 speed gearbox. Prior to the launch of the Pop in 1953, there was a slightly plusher car, known as the E494A Anglia, which looked quite similar at first glance. However the car shown here is definitely a Pop, thanks to the small Butler headlamps fitted to the front wings. The dash was a basic metal affair, and even the front bumper is painted rather than chrome plated. Alongside the Pop is another identical model, but finished in a darker colour - probably black! To the other side, and nearest the camera, is an early P4 series Rover, with a roof-rack fitted.
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Ford Pops have a loyal following today, with survivors being split between original-spec examples, and those heavily modified by the hot rod brigade. Many customised Pops have V8s squeezed under fibreglass flip fronts, bolted down onto specially-built chassis, leaving little of the original Ford bar it's basic body profile in place. I suppose we'll never know what happened to the Ford Popular shown in these photos - where is 228 CHK now? |
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This photograph turned up recently, apparently taken in Sidmouth sometime during the 1950s. As it features a Pop, parked on the right of this view, it seemed appropriate to drop it on this page! also in shot, a single-decker omnibus with a Castol sign on the back, and a handful of classics parked in the distance, amongst them an Austin A40 Devon in black.
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A modified Pop and other Fords at Lydden Hill in Kent.
David emailed this photo over a while back, he took it at the Lydden Hill circuit in Kent, circa 1967. At first I thought the car (LFN 565) on the left was a Ford E04A Anglia, as the grille and bonnet are from that model, but the rest of the car looks 103E to me. The E04A's grille was more angular than the standard Pop item, and had removable side bonnet panels, unlike the later car. However the wings, single screen wiper, and painted bumper on the car below all suggest 103E. The centre of the grille has been heavily modified, and leather straps hold the bonnet top in place.
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The bonnet side panels have been removed, presumably for cooling - I wonder what engine was under there!?!? Of course it could be powered by a standard 1172cc engine, and the panels simply removed to cure fuel vaporisation, a common gripe with the upright Ford 8s and 10s. Whitewall tyres, domed hubcaps, and non-Ford headlamps have also been fitted. Lurking in the background of the photo are various other classic Fords - namely a very modified 105E Anglia (648 BGH), a four door Cortina Mk1, and a beige 100E. BMC is represented by a Mk2 A40, and Bedford by a late model CA.
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Due to their popularity, I have a number of Pop items on the site now, including the screensaver and a regalia section.
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Return to the Old Photographs of Cars - Page 4.
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