1957 Ford Popular 103E

Description

Two owners from new, the current since 1978; only 22,300 miles; affectionately known as Pop; highly original and absolutely gorgeous

The Ford 103E is best known to enthusiasts as the ‘sit up and beg’ Popular.  Launched in 1953 as a budget addition to the Anglia and Prefect range, it hit the market at the perfect time as second-hand cars were virtually unobtainable. For sale alongside the more modern three-box monocoque Prefect/Anglia it won many friends for its unpretentious basic design which, despite a lack of such luxuries as a heater or passenger windscreen wiper, performed sterling service with considerable charm.

This delightful Pop was bought new in June 1957 by a Gladys Truss of Marlow from Ford dealer Norman Reeves of Slough. She kept the car until she gave up driving in 1978. A friend of our vendor then acquired the car with the intention of turning it into a V8 hot-rod. Fortunately, our vendor managed to wrest the car off him before the butchery commenced!

The mileage in 1978 was 19,261 and over the last 45 years our vendor has only added another 3,000 miles so the 22,300 miles displayed is absolutely genuine.

“My interest in acquiring Pop was twofold,” says our vendor. “Firstly, I had to save the car from being hot-rodded. Secondly, when I left school I joined a Ford dealership in Hampstead, North London. We were still selling new Ford Populars at the time and each one had to be road tested before delivery. The highlight was rolling downhill in neutral from the top of Hampstead Heath to the Old Bull and Bush, passing the front door of the pub at 60mph – 10mph faster than its maximum speed in top gear. Happy days!” [We won’t tell the cops if you don’t – Ed]. 

“I worked at a Ford main dealer for many years and accumulated many new stock parts,” says the vendor. “From memory, the kingpins and bushes, brake shoes all round, fuel pump, track rod ends and exhaust assembly have all been replaced.  Not because they were necessarily required, but because I had the parts to do it.

"The rear wings and the boot lid were repainted in the Eighties due to over-polishing which meant the red oxide undercoat was starting to show through. Parts of the bulkhead were also repainted where the battery sits, no rust, just to make it presentable. The rest of the paint is original, as is the interior. The floor boards were replaced in 1978 due to woodworm." 

Pop comes with a delightful history folder containing the original handbooks and warranty, a fuel ration book, original buff logbook, various historic photos, invoices and tax discs, plus 11 old MOTs from 1974 – 2006. Sundry useful spares are also present including new front and rear screen rubbers which have never been fitted because the originals still seem to be watertight and the car has spent much of its recent life at the vendor's second home in the South of France where rain is not an issue!

As you can see in the photos, Pop is in wonderfully original condition throughout and has been starting promptly and running beautifully as we have moved him around on site. You would be hard pressed to find a better example anywhere. What a find!

For more information contact James on 07970 309907 or email [email protected]