Ford 8hp & 10hp

The Model Y of August 1932 is where Ford of Britain starts as a British car maker rather than a branch office: 933cc side-valve, 22bhp, transverse leaf springs front and rear, three speeds with synchromesh on the top two, just under 60mph and 32mpg. About 175,000 worldwide and 153,117 in Great Britain. There are two series and a restorer must not confuse them. The short radiator car, August 1932 to September 1933, has nine bonnet louvres, straight ribbed bumpers, the starting-handle hole in the front valance because the grille is too short to take it, diamond door handles and no mudguard skirts — 26,895 saloons and 3,034 vans. The long radiator car, October 1933 to August 1937, has six louvres, a deeper V grille with the handle hole in it, a dipped single-grooved bumper, art-deco handles and mudguard skirts — 108,343 saloons and 26,572 vans. In June 1935 the Popular Tudor went on sale at £100, the first four-seater closed saloon in Britain at that price, and it held it until July 1937.

The 1172cc ten-horse side-valve arrived with the Model C in September 1934 (17,244 saloons) and the Model CX from October 1935 (27,940 saloons) — wider than the Y, no running boards, a teardrop tail, the “Barrel Ford”. CX identification: four chrome chevrons on the grille, three chrome strips along each bonnet side, vertical louvres the full length of the bonnet, the indicator switch moved onto the steering wheel and a clock in the centre of the dash. The 7W Ten of 1937–38 (41,665 built) stiffened the chassis and fitted improved Girling mechanical brakes — it is the direct ancestor of the Prefect badge, and 7W owners regularly come looking for Prefect parts. Then the side-valve Anglias: E04A 1939–48, 55,807 built, 933cc at home and 1172cc for export; E494A 1948–53, 108,878 built, new sloped twin-lobed grille, running gear untouched. And finally the Popular 103E, 1953–59, 155,340 built — 1172cc, 30bhp, rod-operated drums, 6 volts, synchromesh on second and top only, painted dashboard, one wiper, semaphores and later the B-pillar flashers people call Rupert’s ears. £390 including tax in 1954, the cheapest car in Britain.