Until 1952 it was, after Austin, the second-best selling import in America. We called them “English Fords,” not “British,” and the company did, too. Imports began in 1948, of the Anglia and Prefect models, with slightly more than 3,200 sold. They were cute, funky and many of them ended up as hot rods and dragsters. The distinctive English Ford dated back to 1932, when it was decided that the British market needed its own small Ford. The Model Y, designed by E.T. Gregorie, was an instant success and its design was scaled up for the 1934 American Ford.
The first modern English Fords were the Consul and Zephyr of 1951. Unibody designs, they had over-square ohv engines, Consul a 1508 cc four and Zephyr a 2262 cc six. They had suspended pedals (a year before US Fords) and Earle MacPherson’s revolutionary strut suspension – long before it saw production in the USA. Convertibles were added in 1953. The top, for which power was optional, also had a mid-range “de Ville” position. In cities they were often sold by import dealers, but in mid-America the Ford tractor dealers handled them, with the result that they healthily outsold Austins and Hillmans in the heartland.
A Consul Mk II arrived in 1956, now with 1703 cc. A matching Mk II Zephyr was up to 2553 cc. Sales were now over 17,000, behind only Volkswagen and Renault. A new Anglia, the 100E, had debuted in 1955. As before, there was a Prefect four-door version.
In 1963, the first of the long-running Cortina series debuted. Designed by Roy Brown, who had been exiled to England after his Edsel was laid to rest, it was a great success. Ordinary sedans were offered, as well as a GT model and a station wagon. The Cortina had a modern interior and disk brakes. A new Anglia, the 105E of 1960 was sold alongside it. Now famous as the Harry Potter car, the 105E also had a van version.
A new generation Cortina was introduced in 1967. A few were offered with a twin-cam Lotus engine (which was based on the Cortina block) as the Lotus Cortina. This one, owned by acerbic motoring journalist Jamie Kitman, once belonged to Colin Chapman.
After falling below 5,000 in the early 1960s, annual English Ford sales in the US rallied to the 20,000 level through 1969. During 1970, however, imports were halted, their niche taken up by the new Pinto. Nearly 250,000 English Fords were sold in the 23 years they were imported. When was the last time you saw one?
