Ford Anglia Super 123e 1962–1967
| Ford Anglia Super 123E | |
|---|---|
1966 Ford Anglia Super 123E Sedan
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| Overview | |
| Production | 1962–67 79,223 units |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | 2-door saloon 3-door estate car 2-door panel van |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 1198 cc I4 |
From 1962, the 123E Anglia Super was available alongside the 105E, replacing the last of the line of Prefects, with a larger 1198 cc engine and other refinements.
The same car was also sold in Europe. One Europe-only variant was the Anglia Sportsman, which carried its spare tyre on the back, somewhat similar to the continental kit often seen in the United States. Chrome bumper overriders, broad whitewall tyres, and optionally a side stripe kicking up at the end into the tail-lights/fin were also fitted. The Super only arrived in South Africa in 1966, although it did boost sales considerably.
Towards the end of the run Ford experimented with two colours of metallic paint on the Anglia, "Blue Mink" and "Venetian Gold". 250 were made in the Blue and 500 were made in the Gold.
Anglia saloons were provided with various levels of trim. The base model was the Standard, and this sported no chromework, painted rear light surrounds, steel slatted grille and limited interior trim. The deluxe had a chrome side strip, chrome rear lights, glovebox lid, sun visor and full width chrome radiator grille. The top of the range was the Super, which had twin chrome side strips, contrasting coloured roof and side flash, plusher interior trim, together with the 1198 cc engine and a gearbox with synchromesh on first gear.
Optional extras were the mechanical upgrade of a Deluxe to a Super, retaining the Deluxe trim, or the upgrade of a Deluxe to a Super trim, but retaining the 997 cc engine, an option rarely taken up.[citation needed]
In popular culture
- On BBC television the popular Z-Cars serial mimicked the real life police forces' adoption of small patrol cars, known as Panda Cars due to their duck egg blue paintwork with a broad vertical white stripe running right over the doors and roof. Ford supplied 105E Anglias to appear alongside the Zephyrs.
- On the ITV programme Heartbeat, Ford Anglias were popularly used as police cars.
- On his 1980s TV-am series Rat on the Road and later shows, puppet character Roland Rat and his friends' "RatMobile" was a 1950s Ford Anglia painted bright pink.
- A turquoise 105E car prominently featured in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, as Arthur Weasley's car, which he charmed to give it the capabilities of flight, invisibility and extra loading capacity. Ron later crashes the Anglia into the Whomping Willow attempting, along with Harry, to reach Hogwarts on time after missing the Hogwarts Express. Angry at its mistreatment the car runs into the Forbidden Forest where it lives wild until later when it rescues Harry and Ron from the acromantulas. The car is later referenced in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire when Harry recalls that it is running wild in the Forbidden Forest.
- The character of Vyvyan in the BBC comedy The Young Ones owned a yellow Ford Anglia with flames painted along the sides.
- Jaret, lead singer of Bowling for Soup, drives one in the video for The Bitch Song. It also makes a brief appearance in the follow-up, Girl All the Bad Guys Want.
- Ford Anglia is featured in a popular Finnish song Teuvo, maanteiden kuningas (Teuvo, king of the highways) by Leevi and the Leavings. The song's main character, Teuvo, dreams of becoming a rally champion.