View source for Ford Popular

{{Use British English|date=June 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox automobile
| image = RRT339 020510 CPS (4576174140).jpg
| caption = Ford Popular (103E)
| name  = Ford Popular
| manufacturer = [[Ford of Britain|Ford UK]]
| production = 1953–1962
| predecessor = 
| successor = 
| body_style =
| designer = 
}}

The '''Ford Popular''', often called the Ford Pop, is a car from [[Ford of Britain|Ford UK]] that was built in England between 1953 and 1962. When launched, it was Britain's lowest priced car.<ref name=Motor1954/>

The name Popular was also used by Ford to describe its [[Ford Model Y|1930s Y Type model]]. The Popular name was also later used on basic models of the [[Ford Escort (Europe)|Escort]] and [[Ford Fiesta|Fiesta]] cars.

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=={{anchor|103E}} Ford Popular 103E==
{{Infobox automobile
| image = File:1955 Ford Popular (13027999655).jpg
| name = Ford Popular 103E
| production = 1953–1959
| predecessor = 
| successor = Ford Popular 100E
| assembly  = United Kingdom <br /> Australia<ref name=Ballard2>[[#BB1|Ballard]], pp. 133-134</ref>
| body_style =  two door saloon <br /> two door [[coupe utility]] (Australia)<ref name=Ballard>[[#BB1|Ballard]], pp. 74-76</ref> <br /> chassis-cowl (Australia)<ref name=Ballard/>
| engine = 1172 cc [[side-valve]] [[Straight-four engine|I4]]<br />30 bhp
| transmission = 3-speed manual
| length = {{convert|151.5|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}<ref name=Motor1954/>
| width = {{convert|56.5|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}<ref name=Motor1954/>
| height = {{convert|64.5|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}<ref name=Motor1954/>
| weight = {{convert|1624|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}}<ref name=a-z45to80/>
| wheelbase = {{convert|90|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}<ref name=Motor1954/>
| related = [[Ford Anglia]]
| designer = 
}}

When production of the older [[Ford Anglia]] and [[Ford Prefect (car)|Ford Prefect]] was stopped in 1953 the Popular was developed as a budget alternative, based on the old, pre-war style E494A Anglia. The E494A was, in turn, a facelift of the Anglia E04A, which was a facelifted version of the 7Y, itself a rebodied Model Y. Thus through several adjustments, updates and name changes, a design with provenance dating back to 1932 was produced by Ford for 27 years. It was powered by a [[Ford Sidevalve]] 1172 cc, {{convert|30|bhp|abbr=on}},<ref name=a-z45to80/> four-cylinder engine. The car was very basic. It had a single vacuum-powered wiper, no heater, vinyl trim, and very little chrome; even the bumpers were painted, and the bakelite dashboard of the Anglia was replaced by a flat steel panel. The Popular 103E differed visually from the Anglia E494E in having smaller headlights and a lack of trim on the side of the bonnet.<ref>Bill Ballard, English and Australian Small Fords: Recognition and Restoration, 2003, page 74</ref> Early 103Es  had the three spoke banjo type Anglia/Prefect steering wheel as stocks of these were used up, but most have a two spoke wheel similar to the 100E wheel but in brown.  Early Populars also had the single centrally mounted tail/stop-lamp of the Anglia, but this changed to a two tail/stop lamp set up with the lamps mounted on the mudguards and a separate number plate lamp. In total, 155,340 Popular E103s were produced.<ref name=a-z45to80>{{cite book |last=Robson |first=Graham |title=A-Z British Cars 1945–1980 |year=2006 |publisher=Herridge & Sons |isbn=0-9541063-9-3 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/azbritishcars1940000robs }}</ref>

This car proved successful because, while on paper it was a sensible alternative to a clean, late-model used car, in practice there were no clean late-model used cars available in postwar Britain owing to the six-year halt in production caused by the Second World War. This problem was compounded by stringent export quotas that made obtaining a new car in the late 1940s and into the early 1950s difficult, and [[Covenant (law)|covenants]] forbidding new-car buyers from selling for up to three years after delivery. Unless the purchaser could pay the extra £100 or so for an [[Ford Anglia#Anglia 100E (1953–1959)|Anglia 100E]], [[Austin A30]] or [[Morris Minor]], the choice was the Popular or a pre-war car. Electrics were 6 volts, a provided starting handle often necessary. Braking was done by rod operated drums, and [[synchromesh]] was only on 2nd and top gear.  The boot was accessed with a coach key, there was no heater or demister, and turn indication was performed by semaphors. Starting the car was done by pull-wire starter, and the carburetor was operated by manual choke. Also, there was no water pump, and engine cooling was done via [[thermosyphon]]. In short, this was very basic motoring.

In later years, these cars became popular as [[hot rod]]s, starting in the late 1950s, when people started drag racing them due to their lightweight construction. This practice started in the United States with Ford's [[1932 Ford|1932 Model B/18]], while the Ford "Pop" as it was affectionately known became the definitive British hot rod – a reduced sized but readily available British alternative, a role it still plays today to a considerable extent.

A car tested by ''[[The Motor (magazine)|The Motor]]'' magazine in 1954 had a top speed of {{convert|60.3|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} and could accelerate from 0-{{convert|50|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} in 24.1 seconds. A fuel consumption of {{convert|36.4|mpgimp|L/100 km mpgus}} was recorded. The test car cost £390 including taxes.<ref name=Motor1954>{{cite journal |title=The Ford Popular |journal=[[The Motor (magazine)|The Motor]] |date=28 April 1954}}</ref>

===In Australia===
The Popular 103E was available in Australia up to 1955 as a two-door [[coupe utility]] and also in chassis-cowl form to accept custom built bodywork.<ref name=Ballard/> It utilised the 94 inch wheelbase of the [[Ford Prefect]] with 103E front panels.<ref name=Ballard/> The utility was designated as 103E-67 and the chassis-cowl model as 103E-84.<ref name=Ballard_134>[[#BB1|Ballard]], p. 134</ref> The Popular utility differed from its [[Ford Anglia|Anglia A494A]] utility predecessor in that the Popular did not have running boards whereas the Anglia did.<ref>[[#BB1|Ballard]], pp. 71, 76</ref>
[[File:1954 Ford Popular 103E coupe utility (5094254999).jpg|thumb|left|1954 Ford Popular 103E Coupe Utility]]
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==Ford Popular 100E==
{{Infobox automobile
| image       = Ford Popular 1959 photo 2008 Castle Hedingham.JPG
| name        = Ford Popular 100E
| production  = 1959–1962
| predecessor = Ford Popular 103E
| successor   = [[Ford Anglia]]
| body_style  = 2-door [[Sedan (automobile)|saloon]]
| engine      = {{convert|1172|cc|cuin|1|abbr=on}} [[straight-4]] [[side-valve]]
| transmission = 3-speed [[Manual transmission|manual]]
| length      = {{convert|149.75|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}<ref name=BritishCars>{{cite book |last=Culshaw |author2=Horrobin |title=Complete Catalogue of British Cars |year=1974 |publisher=Macmillan |location=London |isbn=0-333-16689-2}}</ref>
| width       = {{convert|60.75|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}<ref name=Motor1960/>
| height      = {{convert|58.75|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}<ref name=Motor1960/>
| weight      = {{convert|1708|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}}
| wheelbase   = {{convert|87|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}<ref name=BritishCars/>
| related     = [[Ford Anglia]]
| designer    = 
}}
In 1959 the old Popular was replaced by a new version that was in production until 1962. Like the previous version it used a superseded Anglia body shell, this time that of the [[Ford Anglia#Anglia 100E (1953–1959)|100E]], and it was powered by a strengthened 1172 cc sidevalve engine producing 36&nbsp;bhp.<ref name=Motor1960/> The brakes were now hydraulic with {{convert|8|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} drums all round.<ref name=Motor1960/> The new Popular offered 1,000 mile (1,500&nbsp;km in metric countries) service intervals, like its predecessor, but it only had 13 grease points as against its predecessor's 23 (or 28 for the pre-war cars).<ref name=Motor197507/> The basic model stripped out many fittings from the Anglia but there was a large list of extras available and also a De Luxe version which supplied many as standard. 126,115 Popular 100Es were built.<ref name=a-z45to80/>

The ''Motor'' magazine tested a 100E in 1960 and found it to have a top speed of {{convert|69.9|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}, acceleration from 0–{{convert|50|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} in 19.6 seconds and a fuel consumption of {{convert|33.2|mpgimp|L/100 km mpgus}}. The test car cost £494 including taxes with a comment that it was the lowest-priced orthodox saloon on the British Market.<ref name=Motor1960>{{cite journal |title=The Ford Popular |journal=[[The Motor (magazine)|The Motor]] |date=24 August 1960}}</ref>

In 1960, the manufacturer's recommended retail price of £494 was equivalent to 26 weeks' worth of the average UK wage.<ref name=Motor197507>{{cite journal |journal=Motor |title=By Popular demand...|pages=32–33 |date=2 July 1975}}</ref> The £100 charged in 1935 and the £1,299 charged for the Ford Escort Popular in 1975 both also amounted to 26 weeks' worth of average wage for the years in question.<ref name=Motor197507/> In the 1950s, however, the country had been undergoing a period of above average austerity: in 1953 the car's £390 sticker price represented 40 weeks' worth of the average UK wage.<ref name=Motor197507/>

[[File:Stonehouse, Gloucestershire ... Popular. - Flickr - BazzaDaRambler.jpg|thumb|left|Ford Popular deluxe (100E)]]
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==Popular trim level==
In 1975 the Popular name was revived as a base trim level of the newly released [[Ford Escort (Europe)|Ford Escort]] Mk2. This model featured a standard 1.1 litre OHV Kent engine, 12-inch wheels with [[cross ply]] tyres and drum brakes all round. The 1975 Ford Escort Popular was the first Ford to carry the Popular name that also featured a heater as standard equipment.<ref name=Motor197507/> The "Popular" trim level proved long-standing across the Ford range, featuring on later Escorts and the Fiesta, from 1980 to 1991. A 'Popular Plus' variant was also available.

==In popular culture==
Season 3, Episode 2 of [[Monty Python's Flying Circus]] was titled "Mr and Mrs Brian Norris' Ford Popular" leading with a sketch featuring the aforenamed couple and their car which parodied documentaries of famous expeditions.

A 1960 Popular also appears in the music video for [[Phil Collins]]' [[Take Me Home (Phil Collins song)|Take Me Home]].

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* {{citation | ref = BB1 | last = Ballard | first = Bill | title = English and Australian Small Fords: Recognition and Restoration | publisher = Ellery Publications | date = 2003-02-01 | isbn = 978-1876720070 }}

==External links==
{{commons category|Ford Popular}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160501045342/http://www.103e.co.uk/ Ford Popular 103E] A site for enthusiasts of the 103E Ford Populars.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160531204131/http://www.ford100e.com/ For 100E enthusiasts site]
*[http://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/photos-cars4/ford_popular_103e_roadster_ute_114.htm Ford Popular 103E Roadster Ute]
* http://fsoc.co.uk For all four cylinder Fords 1932 – 1962

{{Ford}}
{{FordEurope}}
{{Early European Ford vehicles}}

[[Category:Ford of Europe vehicles|Popular]]
[[Category:Cars introduced in 1953]]
[[Category:Sedans]]
[[Category:1960s cars]]