1948 Ford Prefect

Ford made right-hand-drive cars in England from 1911; first American Model Ts, then Model As from 1927 until 1932. The first English model was the 8-horsepower 933cc Model Y. It was introduced in 1932, and built at the new Dagenham factory. With a new side-valve engine, it was aimed at the Austin 7 and 10, but was slightly larger.

The Ford Model Y resembled the full-size American two-and four-door saloons, with a shield-shaped radiator and a curved back. Ford's 10-horsepower 1172cc, Model C followed in 1935 with a rounder body and a boot, and both models were redesigned in 1938 with semi-stressed bodywork.

Ford named the new four-door 'Prefect', while the two-door became the Anglia. A side-curtained Prefect tourer was available before the war in the UK, but did not return afterwards. Convertibles were still offered in overseas markets (Australia in particular), where two-door Prefects could also be found. Prefect saloons had opening windshields, hinged at the top.

The Prefect returned unchanged in 1945, still with a 3-speed gearbox, mechanical brakes, rigid axles, transverse-leaf springs, and no heater. The dashboard was Bakelite, with instruments grouped in the centre and the larger 1172cc engine fitted. In 1949 the pre-war alligator grille was replaced by a heavy chrome grille with vertical bars, similar to the big V-8 Pilot. Headlights were integrated into the front wings and semaphore indicators were fitted.

The Prefect saloon is roomy but pretty basic. Top speed is around 60 mph, which is plenty, as the transverse springs result in a certain amount of wandering. Turn signal flashers were not offered, but many cars were equipped with them later-great, except that the 6-volt system makes them exceedingly slow at idle. Despite having a vacuum tank, windscreen wipers slow to a stop when climbing hills, then slap themselves silly on deceleration.

Aftermarket heaters may be found, but since the radiator operates merely on convection, a water pump had to be installed to direct hot water into the car. The ingenious installation involved running the water pump pulley on the back of the fan belt.

The Ford Prefect was advertised as the cheapest four-door car on the British market, selling for £412 in 1949. In all 379,339 were sold between 1939-53, when it was replaced by a new monocoque Consul. Styled after the 1949 American 'shoebox' model, the Ford Consul offered an overhead-valve engine, McPherson strut front suspension and hydraulic brakes, but it still had a 3-speed gearbox.

Surviving Ford Prefects are fairly numerous and spares are relatively easy to find. As with the two-door Anglia, colors were limited throughout the model’s run; most were black, grey, tan or green. They represent an ideal starter collector car, being reliable and simple maintain, though slow.