1:76 Ford Prefect 100E 4 door Now Found

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Found One. Scale Link do a resin kit, probably better as I won't have to remove a heavy coating of gloss paint.


As per title it's the 1950s "matchbox" model with 4 doors. Some were made in 1:76 in various body styles, there was a 2 door Anglia that was reborn as a Popular, the four door was the Prefect the most noticeable difference being the central pillar being further forward than the two door version. They also made various estate versions as Esquire or Escort. It's the four door saloon body I'm looking for paint condition immaterial, wheels not essential. Quick check for scale it should be < 50mm > This will be a back to the metal rebuild. Take a look in those old boxes from the sixties and seventies If you have anything that looks likely PM me!
John W (Bufferstop)

[Dad-1]

Oxford Diecasts did one I'm certain.
I have a couple of their 2 door Anglias, 'cos I used to Rally one
Reg No. 200 BAE

Geoff T.

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Yeah, The one I want to recreate was an end of the line Prefect fitted with the OHV engine from the new Anglia. The four door body slowed it down a little but the combination of the new four speed box and the old back axle from side valve days gave it great lowdown acceleration, used to leave early Cortina drivers scratching their heads. Was a b***** on the corners though I think it had the rear springs off the Estate model.

[Dad-1]

Just had a look at the 'Hatton's' listing and not a single 100E !!
I know I have a red one & a black one so I suppose they're history
now ? Also have the estate in beige mmmmm

The handling of 200 BAE was fantastic. I even overtook a Mk.2 Lotus
Cortina in a bend on ice covered roads.
Stiffer front shocks
de-cambered rear springs (making slightly softer)
A large lorry battery anchored in the boot over the rear axle.
I also always had the best rubber - 2 sets of wheels.

Still with 3 speed, side valve, Vacuum wipers !!

Geoff T

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Putting in the OHV engine meant ford also put in the 12V Electrics but it still had the vacuum wipers, and vacuum washers operated by a tiny silver button on the dash, if you pressed it a bit off centre it would stick down and empty the bottle in about 30 seconds. The engine was oversquare and the compression ratio was horrifying you could lock the back wheels by dropping it into second gear, with a little squeel from the rear end before the momentum overcame the compression. It was the ultimate wolf in sheep's clothing as there was absolutely nothing on the outside to say that it wasn't the old sidevalve model. After me it went to one of my uncles, then the other uncle and I think he finally passed it on to his son in law.
The Plan is to plant around the layout the significant cars in my history. ATM I have the original Smart, an HB Viva, the dreaded Moggie Minor van in Post Office Olive, I'm also on the look out for an A30 and an HA Viva. I bowed to the requests of the grand kids, and the 105E Anglia is in the colours of the Weasley's Anglia from Harry Potter and it rests nose down into a patch if brambles.

[Dad-1]

John, You had me searching the computer records.

Here is the 4 door version done by Oxford Diecasts.

Sorry it's not for sale, but proves they did it, how many colours I don't recall.

They did a 2 door, but with the metal sun visor thingy. I have one in black, because.

Pauline & myself sorting our way through Wales.

4th row from the lorries my 3 including a beige estate 'Escort ?'

Haven't bought too many since.

My last rally car, it started this event in 1973 un-bent, had a slight scrape !!

Sold years later as a reliable runner.

Geoff T.

[Bigglesof266]

As per title it's the 1950s "matchbox" model with 4 doors. Some were made in 1:76 in various body styles, there was a 2 door Anglia that was reborn as a Popular, the four door was the Prefect the most noticeable difference being the central pillar being further forward than the two door version. They also made various estate versions as Esquire or Escort. It's the four door saloon body I'm looking for paint condition immaterial, wheels not essential. Quick check for scale it should be < 50mm > This will be a back to the metal rebuild. Take a look in those old boxes from the sixties and seventies If you have anything that looks likely PM me!
John W (Bufferstop)

Oh boy! that brought memories flooding back. Similar to the oddball Matchbox 'scales' wouldn't that likely have been Budgie in the 1950s John?

1959~'62 to make up for I suppose what would now be considered neglect as her time and attention was so consumed travelling (public transport trams and buses) to the central city hospital most every other day to visit my beloved very sick sister for years, my mother used to regularly stop in town on the return journey in so doing thinking to gift me a Budgie diecast as they were sold in Woolworth and at 1/- a fraction of the 2/6d cost of Matchbox which suited our impoverished circumstances as was. I loved them and grew a sizeable collection. My favourite was always Budgie No 5 Mobile Police Car (1/60 Wolseley 6/80), No 16 Austin Healey (100/6?) and No 13 Austin Taxi (FX3). Did I have a Budgie Ford Prefect in my minuscule kids' cardboard port (suitcase) as well? Note: Wasn't sure if the contraction port was also a British colloquialism of the time.

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Certainly red seems to have been the most available colour, also the most thickly applied. "matchbox" was a reference to the commonly used description of the styling of 100E Series rather than the products of Lesney. I notice you had the temperature control mod fitted to the front grill. Fords of the time always seemed to be massively over cooled, anything more than thirty minutes standing idle and it needed the choke to restart. At least they didn't suffer the BMC disease of having to know exactly how much choke, if it was needed you pulled it out fully and once it wasn't needed you pushed it back in. Unless it was raining in which case you left it well alone.

[Dad-1]

Hi John,

Yes over cooled, unless like me in winter removing the fan.
I did everything to try and get every power consuming bit removed,
but I have cooked an engine on an unusually warm day in spring and
sitting in a traffic queue, My heater full on to try and halt the rise,
ehh, yes I had a heater in mine with three little flaps you could move
to send warm-ish air to either the screen, the passenger, or the driver.
Adjusting while driving was almost impossible as the flaps were down
near your feet !!!

Geoff T.

[Peterm]

I know we're going off topic here, but nostalgia calls. I had a 107E, 4 door ohv with a 4 speed box. Colour was red over grey. We (my future wife and I) were at a set of lights and I watched a mini coming up behind us change lanes and sit beside us. Deciding it was time to see who's who round here, I gave it some welly on the green light. About a hundred yards up the road we were side by side when BANG this idiot changed lanes and sideswiped me. Oh I'm sorry he says, "I thought I was past you." I explained, ahem, that he has mirrors for that sort of thing, but that was about the end of it. So those little Fords weren't to be sneezed at in those days. By the way, we couldn't see any damage on either car. Says something for the metal used.

[Bigglesof266]

....nostalgia calls. I had a 107E, 4 door ohv with a 4 speed box.

Enjoyed that tale. Two tones back in the day. Loved them. Was yours just like this one?

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A mechanic I knew decided it was an easy conversion, engine and box from a written off Anglia, body of a side-valve Prefect, various other bits from the scrapyard and he had a home made 107E. It was even livelier on the corners. Did some checking, it was a hundredweight lighter than the factory built one. It was the body, the press tools for the Prefect were well past their sell by date so they fed the presses with thicker metal to get the definition. No wonder you couldn't see where the mini had kissed it.

[Phred]

I was driving a rented mini across the Auckland Harbour bridge circa 1972 when the wind blew the car halfway into the next lane. Makes me wonder if there was a wind blowing when you got sideswiped, Peterm.

[Peterm]

....nostalgia calls. I had a 107E, 4 door ohv with a 4 speed box.

Enjoyed that tale. Two tones back in the day. Loved them. Was yours just like this one?

Exactly, except for the visor.
Another little tale: My first date with my now wife. She lived at Crystal Palace: it's all hills round there and we set off on a wet evening on a downhill. I turned the wipers on with my foot off the throttle and one flew off one way and one went the other Before I thought about it, I said, you get that one and I'll get mine. She did without complaint and she's still the same now.

[Peterm]

A mechanic I knew decided it was an easy conversion, engine and box from a written off Anglia, body of a side-valve Prefect, various other bits from the scrapyard and he had a home made 107E. It was even livelier on the corners. Did some checking, it was a hundredweight lighter than the factory built one. It was the body, the press tools for the Prefect were well past their sell by date so they fed the presses with thicker metal to get the definition. No wonder you couldn't see where the mini had kissed it.