| Production | 1953–1959 155,340 made |
|---|---|
| Assembly | United Kingdom Australia |
| Successor | Ford Popular 100E |
| Body style | two door saloon two door tourer (Australia) two door roadster utility (Australia) two door coupe utility (Australia) |
| Engine | 1172 cc straight-4 side-valve 30 bhp |
| Transmission | 3 speed manual |
| Wheelbase | 90 in (2,286 mm) |
| Length | 151.5 in (3,848 mm) |
| Width | 56.5 in (1,435 mm) |
| Height | 64.5 in (1,638 mm) |
| Curb weight | 1,624 lb (737 kg) |
| Related | Ford Anglia |
When production of the older Ford Anglia and Ford Prefect was stopped in 1953 the Popular was developed as a budget alternative. The Popular was based on the old, pre-war-style E494A Anglia. It was powered by a Ford Sidevalve 1172 cc, 30 bhp (22 kW), 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. Over 150,000 Populars were made.
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 due to the six-year halt in production caused by World War II. 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 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 Anglia 100E, Austin A30 or Morris Minor, the choice was the Popular or a prewar car.
A car tested by The Motor magazine in 1954 had a top speed of 60.3 mph (97.0 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-50 mph (80 km/h) in 24.1 seconds. A fuel consumption of 36.4 miles per imperial gallon (7.76 L/100 km; 30.3 mpg) was recorded. The test car cost £390 including taxes.
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