1966 Ford ANGLIA 105E

Born in July 1966, this fully restored red Ford Anglia has had a total of just six owners. Not that that is of any use in helping you establish a baseline for the car because the fifth owner, who bought it in 2011, treated it to a bare metal, nut-and-bolt restoration.

Clearly a fastidious man, he stripped it to its core before slowly and painstakingly bringing it to the condition you see today – and aside from the bodywork and the gearbox, he did it all himself in only a couple of years.

‘Valerie’, as she is affectionately known, has only covered around 10,000 miles since being completed, and those were largely accrued attending club rallies and on the show circuit where she has scooped numerous awards as you can see from her trophy board.

Now being offered for sale with a very sensible reserve, this is your chance to own a sliced of fried British gold for not a lot of money.

The bodywork was restored by Trafalgar Motors of Hull, and didn’t they do a terrific job of it? Still gleaming and free of rust and other problems all these years later, it looks like a car that was finished last year rather than one that first retook the streets seven years and 10,000 miles ago.

The panel fit is brilliant, and the doors fit beautifully. The quality of the paintwork is impressive too, and the overall standard is almost certainly far higher than it ever would have been in period. (No offence Dagenham, but your quality control wasn’t the greatest back then, was it?)

The overall presentation is fabulous. It’s also complemented by the white stripe down the side (a la Starsky and Hutch) and widespread use of chrome. The latter is all in a very good condition, and is in need of nothing other than regular polishing to keep it looking fabulous.

The glass is all good, as are the badges and light lenses. Three period-appropriate badges sit on the chrome grille, and the reverse-rake rear window and prominent tailfins make the pint-size Anglia look like an American car that’s shrunk in the wash.

Ornate chrome wheeltrims give the plain 13-inch steel wheels a much-needed lift, and the tyres look to be decent, even if the ‘Atlas’ whitewall trims have yellowed.

Problems are few. One tubular jacking point has crumbled away and needs replacing, and there is the odd small rust bubble starting, most noticeably on the boot lid near the rear window and underneath the badge. These will need attention sooner rather than later to forestall bigger problems developing in the future.

Oh, and the front wings are fibreglass. Not that you can tell from looking at them but y’know, full disclosure and all that.

The bright red seats still look like new, and are still as firm and supportive as the day they were fitted, largely thanks to what looks in the photo album to be new springs and (presumably) new foam. The rear seat is all-but flawless, and the fronts show only the very mildest of creasing to show they’ve ever been sat on. The quality of the trimming is exquisite, and the matching red door cards and rear quarter panels brings the whole ensemble together in a way that is rare in a car in this price range.

I mean, just take a look at the stitching on the headlining; it’s so beautifully done it wouldn’t look out of place in a six-figure modern supercar.

And, it’s a riot of red ‘n’ chrome, which might be overwhelming were it not for the quality of its execution. So, you’ll find a red steering wheel to hold on to and plenty of chrome trim and controls, plus the symmetrical dashboard with its mirrored chrome glovebox and instrument cluster. Bright red, neatly bound carpets too, and a red inset on the speedometer.

It’s all minty fresh including the door cards, carpets, headlining, and painted dashboard. It’s all rather glorious and in a fabulous condition; we salute the previous owner’s good taste - and sense of humour in painting Valerie’s name on the dash.

The controls might be simple but they operate with a rare precision and the overall fit ‘n’ finish is impeccable; aside from having impeccable taste, someone has spent a lot of money, and taken a lot of care, in getting it to look and feel this good.

The only jarring note is the wooden gearknob. If it were ours, we might be tempted to replace it with something that co-ordinates better with the red and chrome interior. But, that this is the extent of our concern speaks volumes as to the quality and condition of everything else.

The boot is as clean and well-finished as the rest of the vehicle, and the metal floors are completely solid and free of rust and corrosion. Oh, and the spare wheel doesn’t look like it has ever been fitted.

NB: the eagle-eyed among you will have noticed two vertical grey boxes in the dashboard. With a pair of switches fitted to each, we’ve absolutely no idea what either does. Still, that’s a nice puzzle for you to solve during the lockdown, isn’t it?

While the car’s fifth owner carried out the majority of the mechanical work on the Anglia himself, he did commission Wallis Auto Engineering to rebuild the gearbox.

More recent work includes some minor fettling to the clutch and brake systems in 2017.

As you can see in the video, it’s running beautifully, starting on the button and ticking over nicely with no odds noises. It pulls nicely on the road despite the limited horsepower at its disposal. It really does want for nothing save, perhaps, new front dampers mounts as the old ones have started to perish. That that is the ‘To Do’ list on a 55-year-old car is remarkable.

The underside is attractively finished in red paint and underseal where it’s needed. It looks terrific and is, more importantly, utterly solid. If it were ours we might be tempted to touch up the underseal as it is starting to flake off in places and there’s some surface rust developing on the fuel tank and rear differential cover. This is a job that could be done at the same time as you get a new jacking point welded in.

The Anglia doesn’t have a current MOT certificate, and while it is exempt by virtue of its age, we would strongly encourage the new owner to have the car re-MOT’d at the earliest. The cost of an MOT is a small investment when offset against the purchase and upkeep of any classic car, and it gives an independent, third-party assessment of the car’s condition, which not only provides reassurance to the owner (and any subsequent purchasers) but might also be invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies…

Having said that Anglia’s MOT history shows nothing of concern whatsoever, and Valerie has been passing MOTs, with no advisories whatsoever, since being restored so popping a new one on should straightforward.

The car comes with a current V5C, an album of restoration photos that show just how well she was restored, and a trophy board. The car’s fifth owner, the one who did all the heavy lifting in restoring it, was obviously a man who derived his pleasure from the doing rather than housekeeping paperwork as there are no bills for all this work. But, as you can see from the photo album though, he didn’t stint in his endeavours and he estimates the whole lot cost him around £5,000, a sum that doesn’t include his labour, of course.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been restored to the very highest standard.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

NB. We know that many of you will be limiting your social exposure over the coming days and weeks, so if you’d rather not come to see the car in person, please give us a call and we can shoot a personal video of the car honing in on any areas you’d like us to concentrate on.

Or, even better, why not contact us with your mobile number and we can set up a WhatsApp video call? You get to direct us in real-time, giving you a virtual personal viewing experience while maintaining the lockdown. We like to call it ‘The Market’s 2020 Vision’…

The attention to detail is incredible. Clearly a labour of love, someone has spent far too much time and money on her but she’s all the more glorious for it. We’ve seen more than our fair share of classic cars between us but we can’t remember ever having seen such a modest vehicle being the recipient of such love and attention to detail; even the starting battery, fitted new in 2017, has the old-style screw filler caps, to better fit in with the rest of the fixtures and fittings under there.

It’s heartbreaking really, because the vendor will realise only a fraction of what it would cost to replicate. How little? Well, we think it will sell for between £8,250 and £10,000, which is a pitifully small sum for something so gorgeous; you really could take it anywhere and not be embarrassed.

Who do we think it’ll appeal to? Well, aside from the Ford enthusiast we can see it going to a new driver, someone dipping their toe into the classic car world. It’s a well-known model with a ready supply of spares and parts, is cheap and easy to maintain, and yet cool enough that no-one’s ever going to ridicule your choice of wheels.

That tiny 997cc engine should make it inexpensive to run and insure - and it’ll also be worth way more than the three-year-old Ford Fiesta you’ve been eyeing up when you come to sell it.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Footman James for classic car insurance Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car and AnyVan for transporting it.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.

Please note that this is sold as seen and that, as is normal for used goods bought at auction, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. See our FAQs for more info, and feel free to inspect any vehicle as much as you wish.