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Ford Popular Waterproof Half Cover
 Between 1953 and 1962 the Ford
Popular was a very widely used car and was constantly seen driving up
and down British roads. It's unique styling has resulted in it becoming
a much sought after classic and its back to basics approach appealed to
many when it was first released. The Ford Popular was designed from the
outset as a budget car; the Anglia and Prefect had just been cancelled
so the Popular took the body shell from the Anglia and mated it with a
very basic set of equipment in order to produce a cheaper, more
affordable car. Ford utilised a 30 horsepower 1172 cc engine that
proved a good match for the car and even though it was very bare inside
with no luxuries it made up for this with its price. Thanks to the
nature of the car industry in post war Britain it was literally a
choice between purchasing a Ford Popular, or trying to find an old,
battered pre-war car, or spend much more money on another vehicle, so
it was the only choice for the budget conscious.
The budget Ford Popular proved to be so popular that in 1959 the company decided to release a new version that fixed many of the gripes and complaints that people had with the existing model. This new version was still designed around the Anglia body but Ford managed to increase the available power from the engine to 36 and they added hydraulic brakes to the Popular making it a much safer vehicle to drive. The new Ford Popular also featured many firsts that are now a major part of the Ford marketing strategy such as multiple trim levels and optional extras. These were included in order to make the Popular competitive with more expensive cars as well as with budget models as it was originally designed.
Towards the end of it's life the Ford Popular became the ride of choice for drag racers who would modify the engine to produce an outrageous amount of power, the lightweight and durable body of the Ford Popular made this possible. The car has also featured in many pieces of literature and film, for instance it was driven by Doctor Who in the popular television show for many years and it was also featured in Monty Python's Flying Circus. The vehicle was finally discontinued in 1962.
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