Ford Anglia 105E
The little Ford with the backwards-sloping rear window.
The story
The Anglia brought American styling to the British small car, with tail fins and a rear window that leaned the wrong way to keep rain off and give back-seat headroom. Its eager new engine and four-speed gearbox made it a favourite for tuning.
Inside
Painted metal, a simple two-dial binnacle and a long, wand-like gear lever.
In period colours
Tap a colour to respray the drawing.
A pale blue one flies in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
On screen
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Film, 2002
Mr Weasley's enchanted pale blue Anglia flies Harry and Ron to Hogwarts and crashes into the Whomping Willow.
Meanwhile, in 1959
The first stretch of the M1 motorway opened, and Cliff Richard's Living Doll topped the charts.
Best-selling single of 1959: Living Doll by Cliff Richard
Before you buy a 1950s car
- Check the sills, floorpans, wheel arches and the bottom of the doors for rust.
- Ask for any old MOT certificates, service records and bills.
- Parts for popular cars are often available from specialists, but trim and body panels can be hard to find.
General notes, not specific to this model. Check the model's own history before buying.
Rivals of its day
Picked automatically: cars on sale at the same time with similar size, speed and price.
See the real thing
These open in a new tab: the car on Wikimedia Commons, the interior and the badge as Google image searches.
Today's money: the launch price adjusted for inflation to 2026, using the Office for National Statistics price index.