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Ford Squire

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Ford Squire
Ford 100E Squire
Overview
ManufacturerFord of Britain
Production1955-1959
17,812 [1]
Body and chassis
Body style2-door estate
LayoutFR layout
Powertrain
Engine1172 cc I4
Transmission3 speed manual
Dimensions
WheelbaseTemplate:Auto in [2]
LengthTemplate:Auto in [2]
WidthTemplate:Auto in [2]
HeightTemplate:Auto in [2]

The Ford Squire is a car from Ford for the United Kingdom market built between 1955 and 1959.

It was a two door, four seat estate design, the brother to the Ford Prefect 100E four door saloon, sharing the same 1172 cc Ford Sidevalve 36 bhp (27 kW) engine and other parts and the same interior trim. It was substantially shorter than both the Prefect and the closely related Ford Anglia 100E two door saloon. It used the short front doors of the four-door model because the bodyshell was optimized for use as a panel van (which was marketed as the Thames 300E). The rear door was in two pieces split horizontally. The rear seat could be folded flat to convert from a four seater to a load carrier. Until 1957 there were wood trim pieces screwed to the sides of the vehicle.

The Squire competed in the same market segment as the Hillman Husky and the Austin A30 / A35 based estate: these were significantly more popular in the UK than longer estates at the time. Total production was 17,812 cars.

The Ford Escort was a mechanically identical estate car but based on the Ford Anglia which had a lower trim level. This proved more popular and a total of 33,131 Escorts were produced between 1955 and 1961. [1] Production of the Escort continued until 1961, two years longer than the Squire.

The British Motor magazine tested a Squire in 1955 recording a top speed of 69.9 mph (112.5 km/h) and acceleration from 0-50 mph (80 km/h) in 20.2 seconds and a fuel consumption of 35.7 miles per imperial gallon (7.9 L/100 km; 29.7 mpg‑US). The test car which had the optional heater cost £668 including taxes. [2]

A less expensive variant of the Ford Squire was branded as the Ford Escort: this was the first use by Ford of Britain of a name which would become well known across Europe and North America when applied to Ford's mainstream small family cars manufactured from the late 1960s (Europe) / early 1970s (USA).

the back axle was made of cheese

References

  1. ^ a b Sedgwick, M. (1986). A-Z of Cars 1945-1970. Devon, UK: Bay View Books. ISBN 1-870979-39-7. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e "The Ford Squire Estate Car". The Motor. December 8 1955. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ "Second Hand car guide supplement". Practical Motorist. vol 6 Nbr 68: between pages 768 & 769. date April 1960. {{cite journal}}: |volume= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)