‘MISFIT’ FORD ANGLIA IS GOING TO AUCTION

A one-of-a-kind Ford Anglia that almost became a Hot Wheels toy car has been consigned for auction in the UK.

Dubbed ‘Misfit’, this creation started life back in 2015 with half the bodyshell of a 1963 Ford Anglia 105E, acquired for a few hundred pounds by English fabricator and vehicle builder Rob Rashbrook.

The car has evolved over time, with most of the more radical and recent custom work done by Michael Charalambous.

Defined by its chopped and channelled body over a bespoke frame (Anglias were monocoques by 1963), the Misfit’s body mods also include shortening the boot and narrowing the front end sheetmetal to allow the Anglia’s headlights to nestle, hot rod style, between the front wheels.

Clever touches on the body include blending 1959 Cadillac tail lights into the back end and adding a third, high-mount taillight in a streamlined pod on the roof.

The extremely truncated bonnet is functional, front hinged and covering the car’s radiator, while the boot is opened by pulling on the licence plate bracket. Inside, the battery, a jack, fuel cell, vintage filler can and fire extinguisher reside.

The 1.0-litre inline four this Anglia would have carried when new has been replaced with a 2.0-litre BMW four-cylinder engine from an E30 318is, to which an Eaton M45 supercharger has been added. The manual gearbox is also out of an E30 BMW, as are parts like the clutch, diff, half shafts and hubs.

Suspension consists of Avo coilover shocks, with a De Dion 4-link arrangement and Watt’s linkage at the back. The steering rack came from a Hillman Imp and the column from a Ford Capri, with other front-end parts from a Ford Popular.

Brakes are made up of modern Mini at the rear and Ford Sierra at the front, while the wheels are BBS magnesium alloys in gold, sourced from a Ferrari and narrowed before being fitted with old-school crossply tyres.

All that equipment and attention to engineering detail shows that Misfit was built to be driven, which it was quite often, rather than being trailered to shows. It was apparently used on the school run, too!

That being said, Misfit wasn’t built expressly for comfort, with its low roofline and thinly-padded custom seats. But the custom suspension apparently soaks up a good amount of the bumps, making the ride bearable, if less than ideal for long drives.

The bespoke bomber-style bucket seats include Willans 4-point harnesses, with a custom rollcage for extra safety. Like the seats, the doorcards, pedals, handbrake, switchgear and other parts are all unique to the Misfit, coming from a range of non-automotive sources, with the only ‘marque’ part reportedly being the gearshift knob – taken from a Ferrari 308 GTS.

So-Cal gauges replace the factory instruments, with a supercharger boost gauge attached to the bonnet. Other notable touches include a cigar lighter on the passenger-side dash, a vintage fire extinguisher re-purposed as a windscreen washer bottle and spare spark plugs in a bracket on the firewall.

At the UK leg of the Hot Wheels Legends tour, Misfit was a clear winner with the public and the judging panel, which meant it scored an invite to Las Vegas in November, competing against nine other custom creations for the honour of being remade as a Hot Wheels toy.

Last year’s winner was from the UK, so Misfit was considered a strong chance to keep Britain’s winning streak going, but had competition from some wacky creations out of Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, Mexico and New Zealand, as well as the USA.

Ultimately, Misfit lost out to a high-riding Autozam Scrum kei truck from Texas, featuring 30-inch wheels and a nitrous-boosted 7.4-litre Chev V8.

Now, after a multitude of awards and magazine features, as well as the prestige of being a Top 10 finalist in the Hot Wheels Legends tour, Misfit has been consigned with Car & Classic Auctions in the UK for their week-long online auction that gets underway on 15 December and runs to 22 December, 2022.

“As a toy, it would have been enjoyed by millions, but the winner of our auction will always own the original and unique model,” says Car & Classic Head of Editorial, Chris Pollitt.

“The beauty of this car, apart from the precision with which it has been put together, is the opportunity to spot details such as the 1959 Cadillac tail lights, the third brake light in the roof, and even how the boot pops open.

“It’s a labour of love and a lot of fun too,” concludes Pollitt.