1967 Ford Anglia 1600 De Luxe Estate Rally Car

First registered in December 1967 in Southampton, this Ford Anglia De Luxe Estate was purchased new by Major Fiddes. The motor car passed to two further members of the Fiddes family until 1991, when it was sold to be prepared as a rally car for Lord David Steele of Attwood (now Sir David Steele) to compete in the Trans Africa Rally. After preparing the Anglia, the Rally was cancelled, so it was decided to participate in the modified class of the 1993 Monte Carlo Challenge, with well-known navigators Colin Francis and Andre Tamblin. Sir David won the class and the motor car was put into storage until 1995 when it was sold to the current custodian, Mr Broderick, with the aim of entering the 1997 Peking to Paris Rally.

We understand that MAA 726F was purchased for £4000, stripped and rebuilt with a number of new components. The 1600 X-Flow engine installed for Sir David was rebuilt with a low-compression ratio, enabling it to run on the poor quality fuel expected in some of the outer regions tackled on the event. The Anglia was equipped with a Sierra Cosworth gearbox, and Quaiffe floating shafts were fitted into a strengthened axle casing. Disc brakes were fitted on the front using front suspension struts with dual rate springs, while rear shock absorbers were replaced with Bilstein coil-overs. An eighteen gallon fuel tank, together with a three gallon reserve tank, was installed, and the motor car was re-wired.

We are told that as a ‘shakedown’ for the main event, the custodian and his wife entered the Ford into the 1996 Targa Espania, finishing a credible 11^th overall.

The vendor tells us: “The 1997 Peking to Paris Rally was entered by ninety-nine crews and covered some 10,000 miles, following a route that has not been possible for more recent Rallies due to geographical and political obstacles. Indeed, the late Rally organiser Phillip Young considered the route to be his ultimate challenge and the best by far.

Starting at Beijing, the Rally travelled through China and Mongolia, before entering Tibet and crossing the Himalayas on unmade roads possibly exceeding 16000 feet above sea level. Phillip Young negotiated with the Chinese authorities to open up the ‘Friendship Bridge’ connecting Nepal; the bridge had been a closed boarder for years and 6km of no-mans-land river bed had to be driven prior to reaching the bridge. Friendship Bridge was then closed again and has since fallen down.

In Kathmandu, the Rally ensemble was greeted by an infamous member of the Nepalese Royal Family; from Nepal, the procession progressed through India, Pakistan and then into Iran, following much of the ancient ‘Silk Route’ and passing through the 2000 year old city of Bam, which has since been destroyed by an earthquake. The Route took the Rally on into Turkey and then into Europe and the finish in Paris, where a vast crowd of well-wishers assembled to welcome the Rally participants at the Place de la Concorde.

The Anglia performed exceptionally well overall, winning hill climbs in the Himalayas, and taking the lead of the event until an issue with the throttle cable cost nearly forty minutes on a competitive section, swiftly followed by a puncture! MAA 726F finished in 6^th place overall, and first in its class. It is probably also the only Ford Anglia to cross the Himalayas at such high altitude!

Returning to Cornwall, the motor car was driven to the BBC studios in November 1997 to present a cheque of £5000 for Children in Need”.

Having completed such a hectic schedule of events, the Anglia was deservedly put into retirement and loaned to the Haynes Motor Museum, where it was pampered in a controlled environment for seventeen years before returning to the Brodericks. The Ford has recently been recommissioned and a new MOT test certificate obtained. The Rally livery has been retained, including original dust from the Mongolian desert!

The history file contains the VE60 registration book, the V5C registration certificate, MOT test certificates, a service book, a FIVA International Identity Card, an International Certificate for Motor Vehicles and a schedule of recommissioning work carried out in April to May 2015. The Anglia is supplied with the original Chinese number plate, designated with the ‘007’ number, much to the annoyance of the three Aston Martin crews on the Rally!

A well prepared, inexpensive and exciting entry into historic rallying.

Auction Date: 9th July 2015