Rare British Van: 1965 Ford Anglia Thames

The Anglia was a small car and commercial vehicle built by Ford in England for many years. It’s seldom seen in the U.S., particularly in panel van form, aka the Anglia Thames. This edition from 1965 looks like a nice survivor with a modernized interior. And it has left-hand drive, which suggests it was built for export to markets like the U.S. Located in Santa Clara, California, this light-duty work vehicle is available here on craigslist for $12,500.

Anglias were in the Ford product mix from 1939 to 1967. Van variants entered into the equation in 1961 and only had the front clip in common with the Anglia passenger cars. They were taller and used bigger windshields and doors. Two cargo ratings were used, five and seven cwt, and by 1965 the engine deployed was the 1.2-liter inline-4 from the Anglia Super. Technically, these vans were known as the Anglia Thames 309E (310E for export LHD versions). Across all model years, 205,000 of these vans were built, mostly for work in the U.K.

We don’t know the history of this van or how it found its way from England to California. The mileage is 58,000 and looks legit. The seller uses this vehicle for business, and it has logos on the sides which were “photshopped” out for the pics and will be removed permanently when sold. The original Anglia motor seems to have been replaced by a 1.5-liter 4-banger from a Cortina. A 4-speed manual transmission is paired to it.

Aftermarket wheels have been added, and the interior appears to have been upgraded and modernized. The body looks fine, and the white paint is okay and shows no obvious reasons to be repainted anytime soon. If you bought this little workhorse novelty, what would you do with it? Our thanks to Barn Finder Tony Primo for this nifty tip!