We must surmise that this was Ford’s “City Squire”, given its European origin and diminutive size. Of course, “Country Squire” meant big ass, faux wood clad wagon in Ford terminology.
The seller claims this car runs and drives well and has had a fair amount of recent maintenance. A good sign in the ad is transperancy: the seller points out that this will cruise at 50-55 mph, but isn’t a high speed cruiser.
This is a cool oddity with some passenger and cargo practicality and would make a nice little weekend driver. It remains to be seen whether the reserve will be met, but the low starting bid means we will hear the market speak.
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Inman, SC, USA
$4,251 with 24 bids, reserve not met and 4 days to go
This front end is not at all common here in the States and, while small, has a certain classiness to it. Maybe it’s all the chrome – a lot by today’s standards, though nothing in the 50s.
We’ll call this utilitarian styling, but we love it! Two-door wagons are always cool.
Again, the profile speaks to utility, more than just style. Steelies are perfect, but it’s odd that they’re a different blue.
Hmm…those hinges don’t look typical.
Yep, the rear features a clam shell set of doors. BMW X5 and Rover didn’t invent that, after all.
Interior is pretty much what one would expect – simple. Long shifter is a definite throwback.
There is a rear seat and there’s cargo space behind it! Surely there’s a way to creatively add seat belts if you want to haul the kids around…
Here’s the 1.2L inline four cylinder. This car might be able to get out of its own way, but only barely.
Ad text:
Ford Squire
Auction is a for a 1959 Ford Squire, 2 door station wagon.
The Ford Squire is a car from Ford for the United Kingdom market built between 1955 and 1959.
Car is in very good condition with the original paint and interior. Engine starts right up, idles smooth and almost can’t hear it run. Transmission is a 3 speed on the floor. Transmission shifts fine and car drives down the road with no problem., Engine is the original 4 cylinder flat head engine putting out about 36 horsepower. It will cruise along at about 50 to 55 miles per hour but it is not a speed demon. not a high speed cruiser.
No matter where we take this car it draws a crowd. People always want to know what it is and how unusual it looks. The word cute is mostly used. Car is actually higher than it is wide. My wife has been the primary driver and loves the attention this car gets.
Within the last 3 years several maintenance type items have been performed on the car, making it a reliable driver to go to local car shows. Gas tank was removed and cleaned. Fuel pump and carburetor were rebuilt. Complete tune up of engine. New battery and motor mounts. Brakes were rebuilt and tires are about 5 years old. Parts for this car are readily available since it shared most of the components with the Ford Perfect sedan. There is a parts dealer located in the US and I will pass that information on to the new owner. Car comes with a maintenance and repair manual and several pieces of original literature.
There is some damage to the drivers side front fender. One of the previous owners had a tree limb fall on car. Dent was pushed out but in order to maintain originality car was not repainted. Interior is all original except for new floor mat installed last year. Seats show some wear but no tears. All glass is good. New rubber for windshield and rear window were done last year also.
Ford Squire is ready to go, needs nothing to be enjoyed as is. Only one at local cruise ins or car shows.
This Ford was originally sold new to a person in Massachusetts where it was used on Nantucket Island as a summer car only. From there it was sold to a person in New Jersey who only used it during the summer months. Eventually it found its way to North Carolina.
I purchased this car from a person in Hendersonville, North Carolina. The car has less than 48,000 original miles and still has all the original parts and engine. This was the last year of the flat head 4 cylinder engine with a 3 speed manual transmission. Engine displacement is 1172 cc or 71 cubic inch producing 36 horsepower.
The British Motor magazine tested a Squire in 1955 recording a top speed of 69.9 mph and acceleration from 0-50 mph in 20.2 seconds and a fuel consumption of 29.7 miles per gallon. The test car which had the optional heater cost $1,870 US dollars including taxes in 1955.
The Squire is a two-door, four-seat estate design. The rear seat can 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.
Some more facts and figures on the Ford Squire
Manufacturer Ford of Britain
Production 1955-1959
Total Produced 17,812
Body style 2-door estate
Engine 1172 cc Inline 4
Transmission 3-speed manual
Wheelbase 87 in (2,210 mm)
Length 142 in (3,607 mm)
Width 60.5 in (1,537 mm)
Height 63 in (1,600 mm)
Curb Weight 740 kg (1,634 lb)
It was a two-door, four-seat estate design, the brother to the Ford Prefect 100E four-door saloon, sharing the same 1172 cc (72 cubic inch) Ford side valve (flat head) 36 brake horsepower (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 body shell 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. Total production of the Ford Squire for 5 years was 17,812 cars or 3,562 per year.
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 29.7 miles per gallon. The test car which had the optional heater cost £668 ($1,870 US dollars) including taxes in 1955.