Ford Anglia Gasser Is Wild and Unpredictable, Gets All Four Off the Ground

Back in the early 1960s, the NHRA changed the rules to allow short-wheelbase cars at the drag strip. This decision prompted many racers to start modifying 1940s Willys models, but some enthusiasts went for the third-generation Anglia. At only 154 inches (3,912 mm) long, these cars built from 1949 to 1953 were also light and easy to work on.

The recipe was simple: strip out the interior, stuff a big V8 engine between the frames, and modify the rear end to allow massive drag-spec tires. But while these cars boasted a tremendous power-to-weight ratio, their short wheelbase and tall center of gravity made them quite unpredictable.

This 1952 Anglia gasser, called "Tub & Squirt," shows just how wild these short and weird-looking slingshots were. Owned by drag racing enthusiast Steve Bacon, who also drives a 1941 Willys gasser, the Anglia showed up at Byron Dragway for testing ahead of the Glory Days Nostalgia Gasser even in July. And it put on quite a show.

Powered by a 5.8-liter small-block Chevy V8 with fuel injection, this gasser is capable of mid-10-second quarter-mile runs at more than 124 mph (200 kph). And during one of its test runs, it smoked a fifth-generation Ford Mustang that's far from stock.

But the owner also made sure to keep the audience entertained with a few long and smoky burnouts and wild off-the-line wheelies. And man, this thing can fly—literally. One launch is so brutal that the Anglia takes off with all four wheels up in the air. Check it out at the 3:28-minute mark. It lasts just a fraction of a second, but slow-motion footage reveals the moment in all its glory.

Needless to say, "Tub & Squirt" is a gasser you need to be on the lookout for at this year's nostalgia events. Totally unrelated, is just me, or the front vents of these late 1940s and early 1950s Ford Anglias look a lot like BMW's kidney grille?