To be fair, I haven’t seen many bare metal cars in my lifetime. So stumbling across two unconventional examples in one day was a welcome surprise. The first was a brutally honest (and previously featured) Datsun 620, and this is the second – a 1962 Ford Anglia 105E Deluxe.
Traditionally, bare metal style is a hot rod thing, but no one likes to live by the rules, and as we know, exceptions only prove the point. My opinion is that if the car is done well, it can break any dogma and still be stylish. This British hot rod is such a car.
The Anglia’s owner, Aki Kalke, is an interesting lad. The Ford was originally his father’s daily driver, but after being left in out in the yard to grow moss for 15 years, in 2015 Aki decided to rescue it. His initial goal was to simply restore the Ford so that it could legally be put back on the road.
But as soon as Aki began working on the car, the project quickly turned into something more custom than stock. The chassis was patched up where it to needed to be, the floorpan was raised four inches and a new bead-rolled firewall welded in. The suspension was also modified to accept universal Air Lift Performance bags.
After the body structure was made safe, it was time to deal to the rest of the car. The exterior doesn’t have any modifications made to its original shape or form, but the brushed metal surface with a few layers of clear-coat gives away the custom nature of the vehicle. That is, before you take a peek inside…
Aki built a CNC mill in his garage, and the fruits of his labor can be seen right throughout the interior of this British classic. In fact, it would be quicker for me to list everything that’s original Ford fare rather than the custom parts that Aki made himself. As far as I can tell, the only aftermarket items are the seat shells, which came from IKEA, and the manual control valve that regulates the air ride.
Under the hood, the Anglia’s original 997cc engine has been replaced by a 1,300cc Toyota 4E-FE with a few modifications. The cylinder head has been ported and polished, and also angle-milled towards the exhaust side resulting in a 10.3:1 compression ratio. Apart from the custom cam cover which Aki’s mother painted, the other standout items in the engine bay are a set of 36mm Keihin motorcycle carbs fitted with custom-designed velocity stacks, and a custom exhaust header.
The biggest obstacle for Aki with this build was dialing out a ridiculous amount of bump steer, but he eventually solved the problem with a short steering rack and knuckles, and modified Ford Cortina Mk1 steering arms.
At first glance, the wheels look a lot like standard Ford Capri Rostyle items, but they’re not. They’re custom 2-piece numbers that measure 15×7-inch up front and 15×8-inch out back, fitted with 165/45R15 tires all round.
This British hotrod has already played an important role in Aki’s life – it was the wedding car when he and his wife tied the knot – and we’re sure it’ll be there for many more memorable moments in the future.
Vladimir Ljadov
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