Ford Escort vs Standard 10 vs Hillman Husky: compact carriers

By Andrew Roberts

| 7 Apr 2026

Classic & Sports Car – Ford Escort vs Standard 10 vs Hillman Husky: little boxes

In the 1950s and early ’60s, the motorist in need of low-budget, dual-purpose family transport had two options.

The first was to buy a small van and install some rear seats, but what you saved in pounds, shillings and pence you would lose in social status – a light commercial would hardly bring respectability to a driveway in Middle England.

For that, the logical solution was to order one of the new breed of light estate cars.

‘The Ford Escort has industrial levels of charm. Excellent headroom is a reminder that it was devised when Britons still wore hats’

Automotive publicity materials clearly differentiated the two markets.

Commercial-vehicle brochure illustrations featured Sam Kydd-lookalike tradesmen, while estate cars were sold via pictures of dashing, Brylcreemed chaps with wives who resembled glamorous leading ladies.

The Austin A30 Countryman and Morris Minor Traveller are perhaps the best-known, but there were three equally viable alternatives to the default choice, in the shape of the Ford Escort 100E, Hillman Husky and Standard 10 Companion.

Open wide! The Ford Escort 100E’s split tailgate gives excellent access

Paul Reddell finds the badging on his 1957 100E often causes confusion among younger classic enthusiasts, many of whom believe that the name dates from 1968 with the debut of the Escort Mk1.

In fact, Dagenham had previously employed the Escort name as the estate version of the Anglia 100E.

It made its debut at the 1955 London Motor Show, two years after its saloon counterpart, and was essentially the 1954 Thames 300E van fitted with rear windows, a horizontally divided tailgate and a back seat.

The Ford’s Escort badge can cause some confusion

The Ford Escort’s original price was £622 7s, which gained the proud owner such luxuries as an ashtray.

Traditionalists were pleased to note the starting handle – a feature lacking on the Anglia 100E – while a heater cost another £12 15s.

Motorists who wanted the decadence of an adjustable passenger seat and opening rear side windows had to invest £668 17s in the Squire, the estate version of the Prefect 100E.

That additional £46 10s also acquired you exterior wood decorations to lend the Squire something approaching (but falling short of) the image of a shooting brake.

The Ford Escort’s high transmission tunnel runs through the cabin

As part of the launch campaign, Ford GB commissioned a hilarious cinema advertising film that anticipated – or perhaps inspired – Harry Enfield’s Mr Cholmondley-Warner.

By the following year, your Escort featured a ‘spanking new instrument panel’ with a parcel shelf for ‘gloves, handbag or last-minute shopping’.

As with the Anglia, it gained a new mesh grille in late 1957, and while 1959 marked the demise of the Squire, Escort production continued until 1961 and the arrival of the Anglia 105E estate.

Progress is steady in the Ford Escort 100E

The Escort also enjoyed late fame in 1959 when The Automobile Association employed the small Fords as motorway patrol service vehicles.

Presumably their progress along the new M1 was stately but sure.

By 2026 standards the Escort appears almost Lilliputian, being more than 2ft shorter than a modern Ford Fiesta.

To a driver of today, its interior appointments might appear beyond spartan – the entry-level Anglia was not exactly renowned for its creature comforts – but in the 1950s they were more than acceptable.

The Ford Escort 100E was well equipped for its day, with a parcel shelf for ‘last-minute shopping’

The Escort shared showroom space with the Popular 103E, a pre-war design that lasted until the decade’s end, while the 100Es were the first unitary-bodied small cars to hail from Dagenham.

Besides, your friendly local Ford dealer might point out that the Escort boasted the luxury of two vacuum-powered wipers instead of the 300E’s single blade.

There were flashing indicators, too, when the Austin A30 and the Morris Minor retained trafficators.

The Ford Escort 100E’s boot expands to 41½cu ft

Above all, the Escort has industrial levels of charm, as well as being highly practical.

The horizontally divided tailgate means, as the sales copy put it: ‘You can load your gear with utmost convenience.’

Excellent headroom is a reminder that Ford devised the Escort when Britons still wore hats, and with the rear seat in place there is ‘space for 13½cu ft of goods and chattels’, increasing to 41½cu ft when lowered.

The Ford Escort’s 1172cc sidevalve ‘four’ is good for more than 36bhp

Paul bought his Escort in 1988 and greatly enjoys every aspect of his ownership.

In terms of performance, Ford, with vast amounts of optimism, boasted of the 1172cc sidevalve engine: ‘The same power unit that gives the Prefect and Anglia their brilliant performance.

‘It develops 36bhp with up to 40mpg – and even with a full load has power in reserve.’

This hyperbole translates into a car that will drive at 40mph all day without complaint, and to enhance the performance Paul has fitted a HandA overdrive to the factory three-speed gearbox.

Ford produced Escort 100Es from 1955 to 1961

No UK-built Fords had four-speed transmissions until 1959, when the Anglia 105E saloon was introduced, so from 1956 onwards, the discerning motorist could invest £46 in the aftermarket overdrive (telephone Paddington 1474 for further details).

Not that the average Escort owner would desire anything more than steady progress in a car equipped with vacuum wipers.

They were powered from the inlet manifold, so speed was not always a virtue – the blades would slow down during acceleration.

The Hillman Husky Series II offers the most modern shape of this trio

In 1955, the would-be Escort owner might have considered the Austin A30 Countryman for £593 17s or the Morris Minor Series II Traveller at £635 2s.

Looking outside the BMC empire, there was the Hillman Husky for £623 17s and the Standard 10 Good Companion estate for £688 4s 2d.

The Husky dated from 1954 and was basically a short-wheelbase version of the Minx Estate, with a floor-mounted gearlever instead of a column shift.

The Rootes Group appealed to the inner social climber with the bold claim: ‘Sportsmen. Just load up the guns for the moors, fishing tackle for the river.’

The Hillman Husky name reappeared in 1967, this time on an Imp estate

The reality was a suburban greengrocer in a brown shop coat who wanted a light-commercial vehicle that could double as weekend family transport.

It was a role the Husky fulfilled for more than a decade.

Rootes introduced the ‘Audax’ Minx range in 1956, but the Husky retained the older bodyshell alongside its Commer Cob van stablemate, which also took a bow that year.

By 1958 the Husky ‘Series I’ had the Audax body and a 1.4-litre, overhead-valve engine in place of the 1265cc unit; in 1960 the Series II got a modified roof, seats and windscreen.

This Hillman Husky’s standard 1.4-litre ‘four’ has been swapped for a 1.6-litre Minx unit, for better towing ability

Buyers had a choice of five duotone paint finishes, and Autocar concluded: ‘Affection for the Husky is formed within a very short mileage.’

A larger engine than its rivals was one sales advantage, and another was excellent ground clearance.

Some rural police forces employed the Husky as a patrol car, and they served with the London Fire Brigade.

As for performance, the owner could at least say that, while their Husky was not known for its top speed, it did share a floorpan with the Sunbeam Alpine.

This Hillman Husky’s cabin has a lovely, lived-in feel

John Ellson and Patricia Ashton acquired their 1960 Series II in 2008.

John says: “We use the Husky for towing a caravan, so we replaced the 1390cc engine with the later 1.6-litre Minx unit, and the Hillman cruises at up to 75mph.

“The handling can be interesting, thanks to the crossply tyres, but the Husky is very enjoyable to drive.

“There is no synchromesh on first gear, so changing down from second can be noisy, but the transmission works very well.”

The Hillman Husky’s flat load bay, with rear seats folded

The average Husky buyer would not have expected luxury, which was just as well in a car that lacked even a water-temperature gauge.

At least the driver benefitted from a footwell air vent, while John points out the model’s optional ‘heater’ is basically a blower that distributes warm air from the engine bay.

Production of the Minx-based Husky ended in 1965, although the Rootes Group revived the nameplate in 1967 for an estate car based on the Hillman Imp.

The Standard 10 Companion is comfortable at 50mph

Standard introduced the third member of our trio in October 1954, when it had two key advantages over several of its competitors.

Unlike the Hillman or the Ford, this was a purpose-built estate car rather than one clearly related to a light-commercial vehicle: in the 1950s such issues mattered on that long climb up the promotion ladder.

Better still, the 10 Companion was the only UK-built car in its class with four side doors – a feature lacking on even the larger Hillman Minx Estate.

Standard had unveiled the original 803cc 8 saloon in 1953 following a £6m development programme – a considerable amount for the Canley company.

The Standard 10 Companion’s Minimalist fascia fronts the cheerful two-tone trim

To keep the price as low as possible, the 8 featured a ‘roomy, dust- and rain-sealed boot’ – which meant no external lid.

In March ’54 Standard launched the 948cc 10, and seven months later came the 10 Good Companion (shades of JB Priestley there), with bodywork by Mulliners of Bordesley Greene.

According to Shaun Russell, the owner of this 1957 example, Standard dispensed with the ‘Good’ prefix when production commenced.

That year marked the arrival of the Phase 2 8/10/Companion, which featured a new grille and improved Gold Star engines with a gold-painted rocker cover.

‘All three look as if they belong on the pages of a Ladybird book, yet that is to undervalue their practicality and appeal’

Who could resist the sales copy’s promises of a ‘lion-hearted 948cc “GOLD STAR” engine [and] a valuable 17cu ft of stowage room’ with the rear seat raised?

The Companion offered further a 50cu ft luggage bay with a lowered back seat, and no less august a title than Farmer’s Weekly regarded the load space as ‘quite remarkable’.

A road test in this publication demonstrated how Standard was targeting the driver for whom top speed was less important than a model’s sack-carrying ability.

The Standard’s in-line ‘four’ displaces just 948cc, but musters 37bhp

For the suburban motorist, a Lavender Grey, Cotswold Blue, Lichfield Green or Pale Yellow Companion would likely cause a sensation at Rotary Club meetings.

The appeal of the Standard 10 Companion can be summed up as a careful blend of the practical and the jaunty.

Its sparsely appointed fascia is in marked contrast to the brightly coloured two-tone upholstery, while at the rear, the central tail-lamp combined with the numberplate light (a detail inherited from the original 8 saloon) illustrates the fact that Standard was planning its new post-war small car during a time of austerity motoring.

The Standard 10 Companion’s rear doors boost practicality

Shaun is a Standard collector of many years’ standing, and he thinks only around a dozen Companions survive.

To make matters even more interesting for the would-be restorer, they had various permutations over six years.

“This was the only year the Companion had twin rear doors with chrome decorations on the side,” says Shaun.

“I was given this car by a lady in the south around 2021. It took just three months to restore it in my spare time.”

The Standard 10 Companion’s barn doors open to reveal a practical boot

Standard claimed that the Companion was capable of 70mph, and Shaun finds it a pleasure to drive.

“Of course, it’s not overpowered,” he adds, “but will still cruise at 50mph all day long.

“The gearchange is smooth, and the ’box was later used in the Herald and the Spitfire.”

One challenge Shaun finds is that people tend to identify the Companion as a Morris – “or almost anything other than a Standard”.

The Standard name was done for by 1963

During the 1950s, few Britons could have envisaged the impending fall of the famous Standard name, but by 1957 its future was limited.

In the wake of the TR models’ success, Canley used the Triumph badge on some export-market 10s, and two years later it adorned the Herald, the 8 family’s successor.

The Companion lasted until ’61 and the launch of the Herald Estate, but two years later the Standard brand was no more, following the demise of the larger Ensign and Vanguard.

The Standard 10 Companion appealed to post-war drivers seeking real practicality

It would be tempting to say all three of these fascinating small estate cars look as though they belong on the pages of a Ladybird book or in the background of a Look at Life travelogue.

Yet that is to undervalue their practicality and innate appeal.

Each has a distinctive persona, the Escort blending a 1930s engine note with very 1950s styling, the Husky’s bluff robustness and the Standard’s air of practical joviality.

The Ford Escort 100E’s period sunvisor adds to the charm

The Companion also anticipates the future of the genre.

British light-commercial-derived small estates, such as the Ford and the Hillman, lasted until 1982 with the Mini 1000HL.

By way of contrast, the Standard followed the Morris Minor Traveller in foreshadowing a coming generation of purpose-built estate cars that owed more to saloons than they did to vans.

And if in the end I opt for the Escort, it is largely because of that irresistible original cinema advertisement.

Pay a visit to the Ford Heritage YouTube channel to take a look and you’ll immediately understand why.

Images: Max Edleston

Thanks to: Ford Sidevalve Owners’ Club; Standard Motor Club; Hillman Owners’ Club

Factfiles

Ford Escort 100E

Sold/number built 1955-’61/33,131
Construction steel monocoque
Engine all-iron, sidevalve 1172cc ‘four’, single Solex carburettor
Max power 36bhp @ 4500rpm
Max torque 52lb ft @ 2500rpm
Transmission three-speed manual, RWD
Suspension: front independent, by MacPherson struts rear live axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs, heavy-duty telescopic dampers
Steering worm and peg
Brakes drums
Length 10ft 10in (3312mm)
Width 5ft 1in (1543mm)
Height 5ft 3in (1600mm)
Wheelbase 7ft 3in (2210mm)
Weight 1834lb (832kg)
0-60mph 34.3 secs
Top speed 71mph
Mpg 34
Price new £622 7s (1955)
Price now £5-10,000*

Standard 10 Companion

Sold/number built 1954-’61/172,500 (including 10 saloon)
Construction steel monocoque
Engine all-iron, ohv 948cc ‘four’, single Solex carburettor
Max power 37bhp @ 5000rpm
Max torque 46lb ft @ 2500rpm
Transmission four-speed manual, RWD
Suspension: front independent, by wishbones, coil springs, telescopic dampers rear live axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs, lever-arm dampers
Steering recirculating ball
Brakes drums
Length 12ft (3610mm)
Width 4ft 10in (1470mm)
Height 4ft 11in (1520mm)
Wheelbase 7ft (2330mm)
Weight 1625lb (737kg)
0-60mph 35 secs
Top speed 70mph
Mpg 34
Price new £688 4s 2d (1955)
Price now £6-15,000*

Hillman Husky Series II

Sold/number built 1958-’65/700,000+ (all Audax Minx variants)
Construction steel monocoque
Engine all-iron, ohv 1390cc ‘four’, single Zenith carburettor
Max power 51bhp @ 4400rpm
Max torque 72lb ft @ 2200rpm
Transmission four-speed manual, RWD
Suspension: front independent, by wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll bar rear live axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs; telescopic dampers f/r
Steering recirculating ball
Brakes drums
Length 12ft 5½in (3797mm)
Width 5ft ½in (1537mm)
Height 4ft 11½in (1511mm)
Wheelbase 7ft 2in (1981mm)
Weight 2142lb (972kg)
0-60mph 30 secs
Top speed 75mph
Mpg 24.8
Price new £674 10d
Price now £4-8000*