While digging the ground to build a fence in his garden, John Brayshaw (40, currently in the town of Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, England) accidentally discovered an old car. The car is believed to have been buried in this garden for half a century and to be a Ford Popular.
An odd discovery
ohn Brayshaw bought this house six months ago. When he bought the house, Mr. Brayshaw obviously didn’t know that he would find a car on his lot. This Popular Ford is, of course, no longer intact. The car looked like a piece of junk that had completely rusted out.
However, what is surprising is that the car still has its engine and license plate. The only things missing on this old car were the wheels. « It’s something you don’t find every day. The car is in the middle of my backyard, literally. It’s odd that the vehicle is abandoned there, » John Brayshaw told the reporter. « I wanted to get the car out but I don’t think I could do it with my bare hands. »
A car belonging to an undercover agent ?
ohn Brayshaw thinks it’s a car that belonged to a secret service agent. And that’s why there’s no record of that vehicle.
There used to be a lot of secret agents in this neighborhood. « I heard that at the end of the Second World War, a lot of people were working for the secret service, » said John Brayshaw, « at first I thought it was the remains of an old bomb shelter. Then I saw the roof of the car and I thought, « Who would want to bury the roof of a car?
The only thing missing are the wheels.
When his search came up empty, John Brayshaw decided to contact the former owner of the house he had just bought to find out more about his find.
However, this person admitted that he had absolutely no knowledge of the existence of the Ford Popular. « I kept digging and I saw the door and the steering wheel. At that moment I realized that it was a complete car with a license plate. The only thing that was missing was the four wheels, » says John Brayshaw.
A « popular » model
The Ford Popular was produced by Ford UK between 1953 and 1962 and was often referred to by the short name « Pop ». True to its name, the Ford Popular was a very popular model on the streets of England in the 1950s.
The reason is that the Popular was cheaper than some of Ford’s other models like the Anglia and Prefect. The Ford Popular in John Brayshaw’s backyard would be part of the 103E, built from 1953 until the end of the decade. Brayshaw is currently considering two options: either ignore the vehicle there and deflect the fence; or find someone to get out and move the car using machines.