Like its siblings, the car became a popular basis for a hot rod, especially in Britain, where its lightweight structure and four-cylinder engines appealed to builders.

It had a 1,172 cc (71.5 cu in) side-valve engine with thermosiphon cooling system (no pump) and with many other cars of the period, the ability to be started by a crank handle should the battery not have sufficient energy to turn the 6-volt starter motor.

The windscreen opened forward pivoting on hinges on the top edge; two flaps either side of the scuttle also let air into the car.

The most common body styles were two- and four-door saloons, but pre-war a few tourers and drophead coupés were made.

[5] The brakes remained mechanically operated using the Girling rod system with 10 in (250 mm) drums and the chassis still had transverse leaf springs front and rear.

The old separate chassis had gone, replaced by integral construction, and coil independent front suspension supplanted the transverse leaf spring.

De Luxe models from the second dashboard update in 1959 included glove box locks.

The dashboard was revised twice; the binnacle surrounding the steering column was replaced by a central panel with twin dials towards the driver's side in 1956; the last from 1959 had twin dials in a binnacle in front of the driver and AC 'Vivid Arc' speedo similar to the 1957 E-series Vauxhall Velox/Cresta and '58/'59 PA models plus FB and EK Holdens.

[5] The Prefect 107E utilized a reworked 100E body with the then-new 997 cc (60.8 cu in) overhead valve engine, four-speed gearbox and 'banjo' style rear end from the Anglia 105E, produced to offer a four-door model until replaced by the Ford Consul Classic.

Drum brakes of 8 in (200 mm) diameter were fitted, hydraulically operated, and the suspension was independent at the front using MacPherson struts.

[17] Optional extras included a heater, windscreen washers, radio and leather upholstery to replace the standard PVC.

In addition to the United Kingdom and Australia, Ford Prefects were also sold in the US,[18] New Zealand (where they were locally assembled), Argentina and Canada.

[12] In the radio series, novelization, and film The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, one of the main characters — an extra-terrestrial alien seeking to pose as a human — named himself "Ford Prefect" after the car, not realizing the name would be an unusual one for a human, having mis-identified cars as the dominante species on Earth.