Ford Centenary
Friday, September 23rd, 2011One hundred not out at the blue oval - Jim Rawlings reflects on one hundred years of Ford in the UK.
This year Ford celebrates the centenary of manufacturing in the UK. Trafford Park, a suburb of Manchester, was the location of Ford’s first factory where production grew rapidly, especially with the introduction of mass production and the moving assembly line in 1913. Just one year later Ford sales of nearly 10,000 cars was equal to the output of the next six biggest British manufacturers combined. While on the subject of factories, many people would associate Ford with the “Detroit of Europe”, its factory on the banks of the Thames at Dagenham. Built on 22,000 concrete piles driven into the Essex marshland it contained its own steel foundry, the biggest in Europe, a power station, as well as shops and surgeries. The company boasted that raw materials went in at one end and new cars came out at the other. Production commenced in 1931 and during its production life nearly 11million cars, enough to circle the globe ten times, were produced but as one worker remarked, we were making more than cars, we were creating dreams! Pre-war the factory burnt 2,000 tons of London’s rubbish and boasted the largest neon sign in Europe measuring 140ft by 60ft which could be seen for over 20 miles. Vehicle production ceased in 2002 but the 475 acre site still employs approximately 4,000 workers and is the world’s largest producer of Ford diesel engines.
Dagenham motors
Ford of Britain currently operates three other major manufacturing sites in the UK, petrol engines are produced at Bridgend and combined with Dagenham these two factories have the capacity to assemble two million engines annually. Globally one Ford car in three is powered by a UK produced engine. Halewood produces transmissions and a large research and development facility operates in Dunton, Essex which employs over 3,000 engineers. This facility was responsible for the development of the “Third-Age Suit” which replicates the disabilities and restrictions of elderly people and drivers with a disability and aids the design of Ford cars to accommodate users with restricted mobility. Southampton is the home of commercial vehicle assembly and produces the iconic Transit selling nearly 55,000 vans in 2010 which helped Ford to maintain its position, held for the last 45 years, as the leader in commercial vehicle sales in the UK. Ford is also the market leader in car sales, selling 280,364 units in 2010 which is roughly 15 per cent of the UK’s total new car market. This allowed Ford to maintain its position for the 39th consecutive year, as the UK’s best-selling car. Last year it was the Fiesta with sales of 103,013
Sporting credentials
Although many of us recognise Ford as a car producer, those with a more sporty outlook recognise the sporting pedigree of the blue oval, including the famous 1-2-3 victory in 1966 at Le Mans with the Ferrari beating GT40 race car, which was built in Slough. Ford engines also powered the top five finishers in the Indianapolis 500 in the same year. One year later, the Ford Cosworth DFV engine scored the first of a record 155 Grand Prix victories over 18 years. Great success has also been achieved in world rallying. Maybe your memories reflect more on the sporting versions of the road cars, such as the Lotus Cortina, Sierra Cosworth and Escort Mexico.
Popular culture
Ford have always had a place in popular culture including featuring in many classic TV series including Z Cars, The Professionals, The Sweeney and Life on Mars. It even has the dubious reputation of being associated with a social stereotype since Tony Blair labelled a certain type of voter as “Mondeo man”. Staying with politics the “Girls from Dagenham” made industrial relations history with their fight for equal pay which became the basis of an excellent film as well.
Maybe you worked for Ford. At its peak over 40,000 workers were employed at Dagenham alone. Currently in the UK Ford employ 15,000 staff and contributes to another 100,000 jobs through its suppliers’ network.
But what of the cars?
What personal memories do you have of driving behind the blue oval badge? Did you pass your test in a 105E Anglia (the one with the sloping rear window that Harry Potter made fly)? I certainly did. Do you have memories of a perfect Prefect, courting in a Consul, did they turn out to be your perfect Escort, was family life fun with a Fiesta or did you have a heavenly time with a Galaxy or a Zodiac and just how popular was your Popular? And as the sales blurb proclaimed was the Capri really the car you promised yourself and if so was that promise fulfilled? Do you have memories of bench front seats, column mounted gear changing and vacuum driven wipers, who ever thought that a device that meant the faster you drove the slower the wipers went would ever catch on? Maybe you made a “special” using the famous 100E side valve engine with its 3 speed gearbox? As the famous quip relates, this combination was perfectly safe as long as the milk float did not accelerate while you were overtaking it and were on the wrong side of the road!
Your life with Ford
We would love to hear your stories (with photographs) of life with Ford, in any capacity. A selection of the most
Ford Anglia
interesting and entertaining will be published in the magazine and the one judged to be the best will receive a copy of “The Ford in Britain Centenary File” a fascinating, well illustrated new book on 100 years of company history with detailed descriptions of all the vehicles produced.
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This article first appeared in the issue of Disabled Motoring. This monthly magazine goes out free to members of Disabled Motoring UK, the charity for disabled drivers, passengers and Blue Badge holders.
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