Ford of Britain in its heyday
MANY HAVE LAMENTED Ford of Europe’s coming transformation. To understand the reasons why, you need to have known the firm at its amazing peak. So let’s revisit our 1968 look into its UK division.
Ford of Britain had grown quickly after establishing its Trafford plant in 1911, opening its Dagenham complex 20 years later.
In 1968, it covered 8.4 million square feet and employed more than 24,000 people, helping to produce up to 1400 cars per day.
Ford also had various sites in Aveley, Basildon, Croydon, Daventry, Doncaster, Dunton, Halewood, Langley, Leamington, Romford, Southampton, Swansea, Thurrock, Warley and Woolwich.
Exports were big business: the target was £225m (£3.2bn today), with shipments going to Australia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.
This was thanks to a…