the " Popularf * 100 Ford the Ford 8h Model "Y by David Minnett (1932 to 1937) very simple, lightweight chassis and body. In Great Britain during the late twenties Engines also were of simple design, their sizes and thirties, the car buyer chose his auto­ kept to the minimum at around 7 h.p. out of the mobile very carefully if economical necessity for a low annual vehicle license fee. motoring was of importance to him. During 1921, By 1930, while the other British manufactur­ the British Government had introduced a new ers were offering lightweight small engine cars, vehicle road licensing system, and the cost to the the Ford Motor Company at the new Dagenham car owner was based on the horsepower of the factory had stubbornly continued producing vehicle's engine. Model "A"s. This was in spite of the fact the The method of calculation to Model "A" had an R.A.C. rating of around 22 find this horsepower H.P. and cost a prohibitive £22.00 license when became known as the compared to a small four seat Austin 7 H.P. at R.A.C. (Royal Automo­ £7.00. bile Club) formula. Needless to say, there were few cus­ According to this for­ tomers for the Model "A"s coming off the mula, an engine's horse­ assembly line. The immense £5,000,000 power was calculated cost of constructing what was then by squaring the bore Europe's biggest car factory at Dagen­ size of each cylinder ham, on reclaimed marshland (in inches), multiply­ alongside the Thames Estu­ ing this figure by the ary, had been a huge strain number of cylinders, ^| on the Ford Company's and then dividing it by the capital resources. constant of 2.5. Piston stroke . By 1930, the was not taken into account, there­ i Ford design had also fore, as cubic capacity of the engine become obsolete, and was not part of the formula, the R.A.C. this combined with the rated H.P. did not bear any resemblance to high license fee on Ford true Brake Horse Power (B.H.P) cars, combined with the The annual vehicle license fee in 1933 was worldwide depression and col­ £1.00 for each unit of R.A.C. rated H.P. The sum lapse of the British market caused of £1.00 in the 1930s was a substantial amount sales to fall off so much, the company began run­ considering that then a working class man often ning at a loss and was even borrowing funds from earned less than £100.00 per year. its subsidiary, "Ford of Belgium." The consequence of this vehicle licensing sys­ The Director of Ford's European and British tem was that in Britain during the depression of operations was Sir Percival Perry. Sir Percival was the late twenties and early thirties, usually only also a personal friend of both Henry and Edsel the wealthy and middle classes could afford to Ford. He convinced them both a small Ford was buy and maintain large cars fitted with large immediately needed for the British market if the engines. Then, a bicycle was more often the nor­ company were to survive. This matter was given mal mode of transport for the working class man, immediate priority in the design department at and a motorcycle and sidecar combination often Dearborn and a new project designated "19E" (E was as much as a lower middle class family man for England) began. could ever hope for. It was then because of this licensing system The Model Y car manufacturers such as Austin and Morris A team headed by newly hired designer 28 nichverbegaye nsuccessfully inproducin the marketg. Thesligh, anted carthelittlsy e fobega carr sthin usuall sellins particulayg hathed mar EugenSheldrice Tk. Gregoriused the ean thed chien undef engineer developmentr Laurence, The £100 Saloon the Popular Ford "Main1 reasons help to explain the appeal ol the Popular Ford Car. but undoubted!) the secrel lies to a large extent in the fad that Ford designers have been nstonishingh successful in combining the advantages of man) more pow erful and costl) ears w uh the eeonomx i^i the ordinary 'light' ear." These illustrations are from the "Popular" lord dealer Brochure 1/L3802/1235 from the author's collection. 2 b)\ Model "18" as a design base. The new, small Ford The new Ford was such an immediate success was to be fitted with a 933 c.c. miniature version that Dagenham production of the Model "Y" in of the 4-cylinder Model "A" engine producing an 1933 was nearly 33,000 units or the amazing economical R.A.C. rated 8 h.p. The entire equivalent of 19% of all British new car sales. mechanical setup was a scaled down version of its After only one year of Model "Y" production, the American cousin. previous financial losses at Ford U.K. had incred­ The design of the prototype, which was ready ibly been turned into a respectable profit. by February, 1932, so delighted Edsel Ford, that During the first few months of production, he immediately gave Gregorie had been orders for a larger ver­ busy refining the sion to be developed Model "Y" design for the U.S. market. and by 1933, a This larger car was redesigned car more later to be known as the immediately recog­ Model "40". nizable as the Model Production of the "40" was coming off Model "Y" began in the production line. August of 1932 at the The windscreen was new Ford factory now slanted 20 Dagenahm in Essex, degrees backwards, The bodies were built as was a longer radi­ by the nearby Briggs ator grille with now factory and transported nine (eventually to complete and painted be further reduced to to the Ford works, five four) side louvres on at a time, on trailers the bonnet. A roof before joining the over­ gutter and central dip head production feeder. in the front bumper The all steel welded were amongst vari­ wire spoke wheels ous other minor, but were manufactured by significant styling Kelsey Hayes of changes in the car's Britain, also in a facto­ design that year. ry next to Ford's. By 1936, the As in the United Ford Model "Y" had States, Ford Britain did become known as not exhibit their prod­ the "Popular" Ford. ucts at shows with the This name was to other car manufactur­ remain with many ers. Instead and at the models of small same time as the British Motor Show was being British Fords even into the 1980s. Body colours held, Ford preferred to exhibit its products at the available since 1932 include; Cordoba Grey, "Royal Albert Hall," very near to its London Vineyard Green, Orient Blue, Thorn Brown, showrooms on Regent Street. Maroon, and, of course, Black. Front and rear When first exhibited to the public there on wings were normally painted in black enamel. February 19,1932, the new Ford caused a sensa­ Accessories available during 1936 were limited tion. Just as the Model "18" in the U.S. had given but included the following items: a sliding sun the buyer exceptional value, likewise when the roof and leather upholstery for an extra sum of Model "Y" was introduced in the U.K. it had little £10.00 each. An air cleaner, illuminated clock or no competition. mirror, tandem windshield wipers, sun visor, The start of a five year model run which was to spare wheel cover and a luggage rack were also total nearly 200,000 units of the Model "Y" began on offer from the dealers. on August 10, 1932, and was to continue until Model "Y" production was not restricted to the August 31, 1937. Dagenham factory. They were also manufactured Models offered in Britain included the Fordor, or assembled in Ford factories at Barcelona, Tudor, and the Van. The first versions of the mar­ Spain; Asnieres in France; and Cologne in Ger­ quee had a short curved vertical ribbed radiator many. Variations of the Model "Y" included from 3grille0 , non-skirted front wings, a bonnet with France the "Eifel", and from Germany, the stylish terintwentand ag y straigho 2n 2it verticas troo fronfl edgest louvres bumper. ,. a Thverticae bodly windshield had no gut,­ Britiswer"Koinee ofteh" Empir Cabrioletn assemblee suc. Ihdn fro aths eAustraliam distan "knoctk countrie ,dow Moden kits.ls o"Y"f" thse Typically, English sporting convertible style perfectly set and the car stopped, ama/ing e\er\- tourers were available such as the "Mistral" from one, including him. the now famous Jensen of West Bromwich. The In another TV series "The Perfect Hero" star­ "Kerry", the "Cairn" and the "Terrier" from W.H. ring Nigel Havers, the scene was set during the Perry, (coachbuilders and Ford dealer). The London Blitz, with the Model "Y" having been "Alpine" from Arrow, were all models available crashed into a bombed and burning pub during an from Ford dealers on special order. air raid. Rubble, broken glass. Fullers Earth (a While Ford had been enjoying a resounding substance that looks like real dirt) and a lamp post success with the Model "Y", the other British car were carefully placed on and over the car. makers had not been asleep. When a film extra was directed to run OVER In 1934, Morris introduced its "Eight" series, the bonnet to assist an injured man hanging out of the design of which had obviously been uplifted the open driver's door, Dave had to stop the from the Model "Y". Now, with serious competi­ action! tion, out of necessity, the little Ford gradually The Fuller's Earth clogged the carburetor jets became cheaper and cheaper to buy and perhaps and the car expired during filming the following in stages less refined.