Model-Y Ford Anniversary

THE 50th Anniversary of the Model-Y Ford Eight is to be celebrated at the Ford Sidevalve OC’s National Sidevalve Day at Stanford Hall, near Rugby on August 8th. Admission will cost 50p per adult, 25p per child. It is ironic to think that to the present generation the side by side valve L-head engine is something they hardly ever encounter. But there will be very ample opportunity to rectify that at Stanford Hall next month!

The Model-Y Ford 8 dates from 1932, Ford’s first small car for Europe. It was a move to overcome the detriment to sales of the Model-A Ford under the British tax-by-rated-horsepower system. It was designed in the USA at Dearborn and it is said that Henry Ford himself helped to assemble the prototype Y. Its flowing lines were an innovation here and the Morris Eight showed a similarity. In spite of the financial depression prevailing when it was introduced, the Model Y was a great success. It was made in Dagenham, Cologne, Spain and (unsuccessfully) in France, and known as the Köln at the then-new Ford plant in Germany. Priced at first at £120 for the two-door saloon, this fell to £100 for this Tudor model by 1935 and thereafter this was always the least expensive four-wheeled car in its class up to 1959. The basic concept remained in production up to May 1959 as part of the Ford Popular range and, slightly modified, the s.v. engine was used for the 100E model until 1962.

The rally at Stanford Hall will take place exactly 50 years from the commencement of production at Dagenham, although sales didn’t start until that October. The Rally, at which some 200 old Fords are expected, also marks the 20th Anniversary of the last of the s.v. 100E Fords. The Ford Motor Company is only providing limited support and will not be commemorating the Anniversaries itself but the Ford Dealers Airflow Streamline of Northampton are giving prizes for the three best Fords in each of the ten classes. Details from: David Lesson, 4 Windsor Close, Wilberston, Market Harborough, Leics., LE16 8QT (0536 771495), mentioning MOTOR SPORT. — W.B