Ford Of Britain 100: Image Of The Week - 9/52

BRENTWOOD, UNITED KINGDOM – March 2, 2011: To celebrate the centenary of Ford of Britain in 2011 the company is exploring its photo archive to reveal rarely seen images.

Ford's British roots will be illustrated each week by a specially selected picture.

This week's image shows the two extremes of Ford Dagenham. Steeped in history Ford Dagenham celebrates 80 years of production in 2011. The vehicle shown is the seminal Ford Model Y. In 1935 the Dagenham-built Ford Model Y became the £100 car. It was the first and only time a mass-produced four-seater saloon would be available at such an affordable price and enabled many families to purchase their first new car.

In the background is the state-of-the-art Dagenham Diesel Centre (DDC). Opened in 2003 by the then Prime Minister, Tony Blair, the DDC is a centre of excellence for diesel engineering and, together with the original Ford Dagenham Engine Plant, is capable of producing one million engines annually.