Ford Of Britain 100: Image of the Week - 10/52

BRENTWOOD, UNITED KINGDOM – March 10, 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.

With memories of Geneva Motor Show still fresh you could be forgiven for thinking green motoring is an invention of the 21st century. But, as this week's image shows, Ford's interest in alternative fuel has lasted decades.

In 1967 the Ford Comuta concept vehicle was used to demonstrate the potential of the electric vehicle. With a top speed of 40mph and a total range of around 40 miles on a full charge the Ford Comuta was never going to oust the best-selling Cortina as the drivers' favourite. Even Ford's assistant managing director at the time, Leonard Crossland recognised electric motors would not replace combustion engines for long journeys, saying: "…their uses will be primarily as city centre delivery vans and suburban shopping cars."

The hunt for a viable electric motor has not gone away and after extensive trials 2012 will see the UK's best-selling car, the Ford Focus, available as an electric vehicle with double the capacity of the Comuta and a lot more style.