Shed Envy - Classic Ford

Ford Heritage
dream garage
Shed Envy
Heaven is an old workshop in Essex. Welcome to Ford’s 101-strong
Heritage collection — the garage that’s (almost) got the lot.
Ford Heritage workshop,
Dagenham, Essex, 24.02.2010.
Left to right: Ivan, Colin and John.
“Ford’s Heritage
collection in Essex
is heaven for
your average Blue
Oval fanatic”
Words Simon Photos Bryn Musselwhite
E
veryone has their own idea of a dream
garage, but Bryn and I have just found
ours — and it’s a draughty, tin-roofed
shed in Essex. Home to Ford’s Heritage
collection, it’s heaven for your average Blue
Oval fanatic with working examples of Ford
cars, vans and trucks ranging from a 1910
Model T right through to a 2009 Focus RS. As
I’m poring over a 3-litre Mk1 Granada Estate,
Bryn is running off towards a long wheelbase,
Mk2 Transit panel van he’s just spotted. This is
going to be a good day.
The Heritage collection is not a museum —
you can’t go and visit it on high days and Bank
holidays. Instead, the vehicles in the collection
are there to be used, mostly by magazines, main
dealers, documentary makers, event goers, and
of course, Ford themselves — and they have to
earn their keep or ultimately they’re not wanted.
“There’s nothing like this set-up in any other
Ford plant in the world,” reckons John Nevill,
Colin and Ivan fettle the collection’s RS200 prior to it going out on
a track test. Where possible, all of the cars are meant to be used.
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Ford Heritage
dream garage
Long-wheelbase Mk2 was discovered in a French scrapyard,
and was restored as part of Ford’s centenary celebrations.
Ivan and Colin are old-school Ford through and through.
Cortina fights for space with a Ford GT and 4x4 Capri!
Late Mk1 Mexico is ready to go. Unsurprisingly,
it’s one of the most-used cars in the workshop.
models, Boats
and skullcaps
Believe it or not, the Heritage collection
doesn’t just cover vehicles. Alongside the
101 blue ovals on John’s inventory, is a Ford
motorboat, styling models, a Merlin
engine (they were assembled at
Dagenham during the Second World War),
a cheque from Henry Ford from when he
brought all the shares in the company back
into private ownership, and even a skullcap
belonging to the Pope that was given to
one of the Ford doctors!
“Ford’s extensive film archive also
comes under Heritage,” explains John. “It’s
kept down at the National Motor Museum,
and contains some wonderful footage that
needs to be seen, so we’ve been uploading
films to our YouTube page.”
You can find it at www.youtube.com/
fordheritage, and you can also check out
what the Heritage workshop is up to by
following their Twitter feed at www.twitter.
com/fordheritage.
Early to middle years Z-cars are covered, but the
workshop would also like a Mk4 on the fleet.
3-litre Granada Estate — the coolest
car in the workshop, we reckon!
administrator for the collection, “not even
America.” The collection is vast — the
workshop recently celebrated its 100th vehicle,
the Focus RS — and the total now stands at 101
and rising, and is best described as eclectic.
Whereas a museum may concentrate on the RS
models, there’s a bit of everything here from a
Mk1 Fiesta to a pre-facelift Mk2 Granada, and
even Supervan 3!
Origin Of The Species
The roots of the Heritage collection go back to
the 1960s, but it was the determined efforts of
the late Ron Staughton that sowed the seeds of
what you now see before you. Ron pulled
together important Ford-owned cars scattered
around the various factories and dealerships, and
brought them together in their rightful home at
Dagenham, slowly expanding the collection
with cars donated by owners and the acquisition
of ex-apprentice training vehicles.
Then things stepped up a gear in 2003 when
Ford celebrated its 100th anniversary. With
numerous special events and displays planned,
the number of requests to borrow the vehicles
went up massively from just 20 to 300 that year,
and currently the workshop fulfils around 200
requests for vehicle loans a year.
The workshop is currently manned by three
dedicated staff — John Nevill, Ivan
Bartholmeusz and Colin Gray — and all are
longtime Ford employees. John joined in 1988,
starting on the production line before becoming
a tour guide around the plant. When car
production stopped in 2002 and the tours
began to be phased out, John moved over to the
Public Affairs department, joining the Heritage
workshop just as the centenary celebrations
were being planned. These days he’s in charge of
the fleet, and works with the press office making
sure the vehicles are available for photo shoots,
dealerships, shows, events and even filming.
Both Ivan and Colin came over from the
prototype department in Dunton, and with 28
years and 36 years respectively, worked on the
Base-model Mk1 Fiesta is one of two that the workshop has
on its fleet. The collection covers all Fords from all ages.
Parts are sourced through contacts and autojumbles.
Silver Mk1 Fiesta’s interior trim is so late ’70s, it hurts!
“things stepped up a gear
in 2003 when Ford celebrated
its 100th anniversary”
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Ford Heritage
dream garage
Road cars are the most plentiful, but the
fleet includes a number of competition
cars, too, including this GT70, 1995 London
To Mexico Escort, and Supervan 3!
Friends United
A scheme recently started at the workshop is
Friends Of Ford Heritage, where retired Ford
employees can come in and work on vehicles
in the workshop on a volunteer basis. Initially
taking place just once a month, it’s now been
stepped up to two days, and no doubt more
will be added as demand grows.
Currently, volunteers are recommissioning
this superb, 1964 Taunus Transit donated to the
workshop by Ford of Europe.
“It belonged to retirement home who’d
owned it since new,” explains John. “It was
used for picking up groceries and doing the
laundry run, but they’d been having trouble
finding parts so contacted Ford in Paris.
Recognising the rarity of the van, they did a
swap for a brand-new Transit minibus. The
retirement home was happy, and so are we!”
Bodily, the van is in cracking condition, but
the mechanicals need overhauling, and the
plan is to put the van back on the road in
period-style Ford Heritage livery to be used as
a service tender on events.
Taunus panelvan is being recommissioned by retired
employees for use as a service van. It’s a peach!
“The collection is fairly complete,
but there are cars that Ivan and
Colin are keeping an eye out for...”
“the pair’s background means
they’re well able to deal with
the wide variety of vehicles”
Where do you find the cars? “We can’t just go
out and buy them,” admits John. “The newer
vehicles we try and prise from the press fleet
once they’re done with them, and everything
else is generally passed onto the workshop
through donations. If it’s something we think
we can take on, then Ivan will go out and
inspect the car to see if it’s viable. Sadly, we’ve
had to say no to a lot of cars, because they’ve
turned out to be beyond practical repair.”
The collection is fairly complete, but there are
cars that Ivan and Colin are keeping an eye out
for, specifically a Mk4 Zephyr or Zodiac and a
Model 32 Ford.
Harrison who works at the Ford press garage in
Brentford has been a massive help. He’s an
excellent storesman and has managed to locate
bits and pieces from around the world,
particularly from Ford of Germany.”
It’ll be a busy year for the Heritage team, with
the cars booked into loads of shows and
photoshoots, so if you see one of them manning
a show stand, go over and say hello, particularly
if you know of a one-owner, low-miles Mk4
Zephyr that’s been dry-stored for 25 years!
Anglia Deluxe is mint, original... and there to be used!
The list of jobs for Ivan and Colin to do is vast and
never-ending, but hugely-satisfying, too.
Fords we know and love. In fact, Colin retired
from Ford at the end of 2005, but came back to
join the Heritage workshop in 2006. “I missed
it all,” he admits. “We’re all petrolheads at heart,
it’s great working on the cars we grew up with.”
Fortunately, the pair’s background means
they’re well able to deal with the wide variety of
vehicles in the workshop. “They’re jacks of all
trades, and masters of all of them,” admits John.
“They can turn their hand to most things, and
often have to fabricate parts when we can’t find
replacements, but there are certain things we
can’t do here that have to be farmed out, such as
upholstery, engine rebuilds or bodywork, simply
because they’re just too busy. Which is one of
the reasons why we only take on vehicles that are
in sound condition.”
Shed Heaven
The workshop is currently housed in a former
warranty shed built in the 1930s — complete
with its original tin roof. It’s long, and not
particularly wide, so storing and working on all
the cars is something of a logistical challenge,
but one the three now have down to a fine art.
In the middle is a workshop area where the
cars are recomissioned, repaired and maintained
by Ivan and Colin. Currently, there’s an RS200
— the last offical one built — which is having
the suspension rebuilt and general check-over
before a magazine track test, and on the ramp is
a Corsair Deluxe being readied for a Goodwood
Breakfast Club meet the following weekend. In
the background lurks a Taunus Transit (see
‘Friends Reunited’ box, above) that’s been
partially stripped for inspection, and is awaiting
vital parts.
Speaking of which, surely there must be a
huge stock of parts you can call on if required?
“Obviously, parts for the new cars are not a
problem, but for the classics, Ivan and Colin
have to hunt around the autojumbles just like
everyone else,” John says. “Mind you, Bob
We can’t think of many workshops where
you’d find a Model T and an RS200 being
worked on at the same time!
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