Ford Model E01A (was: US Staff Car?)

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by David_Hayward (RIP)

M 1164001 to 1164420 V/4056 and V/4213 Car 4 Seater 4x2

Now,this is where it gets interesting! The 01A Regular Fordor Sedan assembled in Dagenham for the military is supposed to have had 6.00 x 16 wheels, although the 'diverted' 01A Saloon and Saloon Deluxe had 9.00x13 tyres. I assume that these latter were ex-French US Fords. Note no reference in the 1942 Ford listing of 'E01A' or 'C01A'or EC01A'.

The top photo looks as though it is an official shot, of a British order car..the Canadian C01A cars assembled in Aldershot appear to have had different blackout headlamps etc.

Here's a spare parts list for the Model E01A from Contract V/4056 (if I read it correctly?):

Ford-Spare-Parts-List-30-HP-V8-Fordor.jpg
Source: https://picclick.co.uk/Ford-Spare-Pa...592785102.html


Also one for a 1939 Utility Car? (found while googling)

Ford-DE-LUXE-UTILITY-CAR-Spare-Parts-List.jpg

[Ian McCallum]

As originally posted by David Haywood (RIP) there is no mention of a EO1A in the British Ford listing of wartime produced vehicles. However Ford did produce a Spare Parts Manual for the EO1A which shows two illustrations indicating they produced/modified both a Standard and Deluxe model and shows them as 73A and 73B, which again did not show on the listings. However in the Ford Listings of 1942 it does show both a Standard and Deluxe 01A, the correct designation for the US produced 1940 model. It also indicated these are imported and modified, hence the 900x13's wheel arch extensions and semaphore indicators shown in the illustrations and obviously remaining LH Drive.

thumbnail_IMG_9426.jpg thumbnail_IMG_9427.jpg

thumbnail_IMG_9429.jpg thumbnail_IMG_9428.jpg

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Thanks for your reply here, Ian. When searching for more info after our conversation, I searched MLU (of course) and found there was more info than I'd remembered. It does make a difference when searching for EOA1 or E0A1 (I believe the notation "Echo Zero Alfa One" is the correct one).

I have a copy of the Ford Dagenham Identification Chart for Active Service and Civil Production Vehicles which differs from yours. It lists the 01A Saloon and Saloon De Luxe as on your list, but this version also mentions they were produced from Aug. 1940 to April 1941. This means 1940 model year Fords were converted, in Ford specifications this translates to 01A-73A Fordor Standard and 01A-73B Fordor Deluxe as depicted in your spare parts list. The "E for English" was added as they were assembled and modified in Dagenham, UK.

IMG-0875.jpg


Bart Vanderveen lists the 01A-73B in one of his books and notes "1942 Fords were also thus modified. All had LHD."

IMG-0876.jpg


I have seen only one picture of the 1942 model thus converted: "Ford Model 21A Super Deluxe, used by British Forces in North Africa. Military modifications included 9:00-13 desert tyres, equipment racks and brackets, and a canvas-covered observation hatch in the roof."

16832409_408710999466114_5463288440675732618_n.jpg

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Now, some questions remain:

1. Who ordered these Ford Fordors? The French, as suggested by David? Could be the case, as the British used a lot of vehicles from diverted French orders.
2. How many were assembled?
3. What modifications were carried out to fit the 13" wheels? I reckon the drum brakes were different from the regular ones with 16"wheels. Was the suspension beefed up, and/or heavier axles fitted?

[Tony Smith]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

Now, some questions remain:

1. What modifications were carried out to fit the 13" wheels? I reckon the drum brakes were different from the regular ones with 16"wheels. Was the suspension beefed up, and/or heavier axles fitted?

I don't think they were different on these cars.

The 1940 brake drums (both front and rear) have a significant offset that would permit fitting a 13" rim, particularly if it had a negative offset like the Bofors 13" rim..

There is a Canadian stock part number, C11A-1015, for a 13" X 6 1/2" wheel that fits the regular 5 on 5 1/2 lug pattern of standard cars, but I am not 100% sure if that is these rims in the pictures without seeing a picture. I'd be 90% sure.

Of course, the other Ford Car Chassis-based vehicle with 13" wheels is the C11ADF. While this might seem to be the logical vehicle for C11A wheels, the C11ADF had heavier-duty 6 lug wheels that were shared with F8 CMP. Being 6 lug, these are definitely NOT C11A-1015 rims. So that leaves the C11A-1015 rims as the ones used on the E01A.

[Bill Kreiner]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

Now, some questions remain:

1. Who ordered these Ford Fordors? The French, as suggested by David? Could be the case, as the British used a lot of vehicles from diverted French orders.

I found the attached information on French Fords in my files. French automotive historian Claude Rouxel (RIP) researched and sent this to me years ago, and I eventually bought the sources he quoted, and also found the small Matford 1935-1946 blurb in The American Automobile Since 1775, in the section The Hybrids, compiled by well-known British automotive historian Michael Sedgwick (RIP). I don't have any information specifically on American imports to France for the period, sadly.

Ford France Extra English.jpg

Matford 1935-1946.jpg

Matford trucks-1937-1945.jpg

[Bill Kreiner]

This is a Ford 1940 calendar-year document I obtained from Benson Ford Research Center. It is a single-page scanned twice to get some of the data that was cut off the first time. It is not 100% complete but does shed some light on American, Canadian, and exports (which apparently include English-produced Fords, though figures don't match with other sources).

1940-A.jpg 1940-B.jpg

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Here's another Ford E01A in use by war correspondents in the Middle East:

228989206_1224902077964621_8986664820131592538_n.jpg
Source: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1297796&type=3

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Bill Kreiner

I found the attached information on French Fords in my files. French automotive historian Claude Rouxel (RIP) researched and sent this to me years ago, and I eventually bought the sources he quoted, and also found the small Matford 1935-1946 blurb in The American Automobile Since 1775, in the section The Hybrids, compiled by well-known British automotive historian Michael Sedgwick (RIP). I don't have any information specifically on American imports to France for the period, sadly.

Even though Ford had a good presence in France, apparently the French government also ordered vehicles from Ford in the USA - see the quote from David Hayward in an earlier thread:

Originally Posted by David_Hayward (RIP)

The 1940 right hand drive Ford Model cars assembled at Dagenham were either 01A Standard or 01A Deluxe fordors BUT it now seems that there were some l.h.d. cars as well being diverted FRENCH orders. The 1941 cars assembled at the new CMD in Slough were Models 11A Special, 11A Deluxe and 11A Super Deluxe fordors. NOTE that neither of these orders had the "E" prefix added to show that they were assembled in Dagenham Plant, which was not the case with other diverted French orders and other early Canadian truck and Wagon orders.

1940 Model engine numbers were prefixed:

01A Passenger 1A1 l.h.d. and 1A2F r.h.d.
09A Mercury Passenger 1D1 and 1D2F