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Ford Thames 800 [400E] 
Class: Cars, Van / MPV — Model origin: 
— Made for: 
![Ford Thames 800 [400E]](i796415.jpg)
00:38:45 ![[*]](/res/star.png){kind=small}
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Comments about this vehicle| Author | Message |
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◊ 2015-03-15 12:54 |
Thames 10cwt [400E], but different name may have been used in Portugal?? May be even local assembly?? |
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◊ 2015-03-15 13:47 |
I think it was FORD |
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◊ 2015-03-15 14:38 |
10cwt would mean nothing to metric countries so I'm sure there would have been a different title. 1 cwt (hundredweight) = 112 lb in UK Imperial system = 50.8 kg so 10cwt = 500kg. There were also 12cwt (= 600kg)and 15cwt (= 750kg) versions of the 400E. We have a 400E batch labelled as Ford Thames 800 for an assortment of export sightings (although most are minibus rather than van), so could use that name here. If 800 has any meaning, it may be for the 15cwt/750kg version?? |
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◊ 2015-03-15 15:37 |
So the Thames vans were sold as Ford in other nations? |
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◊ 2015-03-15 15:45 |
Yes - but I'm not sure we know exactly where and when yet, so this info is approximate more than exact. And just to complicate further, Thames name was dropped in early 65 in UK so 400E was rebadged as Ford for final months of production; similar happened with 307E Thames 7cwt which became Ford Anglia Van until finishing in late 67. |
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◊ 2015-03-15 17:12 |
At least in Italy they were labelled as Ford. |
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◊ 2015-03-15 17:17 |
let's hope, that rpcm will come along soon again. |
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◊ 2015-03-16 11:25 |
As rpcm is absent I suppose you have to be content with me, and possible I'm to blame for his disappearance after some heavy discussions /vehicle.php?id=747310 . I know a little about these cars as the Thames shares the engine and much of the drive train with the Consul (Mk II) which in turn is very similar to the Zephyr and the Zodiac. Amongst my posssesions is a spare parts list printed in April 1958 dealing with the Consul, the Zephyr, the Zodiac, Thames 10/12 cwt & 15 cwt vans, Thames 12-seat bus and Thames Estate car. When I bought my 1960 Ford Zephyr I was surprized that it said Z-E-P-H-Y-R on the hood/bonnet, Zephyr on both of the rear wings, Zephyr on the boot lid and Zephyr on the facia. In fact the only places where it says othewise is on a triangle on the front wings where it says "A Ford Product" and under the hood/bonnet where it on a big identification plaque says it was made by Ford at Dagenham. Adding to that many parts are stamped (or has a casting mark) where it says EnFo, short for English Ford. In spite of all this I've never heard anybody refer to it other than as a Ford Zephyr, and I believe it's the same with Ford (!) Thames. I have a motoring year book from 1963 which deals with estate cars, trucks (HGV's) and trailers, but also on construction and engineering vehicles. On page 86 it deals with Ford LGV's, and when concerning the Thames there's a picture with the additional text "Ford Thames 800". Next to it, it says it has a maximum loading capacity of 790 kg and as 790 is very close to 800 I'd imagine that's the reason for the that figure and the equivallent of 15 cwt. Similarly I'd imagine 10 cwt would have been called Ford Thames 500 and 12 cwt Ford Thames 600. Edit: What I mean with this entry is that I don't understand why it's labelled "Thames" /vehicles_make-Thames.html on some vehicles. It didn't have a separate sales organisation? Or did it? If the Ford Thames is labelled only Thames, is it the same with the (Ford) Consul, the (Ford) Zephyr and so on and so forth. Wouldn't it be easier to label it Ford Thames? -- Last edit: 2015-03-16 11:37:52 |
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◊ 2015-03-16 17:26 |
I don't really want to get drawn into any long discussions, and needless to say in any Thames sales literature etc. the 'Ford' oval is always prominently displayed. This is unlike the Bedford and Vauxhall (General Motors) advertising where Bedford was unlikely to be said to be 'made by Vauxhall' as it was a separate GM (UK) division despite a lot of common management and departments. However Thames vans and trucks were a separate brand and (at least locally to me) they had different sales outlets as they did not mix passenger and commercial sales. For example see the London 1964 Commercial Motor Show with the 'Thames' stand. ![[Image: thamestrucks.jpg]](http://pics.imcdb.org/558/thamestrucks.jpg) ![[Image: commercialmotorshow.jpg]](http://pics.imcdb.org/558/commercialmotorshow.jpg) Always pleased to get others comments but Thames as a brand in the UK did exist I believe, at least in the 1950s and 1960s -- Last edit: 2015-03-16 17:29:50 |
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◊ 2015-03-16 17:40 |
Wiki 400E page quote: "Production commenced in September 1957, with the model being announced as the Thames 400E series. A bold Thames nameplate appeared on the front beneath which was a circular emblem containing the appropriate figure identifying the vehicle's capacity class. ....... In March 1965, when the D series trucks were introduced, all commercial vehicle models took the Ford name so the 400E then appeared with a Ford nameplate on the front panel. The range did not continue in this guise for very long, the last models being built in August 1965 pending the introduction of a new range of vans which had been tested and developed since about 1963 under the codename of Redcap." (Redcap was the Transit) |
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◊ 2015-03-17 10:56 |
( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRcgE_Zek0M ) because it's funny. There're plenty of examples how all the (British) Ford products were marketed separately, but I'm not going into detail. Why not keep them under the same brand for easier research. It's not possible to expect that everybody knows everything about any brand. I don't. |
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