This website takes you to the history
of Ford in New Zealand. Learn about the brand,
the cars and the people. Preview and purchase the only book ever published on Ford in New Zealand, by author John Stokes.
Driving Ahead into the 20th Century
This is the only book ever published on the history of the Ford Motor Company in New Zealand. The book begins with the arrival of the very first Ford in New Zealand in 1904. It discusses the Model T Ford era in depth, then the Model A Ford, the V8 and, in the early 1930s, the advent of the British Ford.
It was not until 1936 that the Ford Motor Company was founded in this country, and established its own assembly operation. Why they came here, and the extent of their operation, is described in this book, supported with a huge variety of illustrations and tables. Ford became the most popular marque in the New Zealand market and names such as Zephyr, Cortina and Falcon were part of our social fabric.
The author took 16 years to complete this book and that effort is evident from the thorough research involved to produce this historically accurate and interesting social history of the Ford marque in New Zealand. Indeed, as well as discussing the various Ford models, Driving Ahead considers all the influences, in plain English. from government regulations to the excitement of motor sport. What was “No Remittance”? Why did we need overseas funds to buy a car – or a truck – or a tractor? Why did New Zealand switched allegiance from the big American V8s to British cars? And then to the Japanese?
These questions are all answered in logical sequence as the story of Ford - and all of the New Zealand motor industry - unfolds. That makes this book essential reading for anyone interested in the once-vibrant motor industry, and in New Zealand history.
Also by the Author...
This book covers the earliest years of motoring in New Zealand, before roads existed!
Henry Ford did not invent the motor car – he simply made it available to the masses. From the earliest days the cars that came from the Ford Motor Company were built to be not just affordable, but durable. They had to be, because roads weren’t really roads as we know them today. They were tracks for horse and cart and, with the advent of the Model T Ford, the motorcar suddenly became a much more efficient form of transport than the horse, and it changed society. Putting the Car Before the Horse tells the story of how that was achieved in New Zealand.
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History of
Ford New Zealand
View the impressive timeline of cars, trucks, tractors and military vehicles, marking each year of the century of the
Ford Motor Company of New Zealand.