The Ford Thames 400E was a commercial vehicle made by Ford of Britain and introduced in 1957. Production of the range continued until September 1965, by which time a total of 187,000 had been built.
History
Studies were made of the competition in this sector, with the Morris Commercial 10 cwt and 15/20 cwt models, of prewar design; Austin 10 cwt, and later their 25 cwt; Trojan 15 cwt van; and the Bedford 10/12 cwt model all coming in for scrutiny. One proposal, backed by, Dearborn, was that the American Ford Econoline van should go into production at Dagenham, thus eliminating any design problems whilst also saving considerably on development costs. This model had however one very serious drawback in that its extremely forward mounted, and rather heavy engine, resulted in what was considered by some at Ford of Britain to be a dangerous weight distribution in the unladen state. In this state, if firm braking was applied, the rear wheels could be lifted clear of the road on level ground, and it was felt by some that the Econoline could easily somersault end over end if an emergency stop was attempted on a down grade.
A new British range was therefore decided upon, to be of the forward control type and of monocoque construction for the van, but based on a ladder type chassis for the pick up truck and some other variants. A wheelbase of 84 inches (2,100 mm) was chosen, upon which was accommodated a van body of 180 cubic feet capacity, After some discussion, independent front suspension was sanctioned, but not of the MacPherson strut type which Dagenham had pioneered in the monocoque passenger car applications for which it had been specifically designed in the first place. This system was considered, but its inclusion in the forward control, forward entrance van would, primarily because of the strut height, have placed serious restrictions on cab design particularly in respect of entry. Instead, a system of coil springs and transverse wishbones was agreed upon, and as in this respect the Econoline checked out satisfactorily according to Ford of Britain, a set of drawings of the Econoline's coil and wishbone system was obtained from Dearborn.
An ideal engine and transmission existed amongst Dagenham's passenger car range, this being the Consul's 1703 cc ohv engine, with its associated three speed gearbox with synchromesh between the upper two ratios and a column gearchange mechanism, and the two pinion differential three quarter floating final drive. The low compression (6.9: 1) version of this engine, developing 53 bhp (40 kW) at 4400 rpm was chosen, with the Consul's regular high compression cylinder head (7.8:1) being optional on the new van, A further option was to be the Perkins 4/99 diesel, this being a 1.6 litre four cylinder unit producing only 42 bhp (31 kW), therefore somewhat marginal from a performance viewpoint but offering useful long term economies over the petrol engine.
From January 1963 an improved version of the 1703 cc engine was introduced for the range being uprated to 55 bhp (41 kW) in low compression form, while for premium petrol users a high compression head was offered which gave this Zephyr 4 unit an output of 58 bhp (43 kW). A four speed all synchromesh gearbox was also available from this time, and if fitted a heavy duty back axle with a four pinion differential was specified.
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. The new model quickly met with widespread approval, and passenger transport use was soon being catered for with the availability of an 8/10 seater estate car derivative, and a 12 seat minibus based on the 15 cwt model. The success of the estate car variant was such that it later became available in a De Luxe configuration, complete with chrome plated overriders for its front bumper, chrome side mouldings and window trims, and dual exterior mirrors.
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.
Motor Caravan conversions
The Thames van was also instrumental in helping the motorised caravan to establish itself in a period when people were extending their horizons with regard to holidays and camping. The Ford Thames 15 cwt van formed an ideal base for a motor caravan because it could double as an ordinary vehicle during the week and be used for picnics or breaks away from home at weekends. Its roughly square shape lent itself well to conversion to a caravan, as many people had noticed when they saw the estate car and 12 seater bus versions.
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