Ford Thames 400E - 400E 10/12 and 15 Cwt Models

400E 10/12 and 15 Cwt Models

Ever since the days of the first Model T trucks the Ford Motor Company always had a vehicle in the popular 10/15/20 cwt category, although with the speedy 15 cwt normal control model of 1939 being discontinued a year or so later only the E83W 10 cwt van was available immediately after the war, whereas Morris had their 10 cwt model Y and the PV 15/20 cwt, both of them prewar designs. Commer retained their 8 cwt van, which was updated in 1947, plus the larger 25 cwt van, while Austin produced a 10 cwt van, and then narrowed the gap between their larger trucks by introducing the 25 cwt '3 way' in 1947. Trojan were also there with their 15 cwt van, while Bedford had the PCV 10/12 cwt and the K 30 cwt, so there was plenty of variety in that particularly lucrative area of the market.

In some ways the 15/20/25 cwt payload area was a bit of a no man's land. The smaller 5 cwt, 8 cwt and 10 cwt vans were usually car based, while the larger payload vehicles of 30 cwt, 2 ton and upwards were designed as trucks with little or no relationship to their passenger car cousins. In between is the 'grey' area, where the vehicles require a larger frame, springs, etc., to carry more weight than the larger saloons of the period, yet can suffer from a high unladen weight (and tax) if the beefier frames and axles of the real trucks are used.

In the past there had been several contenders in this field, Ford, for instance, offering a choice of no less than three different engines for their 1939 15 cwt van, 22 hp (16 kW), 24 hp (18 kW) and 30 hp (22 kW). These were some of the vehicles chosen to tow trailer fire pumps at the start of the war, no doubt because of their performance potential in an emergency situation.

Another rather special type of van had come into use by some of the newspaper distributors, who required a vehicle of about 200 cubic feet (5.7 m3), but with the performance of a sports car! The 15 cwt Ford was used for this type of operation in prewar days, as was the Chrysler Dodge of similar capacity. Large car chassis were also taken into use, the Humber Hawk and Snipe being in this category, while when they disappeared the Austin FX3 taxi chassis was used as a basis for these vans. Ford's entry into this field was the Pilot, a postwar design derivative of one of their popular prewar V 8 saloons. The chassis of this model was available for specialist bodywork, and a number of them appeared as high powered vans and pickups, many going for export. However, because of its minimal load space as a bonnetted vehicle the Pilot was not very saleable to run of the mill van users, a drawback also shared by the Standard Vanguard van and pickup of similar layout and the Austin A70 Hampshire.

What the market required was a van of 10/15/20 cwt capacity, but built within a confined space, with the larger 'portion of the bodywork given over to the carrying area. This precluded the bonnetted layout unless it was of minimal protrusion. Ford's answer to the problem came in 1957, when the 400E 10/12 and 15 cwt models were announced. In one stroke Ford had produced a van which was good looking, capacious, convenient and particularly nippy. By utilizing the engine of the best selling Consul the van was assured of a lively performance, and by mounting the unit low down in the frame between the front wheels, it was possible for the driver to slide over the engine cover if nearside exit was demanded.

Some users criticised the use of hinged doors, feeling that sliding doors would be of more use for quick exits or in confined places, but others were quick to point out the drawbacks of this type of door. With a plain panel sided van sliding doors are OK, but the 400E was designed to have access to the body via a side door in addition to the double rear doors. It was also produced as a chassis/cab for pickup or other style of special bodywork, so precluding the use of sliding doors, and anyone who has had experience of them knows they are a mixed blessing when one comes to repair them.

Whereas the old E83W was a regular, steady little van which by 1957 was ripe for replacement, the new van was destined to become twice as popular as its predecessor. It was quickly taken up by all manner of users and acquired for itself a special niche in the world of transport.

The model was available as in integral all steel panel van with hinged doors to the cab and a pair of hinged doors at the rear; an additional hinged door on the nearside was an optional extra. It was available in two payload ratings 10/12 cwt and 15 cwt. The second standard body was the 8/10seat estate car, which had three windows to each side to the rear of the cab section, one of these being in the standard nearside door with automatic folding step for easy entry. For the mounting of special bodies the 400E was available in chassis only, chassis/scuttle, and chassis/cab form.

Within a short while a 12 seater variation of the estate car appeared, this time with longitudinal seats and a fixed step to the rear. In contemporary literature this model was called a '12 seater bus', and the previous transverse seat model was not shown, although it was still listed in the price schedule.

In early catalogues of the range a de luxe version of the 15 cwt estate car was shown complete with chrome overriders to the front bumpers, chrome exterior mouldings, chrome window trims and a two tone colour scheme. Two exterior mirrors were fitted as well as more luxurious interior trim and fittings. Whether because of the higher rate of purchase tax which was current at the time, or for some other reason, very few of the de luxe estate cars appear to have been sold in Britain. In fact it was not long before the estate car was dropped in favour of the largercapacity 12 seat bus, this being listed as from September 1958. This 12 seater did not attract purchase tax, the Government thinking behind this probably assuming that no one would buy a 12¬seater in place of a private car, unless he had about 10 children!

As with the older type of 10 cwt van, the new 400E range found plenty of scope for special bodywork. Although the 'official' pickup was not catalogued until February 1961, others had been built by individual bodybuilders to order, as well as tippers, high top vans, etc. One interesting conversion was carried out by Normand on some special insulated vans for delivering ice cream. From the offside the van could be taken for a standard production 15 cwt at first sight, although at close range the shape was not exactly the same as the Ford body. Closer inspection revealed that the body was in fact thickly insulated and that the nearside door of the cab was louvred to provide ventilation for the refrigeration equipment carried in the nearside of the cab compartment. Also available from February 1961 was the Perkins 4/99 diesel engine for those who chose economy before performance.