Ford Model E01A (was: US Staff Car?)

[Stellan Bojerud (RIP)]

US Staff Car? Type?

[Bill Murray]

Morning Stellan:
Your vehicle is a 1940 Ford used by British Forces. It is RHD with typical 9:00X13 tyres and wheels.
Bill

[Stellan Bojerud (RIP)]

Good morning Dog Robber!

Morning for you - time for evening beer in this old country.

I guess this another Ford. 1940?

[Bill Murray]

Yes, same vehicle.
Forgot about the time difference

Enjoy a few on me.


Bill

[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.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

From British Empire Staff Cars

Originally Posted by David_Hayward (RIP)

This was taken in Normandy or Belgium, 1944:

M 1164071: delivered under Contract V.4056 or V4213, but what's the truck next to it?

http://www.chrishodgephotos.co.uk/pixcma/aan647.jpg

David's picture link no longer works, but I found it back plus another one:



Source: https://www.stilltimecollection.co.uk/search/army%20car

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Some more pictures of the rare Ford E01A:

From a Ford UK identification list:


Very small picture showing a rear view:


Here's hoping Ian will chime in ;-)

[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?):


Source: https://picclick.co.uk/Ford-Spare-Pa...592785102.html


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

[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.

[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.




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




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."

[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.

[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).

[Hanno Spoelstra]

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


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

[Tony Smith]

Alan Moorehead was an Australian-born English writer who would go on after the war to write several critically-acclaimed histories.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Moorehead

His AFRICAN TRILOGY is one of the better accounts of the war in North Africa. What stories that Ford could tell.

[Mike Kelly]

Owning two vehicles fitted with 900-13 tyres , interesting rim swap overs are possible i.e., the Morris 8cwt rims swap with Bofors rims and Land Rover rims. Fitting a Bofors rim onto a LR hub requires the centre hole to be machined out, enlarged, I have a few 13" rims with that particular mod having been done, a great mod if you wish to play in the sand dunes with your Landy ! I believe at least one of the Len Beadell outback surveying team Rovers had Bofors rims fitted.

The Humber 8 cwt also used 13 rims" but I'm not sure of the stud pattern on those wheels. The Ford WOA2 was another, do those UK Ford rims swap over to Canadian Ford hubs ?

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Here's another one from the RAF vehicles thread

Originally Posted by Bill Murray

As I said earlier, those 39/40 Fords, cars as well as trucks, were about as neat looking as they get.
While I would build it as a street rod and not military, one of my goals in life is to restore a 1940 Fordor sedan.
Or, maybe I should do it military like this. Thanks to Les for the photo and, yes, it has been here before. Just a nice shot.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

And one from British Empire Staff Cars

Originally Posted by Les Freathy

Bill heres another for your car thread a Ford which i understand were built at Dagenham England, were they on imported chassis/ scuttles

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Ford Staff Car in use by the REME while recovering tanks the North African desert

See https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/i...ect/1060033929 at 1:10 min.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

“23 Aug 1942, North Africa. Winston Churchill greeting men from 4 Queen's Own Hussars.”

Interestingly, this 1942 model LHD Ford Station Wagon looks like it has had the same conversion with 9.00-13 wheels and extended mudguards as the E01A sedan. Plus it had its roof chopped off and a huge sun visor added.


Source: https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/i...ject/205203900

[Tony Smith]

This was for sale on a Ford Flathead site a couple of years ago as a "Beach Buggy". 1941 with 9.00-13s. Nice plum colour!

[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

[Hanno Spoelstra]

General Montgomery enters Homs in his staff car.
1943-01-27
https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/i...ject/205629513

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Ford staff car in Algiers “where the Canadian Army established its GHQ First and Second Echelons as well as a Reinforcement unit for the Italian Campaign. They later moved to the Naples area.”

Is the suspension raised?



Source: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1117...6727663833458/

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Italy 1943:

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Another 1942 model Ford E01A:

"Douglas C-47 Skytrain (with Star-in-Disc insignia), with its side door open, parked on sand. Seven United States Army Air Forces officers are standing around, four of which are near the hood of 1940s Ford sedan. They may be loading, or unloading, some equipment. 1942-45"


Source: https://www.ww2online.org/image/usaa...nsport-1942-45

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Another one, stuck somewhere in a desert

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

“23 Aug 1942, North Africa. Winston Churchill greeting men from 4 Queen's Own Hussars.”

Some more featuring Churchill:



Source:

[David Dunlop]

Hanno.

Thank you for the photos in Post#25.

My Dad served with the Queens Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada, from Winnipeg during the war, enlisting in 1939 and going to England with the Headquarters Company the following year. He was reassigned from Rifleman to an Admin Clerk shortly after arrival in England and rose to Staff Sgt.

He was seconded from the Regiment to Algiers at some point, and only ever explained that the Canadian Army was setting something up over there he had been assigned to assist in. He met my Mum, who was working in the NAAFI at the NAAFI Relief Camp at Surcouf, about 40 miles east of Algiers on the coast.

Most of the NAAFI Records for that camp were lost in a post-war fire in England, and I have yet to sort out Dad’s own war records to try and understand how and why he ended up in a part of the war for a while, where the rest of his Regiment never was assigned.

David