The Ford A series is a range of trucks that was built by
Ford UK
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
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to bridge the gap between the relatively small
Transit
Transit may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film
* ''Transit'' (1979 film), a 1979 Israeli film
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* ''Transit'' (2006 film), a 2006 ...
of 3.5 metric tonnes GVW and the bigger 7-tonne
D series.
![Selly Oak Bus Garage, 1978 - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Selly_Oak_Bus_Garage%2C_1978_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1801241.jpg)
In 1967, Ford made the decision to carry out a thorough investigation of the sector of 3.5 to 7 ton GVW trucks.
The decision to introduce the range was made in 1970 and development began in early 1971.
Public debut for the A series was at the
Frankfurt Motor Show
The International Motor Show Germany or International Mobility Show Germany, in German known as the ''Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung'' (''IAA'' – International Automobile Exhibition), is one of the world's largest mobility shows. It cons ...
1973.
Some 20 vehicles running over 500,000 miles were used during the three-year, 12 million-pound proving and development programme.
The A series was commercially first introduced on September 13, 1973.
Over 350 basic variants were built, allowing for wheelbase, gross weight, engine and body types, and also
LHD and
RHD.
Even an articulated tractor or "baby" artic, the AA0709 with a GCW of 6600 kg was added to the range but only sold in the UK.
The "A" cab shared most components with the
Transit
Transit may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film
* ''Transit'' (1979 film), a 1979 Israeli film
* ''Transit'' (2005 film), a film produced by MTV and Staying-Alive about four people in countries in the world
* ''Transit'' (2006 film), a 2006 ...
and the most notable differences are the longer and wider wings, longer hood and a different grille.
Unlike the Transit that had a facelift in 1977/1978 the "A" retained its profile for the entire period of production.
The A series could be divided into two categories:
* The smaller A04xx with 14-inch wheels, 6x170 mm bolt pattern, and four-cylinder engines.
* The bigger A05xx / A06xx with 16-inch wheels, 6×205 mm bolt pattern, stronger frame and six-cylinder engines.
* A 4x4 version was also offered by Reynolds Boughton and was intended for various special applications.
Four different engines were offered: a 2.4l 4-cylinder diesel. A 3.54l 6-cylinder diesel, actually a 2.4 with 2 more cylinders, a
2l V4 petrol and a
3l V6 petrol.
Three transmissions were offered: Ford 4-speed 4-310 synchro only on 2-3-4, Turner 4 spd T4-150 1-2-3-4 synchro, and the
ZF 5 spd S5-24/3 1-2-3-4-5 synchro offered as a high capacity unit.
3 driving axles were offered: The versions with 14-inch wheels had a slightly modified 50-series axle (Ford type 24) similar to the Transit. Ratios 4.625 and 5.125
Single 16 in wheel models had a
Salisbury Engineering
Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath.
Salisbury is in the southeast of Wi ...
8HA/
Dana 60
The Dana/Spicer Model 60 is an automotive axle manufactured by Dana Holding Corporation and used in OEM pickup and limited passenger car applications by Chevrolet, Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Ford and Land Rover. There are front and rear versions of t ...
(Ford type 27). Ratios 4.88 to 6.17.
Dual 16 in wheel models had a Salisbury Engineering 10HA/
Dana 70
The Dana/Spicer Model 70 is an automotive axle manufactured by Dana Holding Corporation and has been used in OEM heavy duty applications by Chevrolet, Dodge, and Ford. It can be identified by its straight axle tubes, 10 bolt asymmetrical cover, an ...
HD (Ford type 42). Ratios 4.88 to 7.17.
Four wheelbases were offered: 120, 130, 145 and 156 inches (3.05, 3.3, 3.68 and 3.96 m).
Production ended in 1983. Effectively, the gap left by the A series range was filled up by the rebadged versions of the
Iveco Daily
The Iveco Daily is a large light commercial vehicle, light commercial van produced by the Italy, Italian automaker Iveco since 1978; it was also sold as the Fiat Daily by Fiat Automobiles, Fiat until 1983. Unlike the more car-like unibody Fiat D ...
sold by Ford and also the heavier versions of the new (for then)
Ford Transit
The Ford Transit is a family of light commercial vehicles manufactured by the Ford Motor Company since 1965, primarily as a cargo van, but also available in other configurations including a large passenger van (marketed as the Ford Tourneo in ...
which debuted in 1986.
References
External Links
* Anatomy of the A-series light truck range, Ford Motor Company Ltd Brentwood Essex
* ''Ford Panel Vans'' by Len Cole pp 61,62
{{Early European Ford commercial vehicles
A series
A series
Vehicles introduced in 1973