The Ford P100 is a
car-based pickup truck that was built by
Ford
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
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
from 1971 to 1995, initially in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
, and later
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
. It was based on medium-sized
Ford
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
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
passenger cars, originally the
Cortina/Taunus and from 1988 the
Ford Sierra
The Ford Sierra is a mid-size car or large family car manufactured and marketed by Ford Europe from 1982-1993, designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément — and noted for its aerodynamic styling producing a drag coefficien ...
. Initially marketed as the Ford Cortina Pickup,
[ the P100 name was adopted in 1982.][ The P-100 name had previously been used on a small North American ]panel van
A panel van, also known as a blind van, car-derived van (United Kingdom) or sedan delivery (United States), is a small cargo vehicle with a passenger car chassis, typically with a single front bench seat and no side windows behind the B-pillar. ...
in the 1960s.
Cortina-based model
The P100 is a car-based pickup truck
A pickup truck or pickup is a light-duty truck that has an enclosed cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (this cargo bed back end sometimes consists of a tailgate and removable covering) ...
, introduced in South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
in 1971, based on the Ford Cortina
The Ford Cortina is a medium-sized family car that was built initially by Ford of Britain, and then Ford of Europe in various guises from 1962 to 1982, and was the United Kingdom's best-selling car of the 1970s.
The Cortina was produced in fi ...
Mk3. Initially marketed as the Ford Cortina Pickup, its overall bodywork closely followed that of the Cortina. The cab used the doors of the Cortina two-door sedan models, giving it a lengthy, yet truncated look, due to the use of a vertical rear window and B-pillar. The rear tray could be had as a wellside, styled with the Cortina MkIII estate's tail lights, or fitted with a flatdeck or purpose built body. A fibreglass canopy was offered as an option. It soon proved a popular seller in its home market of South Africa.
The bodywork was changed for 1977, to correspond with that of the Ford Cortina MkIV. The cab was redesigned, using the shorter front doors from the MkIV four-door models. A further change occurred for 1980, when the MkV's front sheetmetal was introduced. The Ford 1-Tonner name was used in the South African market.[ From 1986 the ]Mazda
, commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan.
In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly one m ...
-based Ford Courier
Ford Courier is a model nameplate used by Ford since the early 1950s. First used in North America for a sedan delivery, the Courier nameplate has seen use worldwide for multiple types of vehicles. The Courier nameplate was also used by Ford for ...
replaced the P100 pick-up in South Africa. The Courier was available with the Ford Essex V6 through to April 2000.
From 1982 the P100 name was adopted,[ and the model was exported from South Africa to Europe. For Europe, the chassis and tray were lengthened, whilst in South Africa it was available in both short wheelbase and long wheelbase variants. The P100 was released to Europe in Mk5 form, just as the parent Cortina MkV was being replaced by the Sierra. Ford had considered selling a rebadged Mazda pickup, which would have been lower priced, but rejected this on political grounds as there was a lot of fear over Japanese imports at this time.] Ford UK considered being made in Apartheid
Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
South Africa as less of a liability than being made in Japan, and also managed to achieve 35 percent local parts content. Country of origin and outdated styling proved to be no effect on sales however, with the P100 continuing in its Cortina Mk5 based form until 1988. In 1986 the "hi cap" was released with a taller roof and door tops and a more upright windscreen specific to the last of the Cortina-based P100s.
Turkey's Otosan
Ford Otomotiv Sanayi A.Ş. (''Ford Automotive Industry'') is an automotive manufacturing company based in Turkey that is equally owned by Ford Motor Company and Koç Holding. It was established in its current form in 1977, with original relation ...
also produced a P100 variant, with a separate bed and using the shorter doors from the four-door sedan to achieve parts commonality - Otosan did not build any other two-door models. The Otosan P100 is based on the Ford Taunus TC
The Ford Taunus TC is a range of large family cars that were built by Ford Germany from 1970 until 1982. The Taunus TC was based on the same basic construction as the Ford UK's Cortina range, with the "TC" badge standing for Taunus Cortina.
Ta ...
, which was built in Turkey in sedan form until 1994. The Otosan P100 was produced until 1996.
Sierra-based model
In late-1987, for the 1988 model year, the P100 was re-bodied with a new Ford Sierra
The Ford Sierra is a mid-size car or large family car manufactured and marketed by Ford Europe from 1982-1993, designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément — and noted for its aerodynamic styling producing a drag coefficien ...
-based cab. Engine choices were originally the Sierra's 2.0 litre "Pinto" carburetted petrol engine, with a 1.8 L turbo-diesel following soon thereafter. The range was now built in Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
for the European market, to a design set out by Ford UK. It proved a strong seller, particularly on the UK market. The later P100's petrol engine, while a 2.0 L Pinto engine, differed from the units in the passenger Sierra and Granada models in that it was a low compression version of the 205 block Pinto, the Cosworth engine is based on this block. Single choke carburettors were used along with the lower compression to raise torque whilst lowering maximum power, which was now at .[
Production of the P100 ceased in 1995.
File:Ford P100 front left.JPG, Ford P100 Pickup - (]Ford Sierra
The Ford Sierra is a mid-size car or large family car manufactured and marketed by Ford Europe from 1982-1993, designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément — and noted for its aerodynamic styling producing a drag coefficien ...
based)
File:Ford P100 rear right.JPG, Ford P100 Pickup - (Ford Sierra
The Ford Sierra is a mid-size car or large family car manufactured and marketed by Ford Europe from 1982-1993, designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément — and noted for its aerodynamic styling producing a drag coefficien ...
based)
Differences between the Cortina and Sierra
The P100, while it appeared similar to the models that it was based upon, had several key differences under its skin. While it used the front bodywork of the Cortina, and later Sierra, only the front half of the underbody was used - the rear, from the middle of the front seats backward, used a ladder chassis for which the pickup tray was mounted to, which could accept a payload of 1000 kg.
The P100 was longer than the corresponding Cortina and Sierra models, and had a higher ride height due to having a multi leaf spring suspension in the rear and larger five-stud wheels all round. The hub design on the Cortina was a SA specific pattern and actually a Rover PCD, hence Rover SD1 alloys and steel wheels fit. The later Sierra front hubs were from the Granada with adapter plates to allow fitment of the heavier duty 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 ...
wheel. Its rear axle was lifted directly from the SWB Transit 80, hence the need for the front adapters to match.
The later P100's gearbox was simply a lower ratio version of the popular Ford T9 gearbox which was also fitted in some earlier Transits, unlike the car version of the Sierra the Type 9 was used up until production ceased - the cars had been updated in 1989 to the MT75 box. While this was a stronger box, it did not use a slip joint yoke so was unsuitable for use on the P100, as it had a live axle compared to the cars independent rear setups with non-moving diff units.
Engine options
Ford Cortina Pickup (Mark III)
* 1.6 L 4-cylinder OHV
* 2.5 L V6 OHV (Essex)
Ford 1-Tonner (Mark IV)
* 3.0 L V6
Ford 1-Tonner (Mark V)
* 1.6 L 4-cylinder
* 3.0 L V6 [
]
Ford P100 (Cortina Mark V based)
*1.6 L 4-cylinder OHC petrol,
2.0lt 90ps
Ford P100 (Sierra based)
*1.8 I4 TD (1753 cc; ) Endura-D engine
*2.0 I4 OHC (1998 cc; ) Pinto engine;
Modifications
In recent years the Sierra-based P100 has gained a following in drifting and modifying circles, and many are becoming modified to include Cosworth
Cosworth is a British automotive engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in high-performance internal combustion engines, powertrain, and electronics for automobile racing (motorsport) and mainstream automotive industrie ...
engines, which are based on the truck version of the Pinto block.
There are many Ford P100 Pickups which have been modified by their owners. The running gear from any Sierra and certain running gear from the Ford Granada can be fitted to the front of the P100. The rear suspension is vehicle specific, with the Capri/Mk1/2 Escort atlas axles being interchangeable, however it requires much more modification (other than simply bolting in) to fit Sierra independent or any other rear running gear. Many modifiers have converted their P100 to Sierra XR/Cosworth drivetrain and running gear. The very fact that they are so easily modified under the bonnet and inside the cab has made the P100 extremely popular in modifying and cruise circles. The Cosworth BOA 24v and YB 16v engines are a popular choice. Rover and Ford V8s are also a common swap, the former being the same weight as the Pinto unit.
Other modifications include:
*Changing front hubs from 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 ...
style wide spaced 5 stud to standard 4 stud Sierra hubs and fitting the back axle from a similar width 4-stud Ford vehicle - e.g. Ford Sierra
The Ford Sierra is a mid-size car or large family car manufactured and marketed by Ford Europe from 1982-1993, designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément — and noted for its aerodynamic styling producing a drag coefficien ...
XR4x4 to allow lowering and 4 stud standard alloys.
*Replacing the fabricated steel bed with a lighter fibreglass body to reduce weight.
In 2013, a modified British P100 became the fastest coffee-powered vehicle in the world reaching 65.5 mph, entering the Guinness World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
.
References
External links
Advertisement for 1984 Ford P100 One Tonne Pick-up (UK)
Flickr.com
Flickr ( ; ) is an American image hosting and video hosting service, as well as an online community, founded in Canada and headquartered in the United States. It was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and was a popular way for amateur and professional ...
{{Ford
P100
Pickup trucks