MODEL PROFILE THAMES 400E RANGE
Peter Simpson tells the story of Ford’s fifties van which set new standards in a rapidly-changing market. Photo: The late Jim King These days, many people think of the Thames 400E as the van which, in 1965, Ford replaced with its radical new Transit, and in doing so transformed the whole 15-35cwt van market. By comparison, the 400E seemed ancient.
That, though, isn’t really fair. Less than eight years earlier, in November 1957, the 400E was the smart new kid on the block and a massive step forwards. Its predecessor, the E83W Fordson, dated back to 1938 and with a sidevalve engine and transverse leaf springs front and rear, wasn’t exactly state of the art then!
The 400E, though, was slap-bang up to date in…