Background
The Model Y was the first Ford automobile specifically designed for markets outside the United States. It was produced in England from 1932 until September 1937 and is sometimes remembered as the ‘Ford Eight’, reflecting its fiscal horsepower rating.
The car was powered by a 933cc 8hp Ford sidevalve engine. The little Ford was available in two and four-door versions, sold as the ‘Tudor’ (a pun on two-door) and ‘Fordor’ (Ford/four-door) respectively.
Improvements and economies of scale over the Model Y’s production run allowed Ford to drop the price. Therefore, in June 1935, Ford was able to announce the Tudor model would be sold for just £100, a price it would hold until July 1937. This was the first time a four-seat closed-body saloon car had sold in Britain for that price (the first British car to sell for £100, the 1931 Morris Minor SV, was a two-seater with a collapsible fabric roof and a wood-framed body).
The suspension was traditional Ford transverse leaf springs front and rear and the engine drove the rear wheels through a three-speed gearbox, which right from the start, featured synchromesh between the top two ratios.
The maximum speed was just under 60mph and fuel consumption around 32mpg.
Even by the standards of the time, the UK-built Ford Model Y, like its competitor the Austin 7, was found noteworthy for its almost unbelievable lack of brakes!
It should be noted that the Model Y inspired copying by Morris Motors, with the Eight, and by Singer Motors, with the Bantam. As Ford led, others followed.








