Our Cars and why we love them!

 

There's something a little special about a Ford Sidevalve. Something that's almost impossible to define, but something that gets in the blood, the heart and the head.

 

Our cars cannot match the flowing, sinuous lines of an E-Type nor the brutal beautiful profile of a TR6. Our cars aren’t imperious like a Bentley or an Alvis. We don’t bask in the shimmer of the silver-screen like a Herbie, nor have we raced around Fiat test track in the Italian Job….. (That was never going to happen!). Finally our cars aren’t valuable, even a rare 1933 ‘Short Rad’ Model Y would never threaten the £15,000 barrier.

 

That’s not to say that British Ford Small Sidevalves weren’t important or unloved. Between August 1932 and June 1962 over 2 million Small Ford Sidevalves were built worldwide (principally in the UK, Australia and New Zealand). They were one of the most popular (excuse the pun) cars at the start of the motoring boom in the UK. Tens of thousands learned to drive in a Ford Sidevalve, the vast majority of the British population in the 50s and 60s either owned a Ford Sidevalve or had a relative/friend who owned one. There’s no doubt whatsoever that the Ford Small Sidevalve was one of the most important developments in the history of British motoring.

 

Please take a little time to explore the range of Sidevalves shown in this section each one of them has that 'special something'. We really only have space to introduce the standard models, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. Back in the 50's and 60s there were (at last count) some 45 companies producing cars based upon the reliable side-valve engine. Nowadays there is a huge movement (We call it Modified) towards taking the classic side-valve body shape and upgrading the engine, transmission, suspension and brakes to make racers, triallers, dragsters or just cars capable of keeping up with modern traffic. There are almost as many variants as there are words in the Sidevalve Workshop Manual.

 

We love them all !!