Hendy was the first Ford dealer In the UK and has been selling Ford vehicles for more than 110 years. Back in 1910, Percy Hendy, youngest son of Hendy’s founder Frederick, met Henry Ford in Southampton, soon after he stepped off his ship from America. He was in the UK to announce British production – at Trafford Park in Manchester – of his new Model T. The Hendy deal was signed on November 7 of that year. A year later, the first Model Ts rolled off their UK production line, revolutionising motor transport and Hendy’s business.
Born on a farm in Michigan in 1863 – four years after the Hendy Group was founded – Henry Ford worked as an apprentice machinist before building experimental engines and vehicles in his farm workshop. The Ford Motor Company was founded in 1903.
The Model T wasn’t Henry Ford’s first car, but it was far and away his most significant. Launched in America in 1908, it was simple to drive and easy to maintain. It was also inexpensive, partly due to its revolutionary moving assembly production line. Inspired by a Chicago slaughterhouse – in which carcases were butchered as they moved along a conveyer built – mass production allowed Ford to undercut rivals and dominate the US auto industry. Ford would soon dominate globally too, as Model Ts were built in Britain, Germany, France, Brazil, Australia, Japan and elsewhere.
After the war, a range of cars designed for Europe helped make Ford one of the dominant car manufacturers. Vehicles such as the Prefect and Anglia won over British buyers. Later models like the Cortina, Escort, Fiesta and Sierra would give Ford British market leadership – a position it would hold for more than 40 years. (And still held in 2023.)
In commercial vehicles, Ford has been equally successful. The Transit, launched in 1965, has been Britain’s best-selling van ever since.
The Transit remains one of Ford’s most important vehicles, alongside cars such as the Puma, Focus, Kuga and premium electric models such as the Mustang and Explorer.
Hendy now has 10 Ford retailers spread across the South Coast.
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