Ford Motor Company was, and is perhaps, the most international of any American automobile manufacturing firms. Following WWII Ford’s British manufacturing arm began producing a line of utility trucks, which they referred to as the “Thames Trader”. Models ranged in different sizes and served a variety of business purposes from delivering milk, to automotive parts, and rising in scale to become tow-trucks and small heavy-duty earth carriers.

The Thames Trader we have the pleasure of offering is a Model E-83-W; 5 CWT van, which is also known by US standards as a 1/2-ton carry load. This right-hand-drive example is powered by a 1172-cc 10-hp side-valve Ford engine, with a three-speed floor-shift gearbox. The gearing is quite low as expected, in order to carry heavy weight in the back.

What is unusual about this particular example is the side door-mounted spare tires. Few of these examples survived, as they were worked hard and typically deteriorated and disposed of. This van is reported to run and drive wonderfully. It is finished in British Racing Green, with black fenders and a brown interior and is tastefully liveried with the famous London-based Bentley and Rolls-Royce dealer Jack Barclay livery. Nicely restored, this cute little van would make a great addition to any important collection or could be used as the centerpiece for prominently advertising a small business.