Ford has released a database called Heritage Vault, which contains more than 5,000 curated photos and brochures from the company’s founding in 1903 to its centenary in 2003.
The searchable Ford Heritage Vault contains a wealth of product information and resources that are being made public online for the first time – to the delight of motorists everywhere.
Ford considers it to be “the most comprehensive online database in the American auto industry” and says it will continue to be updated and expanded over time.
Want a scanned brochure showing the 1983 Falcon UT and panel van, for example? Don’t worry.
Ford says it “created the site for fans, journalists and car enthusiasts, making it easy to discover the company’s rich heritage from anywhere in the world.”
The Ford Archive and Heritage brand manager thinks, “We’re opening up in a way we’ve never done before.” Ted Ryan.
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Ford Archives 2020 Bronco Exhibition -
1959 Ford Country Square -
1956 Lincoln Continental MkII
“Our archives were established 70 years ago and for the first time, we are opening the vault to the public. This is a first step towards the future. “
The materials available in the online collection today have been curated by Ford archivists over the past two years.
“Completing all of the car photos available in the Ford Heritage Vault, these brochures add a lot more information and impact for people who want to know about our products, traditions and accessories,” said the processing archivist. Ciera Casteel.
To pilot the Heritage Vault, Ford worked with students at the Wayne State University Library and Information Science program in Detroit, as well as Ford employees and retirees.
There were common search items between Ford Bronco and Ford F-Series testers, the company found. Meteor, Fairlane, Galaxy, Model A and Edsel were also popular, with one user finding tempo models owned by their mother and grandmother in the 1980s and 90s.