A landmark new history from design journalist Nick Hull, Ford Design in the UK offers a detailed insight into the company's design story, from the early days of Ford in Dagenham to the latest generation of the Ford Transit in 2016. It is a fitting tribute to the spirit and ethos of Ford design and engineering.

Chapter 1: 1908-1945. Early Days of Ford DesignChapter 2: 1945-1958. Post War and the Briggs studioChapter 3: 1959-1967. Roy Brown and the Aveley studioChapter 4: late 1960s. Ford of Europe and the start of DuntonChapter 5: 1975 -1985. Uwe Bahnsen eraChapter 6: 1985-95. Bahnsen ousted, conservativism rulesChapter 7: 1990s: New Edge, New PoliticsChapter 8: Downsizing at Dunton.1998-2010Chapter 9: Current design activities in Dunton studio Appendix 1: Glossary of design termsAppendix 2: Ford project code numbers

With a forward by Chris Svensson (Ford's design director for the Americas) this is a great tribute to Ford UK, and especially the wireless efforts at Dunton since its foundation in '67. There is an intro on the history of Ford in Britain before it follows the story largely chronologically, with panels on people and subjects, as well as a huge wealth of illustration including everything from team photos to styling sketches. It's not half as dry as you might expect and goes to great efforts to show the human side to an important part of our motoring past.- Classic & Sports Car (UK). This book, an in-depth history of Ford's Dunton design operations, is long overdue. Author Nick Hull - a car designer by trade with aspects of the Jaguar XJ220 to his name - hasn't merely produced a catalogue, but a vital document made possible by his extensive car-design connections. It's the sheer richness of the previously untold stories that makes the book. The quality and depth of Hull's storytelling is superb, and it's illustrated beautifully throughout with previously-unseen photos. We've already used it several times for research, which says an awful lot. - Classic Cars. What a surprise is was to see a book about Ford design, rather than one which covers their engineering, their factories or their motorsport achievement. Not only that, but because the author, Nick Hull, has had a lifetime's working experience in that very field, clearly he knows his stuff, and had been able to cross-compare Fords with many of its rivals. This, too, is a book which not only examines the looks of the machinery, and explains their function, but one which also delves deeply into artistic methods, production engineering requirements, time schedules, investment programmes and world-wide company politics. We would love to thing that the pleasing layout, scope and coverage of this book will encourage Hull to turn his attention so pleasingly to the design of other car companies' products. - Graham Robson. With 25 years experience as a designer, academic and writer on automobile design, author Nick Hull began his career at Jaguar, moving too Honda and then becoming a lecturer on Coventry University on Automotive and Transport design. His introductory chapter charts Ford's roots in England and America, staring as early as the introduction of the Model T Ford at the Olympia Motor Show in 1908 and continuing to the pivotal year of 1948, and the arrival of Sir Patrick Hennessy as General Manager of Ford of Britain. Rather than dealing with the mechanical aspects of Ford design, the book cover body design throughout the following 70 years, and the advance in technology from the early days of chalk drawings and wooden models for the Consul to today's digital rendering and milled clays for the Transit. The evolution of the Transit, arguably the world's most popular small goods vehicle, forms an interesting thread throughout the book, which o course also covers most of the various models of saloon car produced by Ford in the UK over the last seven decades. The book is illustrated throughout with numerous design sketches and photographs of clay models of cars, and their interiors, that will be familiar to several generations, plus many that never made it to the showrooms. The evolving techniques in producing these are also described, as is Ford's design policy in attempting to stay one step ahead of its closely observed competition, A particularly interesting feature of the book is that far from their cars being the product of faceless engineers, the people involved, and their interaction with each otters, are covered in detail lending a personal angle to this continuing story. A book that all enthusiastic Ford owners, of which this reviewer is one, will relish. - Speedscene. Ford design and styling in the UK is a subject that has been largely ignored, until now that is with the publication of Nick Hull's comprehensive history coinciding with the establishment, 70 years ago, of the firm's UK studio. The books appearance is all the more pertinent since its Fords Dunton design studios 50th anniversary The formative years of Ford in Britain is where the author sensibly starts his chronicle by detailing the course and the personalities that gave rise to a dedicated styling bureau at Dagenham in the days before Ford took over Briggs Motor Bodies. Nick Hull's account of how the styling studio prospered is appealing as he describes the cars and commercial vehicle that were designer in the UK- cars that were household names. More up to date, the reader is presented with pages of evocative images, many previously unseen. This important book follows Ford development in Britain in detail, and is written in a style both automotive engineers and the less technical will appreciate. Fitting seven decades into a book and to incorporate such detail is an achievement. The publication benefits from an excellent layout with the highest quality applied to the illustrations. Highly recommended. - SAHB Times. Design journalist Nick Hulls fantastic new book examines Fords UK design studios illustrious 70-year history. Beginning with the early days in Dagenham and models like the Consul, Zephyr and Zodiac, it tells the sort of the company and its designers, modellers and studio engineers. Tracing the birth and success of Fords Dunton studio, Nick maps the design story of eight generations of Transit, the Fiesta, the new Edge and Kinetic design languages of the 1990s and 2000s and the important models they spawned. You'll also learn how design techniques have changed, from the chalk drawings and wooden models, to digital rendering and milled clays. Once you start reading it, you'll have trouble putting it down, and thanks to 224 pages and 330 photographs, that's likely to take you some time.- Diesel Car. Ford was and still is an important UK constructor. The styling of their product was therefore decisive and determining the typical British street scene. Successful numbers such as the Consul, Zephyr, Anglia, Cortina, Capri or even the Transit contributed to the excellent commercial figures of this major car manufacturer. This book offers a unique look behind the design studios screens and describes the historic evolution of the Ford line. A beautiful book that clearly fills a gap in this kind of lecturer. At the back is a list of model code numbers and a statement about styling terms. Great! - Old-timer Magazine/Dreamcar Magazine. 70 years of success: that's the very appropriate sub-heading of Nick Hull's fascinating history of the Ford Motor Company, a firm whose designs and innovation helped define and redefine British motoring. The writing is methodical and workaday and gets right on with the narrative without pretence or digression. The well-remembered car models and designs are given new perspective. The characters who starred in this ongoing tale are brought to life once again. And the moment of it all is savoured. There are some great images in this tale detailing the design, the clay crafting and the prototyping of the vehicles, some of which never made it through to full scale production. There are over 220 pages to leaf through, hundreds of images to study and enjoy, dozens of sketches and diagrams to examine, and a lifetime of achievement to be celebrated. If you are looking to expand your knowledge of this era, or simply want to look beyond UK motorcycle manufacturing and widen the context, this book is a very worthy account. - Sump. As a one-time owner of a Mk 1 Consul and Zodiac, I was delighted to see this new book from Veloce. It is a wonderfully-complete story of Ford design in the UK, from Zephyrs to Anglias, Corvinas to Capris, Escorts, KAs, Fiestas and much more. Great to see that it also covers the commercials made by Ford UK, like the D-series trucks and the many variants of Transit. What made this 224-page book a stand-out for me is that it covers so many different aspects of the design process. How their shapes and styles developed are interesting, of course, but here you also get the personalities involved, the thought that goes into interiors and instrument panels, company ownership changes, the influence of Detroit, technological developments from clay modelling to computer-aided design, chaining markets and government regulations, forward planning and lots more. A fascinating read. - Classic Driver. Ford automobiles have been built in England since 1911, and Ford has been designing in England for almost as long - since 1967 in Dunton, Essex. On 224 pages begins the book with the themes Design by Ford and Ford in the UkK, before is comes from the well-known classics - Anglia, Transit, Escort ... and the lesser known to the models of the present. The richly illustrated book is not only about the cars, but also about the people behind the design. - Austro Classic. Another great book from Veloce Publishing, a superb look at Ford's design history in the UK and its studio locations. Fascinating and very informative stuff especially as it delves into the background of the designers, clay modellers and studio engineers involved. The automotive designer's job description has changed greatly in recent years and continues to evolve as techniques develop. The world-famous Dunton Studio is covered extensively here, since its formative years in 1967. A great book. - tkc. There are many books about Ford, but none has attempted to tell the styling history of the Blue Oval. In this groundbreaking work Nick Hull charts the course of design in a company known more perhaps for its discipline and conservatism. Hull's strength is his ability to talk stylist to stylist and his interviews with serving and former members of Ford's design team render first hand any number of fascinating insights. Throughly researched - his breadth of sources is impressive, Ford Design is another compellingly readable and convincing account from an author who makes the fascinating, but sometimes crane world of design accessible. - Kieron Fennelly. Several books have been written about Ford of Britain but this is the first time its dedicated styling department has received the benefit of detailed historical research. The author's 25 years' experience in the automotive design industry make him the ideal candidate in understanding and assessing Ford's endeavours in the United Kingdom which stretch some 70 years. It is not only cars that are examined in this detailed and lavishly produced book which include a wealth of illustrations, many of which will be new to motor enthusiasts and historians. This extensive and thorough history of Ford's British styling facility benefits from the author's depth of research and his many interviews with those personnel involved in designing Fords built in Britain. – Archive. Despite the hundreds of books about the Ford Motor Company and its dozens of highly popular models, this is the first book dedicated to the design of the firm's vehicles in Britain. This book provides a truly unique insight into the British arm of the Ford Motor Company's history in its UK design locations. All the models described in the text are backed-up by hundreds of original sketches, design studio photographs, factory press shots, advertisements and other promotional material. While the colour reproduction is excellent, the black and white images offer a charming period feel. Another fascinating aspect of this hefty volume is the way each model is discussed in regards to its market niche and the competition it faces. Hull also points out how and why models needed to be continually refined, improved, or redesigned to compete in the ever-changing market. All in all, Ford Brit car and truck fans and owners need this book. It will not only answer many questions about their favourite vehicle, but also make them appreciate it even more. – Norm Mort - Freelance.