In the spring of 1896 Henry Ford built his first horseless carriage. In 1903 Ford, backed by 12 local businessmen, formed the Ford Motor Company which later pioneered modern production line techniques.
In 1911 Ford’s first assembly plant outside North America opened at Trafford Park, Manchester, and in 1929 work started on building the Dagenham plant where the first Model AA truck rolled off the line at 1:15 p.m. on October 1, 1931.