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Written by Administrator
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Tuesday, 06 June 2006 |
AC - Thames Ditton's Racing Car!
No mention of Thames Ditton would be complete without some reference to the production of arguably one of the most famous marques of Sports Cars in the World, the AC Cobra. However, AC Cars didn't just produce Sports cars, they even made 3 wheelers! An advertising slogan they loved to use was "Thames Ditton, the Saville Road of Motordom".
AC Cars acquired the Ferry Works factory in 1911. During the 1914-18 War, the factory produced shells and fuses, although at least one vehicle was designed and built for the War Office. At the end of the First World War, AC Cars started making motor vehicles again, designing and building many successful cars at Ferry Works. The company was caught by the recession in trade in 1929 and went into voluntary liquidation. The Company was reformed the following year and continued to manufacture a large variety of vehicles in the Thames Ditton High Street factory until 1980.
Some of the original heavy plant (metal presses) used by AC Cars is still in use in Thames Ditton today in the factory of Electro-Telektron Safety Systems who use it in the production of Electrical safety equipment.
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