History in the making: Ford Australia celebrates 100 years

On March 31, 1925, Ford Motor Company expanded to Australia in a move that helped establish it as a truly global operation. Now, 100 years on this week, Ford Australia marks a full century of operation in our market. 

To mark its centenary year, a special “History in the Making” event will be held in Melbourne on Friday April 4, 2025.

Prominently showcasing a selection of Ford’s own Heritage Fleet, the first Ford ute, the Aussie-invented 1934 Coupe-Ute, and the first 1960 XK Falcon will be among the historic vehicles on display. Some key Ford GT sedans and racecars that helped put Ford Motorsport on the map in Australia will also feature.

In addition to such classics, a number of vehicles from Ford’s current lineup including the Ranger PHEV, Everest, and Mustang Mach-E will feature to serve as a reminder of the brand’s future trajectory.

Ford Australia’s “History in the Making” event in Melbourne on April 4, 2025 will feature a number of iconic and historic vehicles from the brand’s long history in Australia

In addition to Ford Australia’s own event, the company will also be supporting the All Ford Day in Geelong on Sunday April 6, with it expected to be one of the biggest turn-outs in the event’s history.

“This is a significant milestone for the Ford Australia team, our Dealers and Ford fans around the country,” says Andrew Birkic, president and CEO of Ford Australia and New Zealand. “Just about every family in Australia has a Ford story and we love how Ford vehicles are such a part of the cultural landscape of the country.”

Ford Heritage Vault website adds 100 years’ worth of Aussie history

As part of Ford Australia’s centenary, fans of the brand around the world can now find more than 2300 images and brochures of Ford models sold in Australia on its Heritage Vault website.

To secure and digitise material stretching all the way back to 1925, Ford’s Archives team has been working with local vendors to digitise thousands of images, brochures, documents, and audiovisual materials to preserve and make this history available to the public.

“It has been a mammoth undertaking, but we’re continuing to add to the on-line archive with Australian-relevant documents, brochures and images,” said Ted Ryan, Ford Heritage brand manager. “We want to ensure the collection is made accessible online for the general public, so everyone can re-live their favourite moments.” 

Ford’s relationship with Geelong has dated all the way back to Ford Australia’s establishment in 1925, with the main gate to the Geelong factory shown here in 1950

The Ford Australia story

The story of how Ford Australia came into being actually started back in 1923 when a group of Ford’s North American executives headed Down Under to seek out a home base for Ford here; as we now well know, Geelong was the place they chose.

Originally, the Geelong plant produced the Model T, the car which revolutionised the vehicle production process. A bastion of affordable transportation for the masses, it cost roughly £185 at the time of its launch, equating to $18,542 in today’s Aussie dollar per the Reserve Bank of Australia.

Ford’s relationship with the Geelong community has been strong for just as long, too, with 2025 also marking 100 years as a partner of Geelong Football Club; 1925 was also historic as it marked the team’s first Victorian Football League Premiership.

Initially, the Model T was assembled in the Dalgety Wool Store in Geelong, before moving to larger premises in Corio. Ford’s original stamping plant at Norlane is now the site of the current Research and Development Centre, while the 900-hectare You Yangs Proving Ground at Lara is where Ford still develops and tests its vehicles. Ford’s Campbellfield facility in Melbourne is also home to its International Markets Group Product Development Centre.

While Australian production ended in 2016, Ford still develops vehicles in Australia for global markets such as the top-selling Ranger ute

Geelong can also lay claim to being the place where the world’s first coupe-ute was designed and built. The original coupe-utility was the result of a request in 1932 from a Gippsland farmer to Ford, requesting the company build a vehicle that could ‘take my wife to church on Sunday and carry my pigs in the back on Monday’.

Ford engineer, Lew Bandt, was tasked with the challenge of delivering such a vehicle and in 1934 Bandt and his team delivered what became known as the Ford Coupe-Utility.

Ford Australia’s story is a key part of the historical fabric of the Victorian community, particularly in Geelong, which was home to Ford’s original stamping plant at Norlane, site of the current Research and Development Centre, and the 900-hectare You Yangs Proving Ground at Lara, where Ford develops and tests Ford vehicles. 

Ford’s Campbellfield facility in Melbourne is also home to Ford’s International Markets Group Product Development Centre.

You can stream the “History in the Making” event below: