Ford - Banned spitfire ad

[tysonpj]

Ford produced an advert saying how good their engines were in Spitfires during the war and how we beat the enemy. It was a classic and never shown due the anti-german theme. Would be great to see it. I think Tarrant showed it years back. Any help?

[kempie]

Ford never produced engines for the Spitfire.

Spitfires and Hurricanes used Rolls-Royce Merlin engines. Churchill considered the Merlin engine such an indispensable part of Britain�s air defences that, in 1940, he secretly ordered a set of blueprints to be sent to the US in case the UK was overrun by Nazi Germany. There, it was developed and built under licence by Packard in Detroit. Henry Ford turned down the opportunity because he was convinced that Britain would lose the war anyway.

[ray benstead]

well said kempie. Once again the yanks try to steal our thunder.

[shiznit]

Nice one kempie

[scrumpychap]

If Ford indeed never built Merlins, perhaps that's the real reason the advert was never shown?

I'd still like to see it again though! Can anyone help?

[kempie]

I think the Spitfire angle is a red-herring. Either that or you chose the wrong motor manufacturer.

Ford certainly mass produced B-24 Liberator bombers and built Pratt & Whitney R-2800 "Double Wasp" engines under licence to aid the war effort.

[scrumpychap]

The advert was certainly for Ford, and it started with the question "What did you do during the war?" followed by a clip of a Spitfire over the white cliffs of Dover and stirring music. As I said, maybe Ford were found out to be a little creative with the facts, and maybe this was the reason the ad was pulled?

[tysonpj]

Thank you srumpyjack - I thought I was going mad. You description is as I remember it. I rather hoped it was kicking about on the tinterweb somewhere.
Thanks to all the folk who responded - some interesting replies

[Bigvern1966]

Yes indeed Ford UK did do an advert in September 1990 (during the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain) that was banned due to complaints. It was however shown on TV a few times. The name of the Advert was "Spitfire" and it showed aerial footage of the British countryside to the end title music from the Film "The Battle of Britain", the final parts of the footage included a Spitfire over the white cliffs of Dover. I don't remember the "What did you do in the war bit", However the rest of the Voiceover went something very like this.....

"Between 1939 and 1945, Ford of Great Britain produced 38000 Rolls Royce Merlin Engines for the Royal Air Force. It is probability because of this in 1990 we don't have to say Vorsprung durch Technik"

Vorsprung durch Technik of course being the catchphrase of adverts by the German Car Firm Audi.

[nealchi]

I too remember the ad - it's still one of my favourites but someone "accidentally" deleted it from my video of favourite things. I'd love to see it again.
Anyway, Ford Motor Company in the UK had their Aero Division in Trafford, Manchester in WW2 and produced in excess of 20,000 Merlin engines for the war effort between 1941 and 1945. Obviously, Rolls Royce were running flat out, as were many other factories. It's said that Rolls Royce broke down all the Ford engines and then re-assembled them just to prove they were up to standard, but that's probably apocryphal - they didn't have the time. The Ford Merlins went into Lancasters and Mosquitoes as well as Spitfires.
As has been said before - "Maybe that's why we don't have to say 'Vorsprung Durch Technik"!

[RolandCatto]

There is anti-American sentiment in some of the responses at the start of this post, and by implication, support for the Advertising Standards Authority's banning of the advert because of its anti-German tone, but every statement in that advert was accurate. Like it or not, if it was not for Churchill, and the Americans, and indeed those engines, we might very well be speaking German today, which was precisely the point the advertisement was making. The ASA, whose questionable values allow offensive advertising to be shown this very day, should be ashamed of its ruling which removed an intensely moving work from our screens.