Ford Cargo

The Ford Cargo is a forward-control, cab-over-engine truck that Ford of Britain designed as the successor to the Transcontinental heavy tractor and introduced in 1981. Patrick Le Quément styled it with the family look of Ford's European cars, including the louvred black Aeroflow grille, and its quarter windows reached almost to floor level so that urban drivers could better see blind spots. Early production came from Ford's Langley plant, with Dorset and Dover diesel fours and sixes in the 7.49-tonne models and Cummins, Perkins or Deutz engines in the heavy tractor units. The Cargo went to North America for 1986 as a medium-duty truck to replace the long-running C-Series and was first built in Brazil. After Ford sold its European truck business to Iveco in 1986 the design was rebadged as the Iveco Ford and later became the Eurocargo, while the North American trucks passed to Freightliner and Sterling in 1997. Ford Otosan in Turkey now builds the line.