From the archives of Bob Montgomery, motoring historian
"WON'T FIT THE RUTS!" In the past, this column has dealt with the coming of Ford to Ireland. However, recently, a short article written by RW Archer in 1914 about his early experiences with Ford cars has come to light which adds to the story.
In 1907, Archer came to the second Motor Show organised by the Irish Automobile Club at the RDS, Dublin. There, on the second stand on the right from the main entrance door he caught sight of the first Model N Ford to reach Ireland. The stand was modest, consisting of a polished chassis, a standard runabout, and a crimson painted two-seater.
Despite their light appearance, when Archer examined them, he discovered that they "combined solidity with good engineering".
But was the material of which they were constructed up to the rigours of Irish conditions? An invitation to "sit on the tip of the wing and see if you can bend it" from the stand attendant went a long way to dispelling any doubts that Archer may have had. In fact, the whole car was built from Vanadium steel, then just beginning to come into use.
From that moment onwards the name of RW Archer would become synonymous with Ford in Ireland as he made up his mind to acquire the Ford agency for this country.
"Rosy vistas of large sales to impatient and enthusiastic buyers filled my brain, but - Ah, me! I was young and sanguine, and it took many years of uphill work before the Ford came into its own in Ireland."
Things began well enough with a contract for six cars to be sold in the Leinster region.
In fact, nine were sold in the first year but then sales slowed almost to a halt and the prejudices of potential buyers came to the fore. In particular, the trade were simply not interested in the Ford.
As Archer wrote in 1914, "they laughed, sneered, made jokes about building out of 'scrapped sardine cans', and lost no possible chance of running down the Ford . . . I remember persuading Alldrit of Maryborough to try a hill, and, as there was no hill in the neighbourhood, I took him to the side of an old stone quarry near the town on a grade of about 1 in 5 over loose shingle. He acknowledged its marvellous powers and general handiness, but placed no order. 'Too light for Irish roads' - I grew sick of the expression."
A major sticking point with buyers was the contention that it was too "spidery" for Irish roads and anyway, they said, it "won't fit the ruts on byroads". This contention proved very hard to dispel as "nine out of 10 inquirers persisted in this idea, in spite of denial and offers to prove by demonstration that the car did fit the ruts made by country carts"!
1909 was a disaster for Archer. Almost no Fords were sold, but he retained his belief in the make. It was to be the end of 1909 before the turning point arrived for RW Archer and Ford in Ireland. A Mr Bate of the Ford Motor Company in England arrived late one evening at Archer's garage with a new Ford design, the Ford Model T.
This was the first time Archer had heard of the new model and a brief run with Bates made him realise that here was a world-beater.
The rest, as they say, is history, the Model T Ford going on to become perhaps the most famous car in automobile history and one which Irish people took to their hearts, setting Ford, and RW Archer, on the road to success in Ireland.