POWER TO THE PEOPLE

FORD HAS ALWAYS HAD AN UNCANNY knack for giving the people what they want.

- PETER TOMALIN

Strolling through this greatest hits collection, past Cortina 1600Es and Fiesta XR2s, Sapphire Cosworths and Focus RSS, you're reminded just how deeply embedded in our collective psyche the Blue Oval has become.

Len Keen sees it every time he conducts a tour: 'More than any other manufacturer, people can associate with the cars here. You see it in their faces when they come in: what Fords mean to people.' And that's no happy accident. For successive generations, canny marketing underpinned by rigorous product development has engendered not only sales success but a deep and enduring affection.

Len's 'day job' is press officer for vehicle operations at Ford's Dunton HQ but he also has responsibility for the Heritage Collection, recently relocated from Dagenham to Daventry, and it's a role he clearly loves - hardly surprising with access to so many iconic vehicles.

Vehicles like the stunning silver GT40 Mk3, ironically one of the very few models that Ford had trouble shifting back in the day. The Mk3 was the road version of the Le Mans-winning racer, the rear body extended to create luggage space, the 4.7-litre V8 detuned to 306bhp, the damping softened and the gearshift moved from the sill to the centre.

The original plan had been to build 30, possibly more if things had gone well. In fact the car here is one of only seven Mk3s built. "This one was pulled off the line and used as a press car and promotional tool,' says Len. 'It was also our chairman's car at the time.' Well, if you have the pick of any car in the range...