Bridge of Weir sponsors vintage Ford event
09/05/2011
Bridge of Weir Leather’s involvement with the automotive trade spans back to 1911 when hides from the Renfrewshire tannery were specified for the interior of the Model T. The first Model T Ford production plant outside the US was established at Trafford, Manchester.
In 1911 Henry Alexander, a Ford agent based in Edinburgh, drove one of the cars to the top of Ben Nevis, Scotland’s highest mountain, to prove the ruggedness of the Model T. The ascent took five days with a route over boulders, through snow-drifts and over perilous loose sand paths. At the top of the mountain the Model T was met by the world’s press before taking less than three hours to descend the mountain, traversing gradients steeper than 1 in 3.
The 2011 Ben Nevis Challenge Tour will see over 60 vintage Model T cars gather by the mountain and cover parts of the route. Each entrant will be given a limited edition trophy, sponsored by Bridge of Weir Leather. A display of Ford vehicles and memorabilia will be on display at the nearby Nevis Centre in Fort William.
Other vehicles from the Ford Heritage Collection will include a replica of Henry Ford’s first vehicle, the Quadricycle, and a 1910 Model T.
The event will culminate with a Ford Model T again sitting atop Ben Nevis although these days it is impossible to take motor vehicles all the way to the summit. Coordinated by the John Muir Trust, a replica of the 1911 Model T will be dismantled half way up the hill, carried to the summit by volunteers and then reassembled.
In the build-up to the event Jamie Davidson, sales director of Bridge of Weir Leather, said: “We are delighted to reinforce our historical relationship with Ford. Even today, we provide leather to their Mondeo and to four models of the Lincoln in the US. It’s a fun event and we wish all the entrants good weather for their tours.”
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