Within five years, it had hit the jackpot, creating the most important, and for a long time the best-selling, car in history. Today, it remains one of the largest manufacturers in the world, and one - with its ubiquitous cars and vans - that has ingrained itself into the culture of the UK like few other foreign firms.

This would not have been possible if it hadn’t produced a long series of great models. The definition of ‘great’ is fluid – we’re using it here to describe cars which might not have excelled in all areas, but which at least pushed Ford forward in one way or another. Among many other possibilities, we’re listing 50, in order of when they first went on sale: