1967 to 2000
At the time of its opening, Dunton was assigned responsibility within Ford of Europe for vehicle design, interior styling, chassis and body interior engineering, engine calibration and product planning. Ford's Merkenich Centre in Cologne, Germany was given principal responsibility for body and electrical engineering, base engine design, advanced engine development, exterior styling, homologation, vehicle development (ride, handling, NVH) and transmission engineering. This was a 'systems' approach to the engineering process intended to eliminate the duplication of engineering responsibility within Ford of Europe.
In the late 1960s Dunton worked on an experimental electric car, first shown on 7 June 1967, and called the Ford Comuta.[4]
On 10 May 1971 Peter Walker opened a £1 million engine emissions laboratory at Dunton, the largest of its type in Europe. In November 1974 the world's first automated (computerised) multiple engine (six) test bed was constructed at Dunton, built in co-operation with the engineering department of Queen Mary, University of London. In 1974 a Honeywell 6050 computer was installed at Dunton at a cost of £820,000. The computer was linked to Merkenich and to the Ford test track at Lommel in Belgium. From 1978 Dunton had access to a CDC Cyber 176 computer at the USA base in Dearborn.
Special Vehicle Engineering developed the 4x4 system in the mid 1980s.[5] SVE vehicles had Garrett turbochargers. Many of the RS models had the bodywork made at Karmann in Osnabrück, Germany; the vehicles had Pirelli tyres.[6]
By 1984 staff at Dunton were conducting video-conferences with colleagues at Merkenich, using the ECS-1 satellite, and enabled by British Telecom International.
In the 1980s Ford spent £100m a year on British research.[7] In 1988 the site worked with Prof Paul Shayler of the University of Nottingham mechanical engineering department[8]
The Sierra Sapphire was launched in a £228m development in February 1987, with Clive Ennos and Andy Jacobson at Dunton.[9] A £10m 53,000 sq ft R&D Electronics Technical Centre was built from 1987, to open in early 1989, to develop spark plugs, fuel pumps, and engine management systems.[10][11]
In 1988 Dunton prepared the way for design of the Mondeo (codename CDW27) by pioneering, in collaboration with Merkenich, the Worldwide Engineering Release System (WERS). Dunton at this time was the most advanced automotive development centre in Europe.
New Zetec engines developed in 1991 under Ian MacPherson, in conjunction with Yamaha.[12]
From 1992 to 1996, 300 engineering jobs were moved to Merkenich. Engine development was largely at Dunton, not Germany.[13] A new four-storey £22m centre was built from 1995.[14]
In 1995 Dunton, in collaboration with the University of Southampton, developed a device which is capable of detecting different types of plastic (for recycling) using the triboelectric effect, including polypropylene, polyethylene, nylon and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).
In August 1997 the site developed the 145 mph Mondeo ST24, with a 2.5 litre Duratec V6 engine.[15][16] On 16 December 1997 Alexander Trotman, Baron Trotman opened a £128 million environmental engine testing facility at Dunton.[17]
2000 to present
In 2003 a Silicon Graphics International (SGI) Reality Centre was constructed at Dunton, incorporating SGI Onyx 3000 visualisation supercomputers, using the InfiniteReality3 graphics rendering system.
In March 2010 Ford announced plans to develop a new generation of environmentally friendly engines and vehicle technologies at Dunton following an announcement by the UK government that it would underwrite £360 million of a £450 million loan to Ford from the European Investment Bank.[18] In July 2010 the new coalition government confirmed that it would honour the loan commitment, and the contract was signed in a ceremony at Dunton attended by the business minister Mark Prisk on 12 July.[19]
In recent years Dunton has been responsible for the development of the ECOnetic range of vehicles, and has contributed to development of the EcoBoost range of engines.
In 2020 during the medical ventilators crisis generated by COVID-19, a Dunton Manufacturing team participated in VentilatorUKChallenge consortium and had a major contribution to deliver over 10,000 units to the NHS in just 12 weeks.
