1939 Matford Victoria

The Matford Company was the result of a joint venture between the US-based Ford Motor Company and the French-based Mathis S.A. Created in 1934, Matford sales progressed from 1,049 in 1935 to 8,898 in 1938 before falling to less than half that number as the company focused on producing trucks for the French Army and slow the German advance.

Ford's ambitions went beyond the North American continent, and had assembled Model Ts in France through 1927, the Model As from 1927 to 1931, and the Model Ys from 1932 to 1934. As Ford continued to expand in the European market, Mathis S.A. was encountering financial difficulties. Since Mathis had an underutilized factory at Strasbourg (officially in France following frontier changes formalized in 1919), Ford saw an opportunity to increase production rather than pursue expansion at their existing workshop in Asnières-sur-Seine. An official joint venture was formalized between these two entities on October 1st, 1934, dubbed SA Francaise Matford. Ford owned 60% and Mathis the remaining 40%. The early production were versions of American and British Ford models assembled at the Strasbourg factory.

Committed to the success of Matford, Ford provided substantial amounts of capital to modernize the Strasbourg factory.

Matford was formed between the bookends of The Great Depression and World War II, and its longevity would ultimately be suffocated due to the German occupation and its proximity to the German border. Hindsight, as they say, is 20/20.

Matford Production

The automobiles that were initially built by the newly formed Matford Company were similar to the V8-powered Ford Model 48s built in the United States. A year later, in 1936, the Matford Alsace model appeared and was offered with either a 2,225cc or 3,621cc V8 engine. The 1937 models were generally known by their fiscal horsepower ratings, the 13CV and the 21CV.

With World War II on the horizon, civilian automobile production ended in 1940, and manufacturing focused on truck production for the French army. Since the Matford Strasbourg factory was close to the German border, the contents were moved to Ford's Cologne plant. A new Ford plant opened at Poissy near Paris in 1940, and following a restructuring (including the end of its association with Mathis), the Ford Société Anonyme Française was formed.

by Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2023