Ford's Portuguese pickup
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• Ford has replaced its South African-built P100 Cortinabased pickup, with a Sierrabased one-tonne pickup to be built in Portugal. The vehicle is being shown at the Scottish Show, and goes on sale in January next year. There are no prices yet, but the total cost is unlikely to exceed £7,500 plus VAT.
Like the previous model, the new P100 uses a steel ladderframe chassis, which is attached to the Sierra monocoque via a box section, and the UK-style side impact bars which tie the rear frame into door sills and thence to the engine sub-frame.
The load box has the same dimensions as the previous model, and the double-skinned rear panels are pressed rather than rolled steel. The length of the box is 2.13m, the width is 1.37m and the side wall height is 0.4m. A full tonneau cover and a rubber floor mat are available as options.
The first models of the new pickup will use the Ford 2-litre 55.5kW (74hp) lowcompression petrol engine, similar to that used in the Ford Transit. It will run on two star fuel, and uses a breaker-less system of electronic ignition.
The company hopes to offer its own design 1.8-litre turbocharged diesel engine in the pick-up, although this is at least one year away from production. A four-wheel-drive transmission, based on the Sierra system is also being considered, and the company says: "We are prepared to consider the engineering program me if the market warrants it" The gearbox is the fivespeed, all synchromesh, heavy duty unit, and asbestos-free materials are used for the clutch linings, and braking.
The suspension system is basically the same as the previous model, but has been revised in an attempt to give the pickup a better ride in both the laden and unladen conditions. The front suspension is now a MacPherson strut-type that has a twin-tube damper running inside the coil spring. An antiroll bar from the Sierra S models is also fitted.
A number of the details on the Sierra-based pickup have been improved in the light of the operator experience with the old model. The front valance that was prone to rusting has been replaced by a foamfiled plastics unit that also doubles as the front bumper.