Ford-Vairogs [SEP] dissolved or abolished
Ford-Vairogs
Ford-Vairogs ("Vairogs" meaning "Shield") (earlier called "Fenikss") was the name of a car factory in Riga, Latvia, that produced license built Ford cars between September 1937 and 1940 when it was expropriated as the property of the Soviet government. Not including the war department orders, Ford-Vairogs made 200 buses, 1000 trucks and 332 automobiles.
History.
The history of the Vairogs factory began in the late 19th century. In 1895 Austro-Hungarian
Motor Company. According to contract, Ford Motor company granted car assembly concession to "Vairogs" factory in Riga. In September, the first Ford-Vairogs V8 3-ton trucks left the production line.
In 1938, the factory also started to produce passenger cars and buses. Ford-Vairogs cars became very popular in Latvia because of their low prices and good quality. Ford-Vairogs was the biggest automobile company in the Baltic states.
After World War II started in September 1939, Ford-Vairogs production numbers declined