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| Industry | Automobile |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1936 |
| Defunct | 1940 |
| Fate | Nationalized and closed |
| Headquarters | Riga,Latvia |
| Products | Cars,Trucks,Buses |
| Parent | Ford Motor Company (Copenhagen division) |
Ford-Vairogs ("Vairogs" meaning "Shield") (earlier called "Fenikss") was the name of a car factory inRiga,Latvia, that produced license-builtFord 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.
The history of the Vairogs factory began in the late 19th century. In 1895Austro-Hungarian citizen Oscar Freivirt got permission from theRussian Emperor to establish atrain carriage factory in Riga (Rīgas Vagonbūves Rūpnīca). It was known asjoint stock companyFēnikss ("Phoenix").[1]
In the 1930s the factory started to experience financial difficulties, and the Latvian government decided to intervene. In Autumn 1936, the Latvian government bought all 4000 shares of the near-bankruptfactory. In December a new state owned companyVairogs was founded. it produced a wide variety ofpassenger cars,trucks,dumper trucks,buses,ambulances andfire engines, a total of 300 passenger cars and 1'000 trucks.[2]
In the second half of the 1930s, the Latvian economy experienced rapid development and there was constant demand for moderntrucks.In 1937Vairogs company saw their business opportunity and created an automobile department, appointingengineer Pauls Barons, grandson of theLatvianfolkloristKrišjānis Barons, as director. Considering all costs and technologies, it was decided to buy a license from a known Western automobile company.In March 1937Vairogs signed a contract withCopenhagen division ofFord Motor Company. According to contract, Ford Motor company granted car assembly concession toVairogs factory inRiga. 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.[1] Ford-Vairogs cars became very popular in Latvia because of their low prices and good quality. Ford-Vairogs was the biggest automobile company in theBaltic states.
AfterWorld War II started in September 1939, Ford-Vairogs production numbers declined due to the wartime difficulties with engine and other part supplies. After theSoviet occupation of Latvia in 1940 the factory was nationalized and all Ford car production stopped. The Vairogs plant was handed over to theRigas Vagonbüves Rupnica (Riga Railcar Factory).[2]
The cars made were:
In 1937 Vairogs bought out Sellier & Bellot's satellite ammunition plant in Riga. It changed the headstamp from "SB" to a stylized "V". In addition to civilian cartridges, it made 7.92x57mm Mauser and .303 British ammunition for military clients in the region. After the Soviet occupation in 1940, it was nationalized as Factory 520 and began manufacturing 7.62×54mmR Russian ammunition - still using the "V" headstamp. It was closed in June 1941 due to the German invasion and its machinery was evacuated to Sverdlovsk. The machinery was later returned in 1944/1945 and production was resumed until 1946.
After the war Vairogs was renamedRīgas Vagonbūves Rūpnīca ("Riga Train-car Factory") and went back to manufacturing train cars.
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