The first Ford IN THE FAROE ISLANDS

It is May 6th 1922. A curious crowd stands packed like sardines down at the harbour. People have known for days that a car is being shipped to the Faroe Islands on board S/S Island.

Coming Ashore

Faroese people who had travelled had seen cars before. Denmark’s roads started carrying cars in the late 19th century. Still, few people in Tórshavn had ever seen an actual car, barely even an image of one, they had just read about such machines.

The onlookers were drawn to the harbour by curiosity and dread. They had heard about crashes and cars frightening horses, and even tales of cars running people over and killing them.

Of course, that would hardly be an immediate problem. There were practically no roads in the Faroese capital at the time. The Municipality had recently rejected a petition for a bridge on the grounds that, “there will never be a need for any vehicles in Tórshavn.”

Everyone was also excited to see how the crew would get the truck ashore, no quay was built yet. A big steam powered crane was employed to lift the truck from the deck and down into a barge, which then sailed it to a small slipway where it was pushed along planks onto the landing. From there, given that nobody knew how to drive it yet, it was pushed up to the motor repair workshop.

Some eyewitness say that the car was unloaded in three parts, which is plausible given that Ford T trucks were advertised as a chassis with an engine and a steering wheel. It was left up to buyers to decide what the cab and hold should look like.

Though nobody at the motor shop had worked on a car before, their experience with boat engines helped them assemble it and figure out the crank mechanism needed to wind it up. This was the time before electric spark plugs.

Learning To Drive

Fortunately a Danish merchant, William Planck, had learnt how to drive before moving to the Faroe Islands, so he acted as the first unofficial driving instructor. After only tree days the truck’s owners, Júst Sivertsen and Johannes Olsen, were ready for the road.

They had the truck fitted with benches, so they could charge passengers for rides through the narrow streets of Tórshavn. Not because they were in need of transport, it was all about the novelty. The drive was slow and there was even a portion on the very short stretch where the back wheels had to be lifted and swivelled, otherwise the truck would get stuck.

License To Drive

The little truck made headlines in Denmark too, mainly because it was being driven around without a license or license plate. It was all within the bounds of the law, however, because the Danish Motoring Act had not been enacted for the Faroe Islands.

When, in 1923, the Act was extended to the Faroe Islands, both car owners got their driver’s license without a test, seeing as they had already proven themselves. Of course rumours still swirled about a supposed first driving test. One story had it that Jóhannes took a driving test with the Chief of Police, who then also wanted to try the car, without much success because he got it stuck immediately. When Jóhannes then allegedly got it back on track, the Chief of Police is said to have said, “Congratulations you passed your test.”

From Horses To Engines

Before the arrival of cars, goods were transported by horse cart in the Faroe Islands and this only changed well into the 1930s. In 1922 few people trusted motor vehicles and all the roads were made for horses.

It remained common to see horse carriages in the streets of Tórshavn up to the 1960s. In fact, the building that today houses 62N Hotel was built by the first Faroese carriage maker, Erik Simonsen, who had his workshop there. He learned his craft in Denmark and Sweden and continued crafting carriages, as well as wooden cabs and holds into the 1950s.

Early on there was not much sympathy for cars among politicians. The first speed limit was set at 15 km/h, so as to avoid excessive road wear and tear. Many a parliamentarian did, however, think this restriction laughable, considering that a fast walker could easily overtake a car at that speed.

Gradually, trucks found their way to the various islands and the road grid was expanded, to the chagrin of sheep, cows and fowls, which reportedly fled the noisy newcomers in great panic. The Faroese papers dutifully reported, however, that such panic eventually subsided, with the exception of certain horses. And that some animals even got to ride in trucks, though it was a pleasure that came at a cost, given that they were being transport to broth pots and ovens in Tórshavn or Tvøroyri.

The rest is history.

Facts:

– The first Ford T truck in the Faroe Islands cost DKK 5,000 with freight – up to 6 times average annual wages.

– Today a pick up truck with 1 tonne load capacity will set you back roughly ½ your annual wages.

– In the 1920s a litre of petrol cost one hour’s wages, equivalent to DKK 130 today. Now a litre of petrol costs a fraction of an hour’s wages.

On average, you can drive 15 times further today than you could at the equivalent cost 100 years ago.

BOSS – THE SCENT FOR HIM PURE ACCORD

EAU DE TOILETTE, 50 ML

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Chanel No5

SHOWER GEL, 200 ML

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Benefit

ROLLER LASH MASCARA, DUO SET

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Ecooking

BODYCREAM 250 ML

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ANTI-REDNESS CREAM 50 ML

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Marc Jacobs – PERFECT

EAU DE PARFUM INTENSE, 50ML

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Daim Snax

CHOCOLATE, 145G

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Ferrero Collection

CHOCOLATE, 269 G DKK 99 / 14 EUR

Anthon Berg

AFTER DINNER SWEET, 210G DKK 59 / 11 EUR

Flor De Caña

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Tommasi

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Los Vascos

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