In 1931, the first vehicle rolled off the line at Ford's Dagenham plant just east of London, England. This plant, modeled on Ford's massive Rouge complex in Dearborn, contained all of the essential elements Ford needed to manufacture vehicles -- powerhouse, coke ovens, blast furnace, foundry, assembly building, and other factory buildings. During the next 71 years, nearly 11 million vehicles would be built at Dagenham.