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Think of an icon of Essex, and there's a good chance you'll think of a Ford car.

Thanks to it's long presence in both Dagenham and Dunton, the car giant's Cortinas, Capris and Consuls have become a much loved part of our recent history.

Bentall used their previous engineering knowledge

But, had the efforts of EH Bentall & Co. in the early 1900's borne fruit, the Blue Oval could have had a rival for our automotive affections.

The name 'Bentall' was synonymous with the Essex town of Heybridge for over 150 years, thanks to its manufacture of agricultural machinery, engines and mechanical components.

But in the early years of the 20th century, the company focused much of its time and resources on building motor cars.

"The then managing director was actually the first man to own a motor car in the Maldon area," he explains.

"During the previous decade before 1905, they had developed a petrol engine to be used with the agricultural machinery. So driving around in his own car, he must have thought 'we have all the capabilities to build a motor car, so why don't we try that out.'"

The car was renound for it's high build quality

So, in 1905, prototypes for the first Bentall car were made and, at the huge cost of 拢60,000, production began on the Bentall motor car, of which about 100 were built.

Unfortunately, the project was doomed to be a short chapter in the company's history, as John explains: "In their tooling-up they decided on a certain bore and stroke of the engine.

"But then they discovered there was a taxation on horsepower based on the actual bore diameter of the cylinders.

Tyre technology was still in its infancy

"Unfortunately, what they had was what is now described as a 'square engine'.

"Other cars benefited from what is known as a 'mono-block' engine, which gives a longer stroke and consequently provided a more efficient engine inside this taxation, which the Bentall did not have."

"To completely re-jig would have been exorbitantly expensive for them. Consequently they lasted until about 1912, when they ceased production."

The old factory dominates Heybridge's skyline

It is believed that only two Bentall cars still exist, one in Australia, the other owned by Bentall PLC.

For it's centenary, the latter has returned to it's Essex birthplace, at the Museum of Power, just outside Heybridge.

This particular car, a four cylinder, 2418cc machine capable of a top speed of 28mph, has had a varied history, spending some of it's life driving around the Sri Lankan countryside, and then used as a tractor in Devon.

Now restored to its former glory, the car is a beautiful reminder of what could have been.