The Ford Heritage Vault is a new way to learn about the company's history.

Ford will make historical photos and product brochures spanning a century of its history available to the public online.

The automaker unveiled the Ford Heritage Vault on Thursday. It includes material from the Ford and Lincoln brands' founding in 1903 to their centennial in 2003. In a press release, Ford stated that these materials are available for free download for personal use and that the curated collection will be continually expanded.

The materials selected for the launch of the online archive were chosen by Ford's archivists over the past two years. They include everything from classics like the Model A and Bronco to less beloved models like the Tempo and Aerostar.

The collection was assembled from the Ford archives, which were established in 1951 to celebrate the company's 50th anniversary. Now housed in a dedicated facility at the Henry Ford Museum, it contains, according to Ford, 16,000 cubic feet of paper records, approximately 51,000 video assets, about 2 million negatives, and hundreds of works of art.

To ensure accessibility, Ford has also implemented assistive technology for blind and visually impaired users whenever possible. Prior to the launch of the website, the company conducted a pilot test with graduate students from Wayne State University's Library and Information Science program, as well as employees and retirees.

However, the site was not accessible at the time of publication, so some bugs may still be unresolved. Still, it looks to be a great resource for automotive enthusiasts who want to delve into Ford's history. While most automakers have extensive corporate archives, it is rare for such material to be made available to the public.